The Staatsexamen is a German government licensing examination that future physicians, teachers, pharmacists, food chemists, psychotherapists and jurists as well as surveyors have to pass to be allowed to work in their profession. The examination is generally organized by government examination agencies which are under the authority of the responsible ministry. These agencies create examination commissions which consist of members of the examination agency, university professors and/or representatives from the professions. The Staatsexamina are both legally equivalent to a master's degree in the respective operating ranges.
Overview
Graduating Staatsexamen is separated into two independent sequences: the first and the second Staatsexamen. Students usually study at university for 4–8 years before they participate at final examinations to graduate by the first Staatsexamen. This shows the academic qualification and knowledge on theoretical and practical skills. Afterwards teachers and jurists continue to the practical phase of two to three years in their future jobs ending with an examination sequence in order to graduate by the second Staatsexamen, which amongst others tests their professional skills in their respective jobs. In law, the first Staatsexamen since 2003 consists of two parts: The first part is taken at the university level under the authority of the respective universities and at their discretion. The second part is taken at the Oberlandesgerichte. The latter are often also the responsible authorities providing the administrative infrastructure during the Referendariatand in the end holding the exams of the second Staatsexamen. Only a lawyer possessing both Staatsexamina is a fully qualified lawyer and hence entitled to appear in court whether as judge, prosecutor, attorney or as an agent for the government. In medicine, the Staatsexamen consists of three parts as of 2013. The first part is taken after the first two years of the six-year medical degree, i.e., after the basic sciences part of the degree whereas the second part is taken after the fifth year of studies. Following a practical year, the third part follows at the end of the six-year medical degree. In pharmacy, the Staatsexamen consists of three parts. The first part is taken after the first two years of the four-year pharmacy degree, the second part at the end of the four-year pharmacy degree, and the third part after the so-called Praktisches Jahr that prospective pharmacists have to take after graduation. In some cases, the second Staatsexamen can be a substitute for a doctorate when it comes to applying for certain jobs at a university.
