The Introduction of Bachelor and Master Professional

Germany introduces Bachelor & Master Professional titles for vocational training, boosting prestige and international recognition. Learn how these new designations impact skilled professions.

For many years, Germany has been considering how to make vocational training more attractive. While Bachelor's and Master's degrees from universities generally enjoy a relatively high reputation, the situation is different for at least some vocational training professions.

These sometimes enjoy a rather low reputation and therefore also struggle with significant problems in attracting young talent. But it seems there is a solution to the problem. Because at least master craftsmen and certified specialists will be allowed to use the titles Bachelor or Master in the future. This is already the case in some other countries. But how exactly will the introduction of Bachelor and Master Professional affect Germany?

When will the new title apply?

The new titles were already introduced on January 1, 2020. This happened through the new version of the Vocational Training Act. However, this does not automatically mean that all qualifications will be aligned. The individual organizations must first adapt their examination regulations. Only then can graduates use the new titles. By the way, at least according to current knowledge, there will be no retroactive adjustment of the titles.

Therefore, only those graduates who have obtained their qualification after the amendment to the law and the necessary change to the respective examination regulations can use the new title. How the individual vocational qualifications will be named in the future can be read on the IFM Fortbildung website . For example, a certified bank specialist will become a Bachelor Professional of Banking, and a certified industrial master craftsman specializing in metal will become a Bachelor Professional of Metal Production and Management.

The effects of the new titles

One can only hope that the new titles will lead to an increase in the reputation of dual vocational training professions in Germany . Because currently, some vocational training professions are not as highly regarded as they actually deserve. Furthermore, the new titles will make it easier to recognize German qualifications abroad. In the past, there were problems in many countries and numerous bureaucratic hurdles that first had to be overcome.