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Foreign academic degrees; information on management

In the Free State of Bavaria, foreign degrees, titles and university designations may be used without authorization. No approval procedures are carried out or management authorizations issued

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Procedure details

Foreign academic degrees, university titles and university job titles may be used in Bavaria by law without authorization in the form permitted by Art. 100 of the Bavarian Higher Education Innovation Act (BayHIG). Approval procedures are not required and are not carried out. Management licenses are not issued. This also applies to binding information or statements on specific forms of management. The holder of the degree is responsible for checking whether the legal requirements for the award of the degree in accordance with Art. 100 BayHIG are met. It is the degree holder's own responsibility to ensure that the degree is awarded correctly.

Management principle

A foreign academic degree can be awarded without authorization if it

  • From a university or other body recognized under the law of the country of origin that is entitled to award this degree, and
  • on the basis of a course of study that has actually been completed and duly concluded by examination

has been awarded.

The foreign academic degree must be listed in the form in which it was (originally) awarded, stating the awarding institution. The same applies to the abbreviation approved or proven to be customary in the country of origin.

If necessary, this form may be translated into Latin script and a literal translation (into German) may be added in brackets; the original form or the translation into Latin script, the translation and the indication of the university as a unit then form the authoritative form. A conversion into a corresponding German degree does not take place and the sole use of the translated form is not permitted.

The same applies to foreign state and ecclesiastical degrees, university titles and university job titles as well as to titles that are identical or confusingly similar to domestic academic degrees.

Special notes

Please note that there are further restrictions on the use of certain protected professional titles due to professional regulations and that recognitions or approvals may be required. Further details and special regulations can be found in the information sheet (see "Further links"). The website of the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts also provides information on the legal situation in the form of FAQs (see "Related links").

The Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts is only responsible for carrying out a procedure to approve the use of foreign degrees if there is a legal entitlement to this on the basis of the Federal Expellees Act. If you belong to this group of people, you will find further information on the website of the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts (see "Further links").

Further details and special regulations can be found in the information sheet (see "Further links"). Up-to-date information can also be found on the website of the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts (see "Related links").

Status: 16.06.2025
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst
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