6. Regular Duration of a Course of Study and Workload
The regular duration of a course of study leading to a B.A. is at least three but not more than four years; for an M.A., is it from one year to a maximum of two years. The regular duration for consecutive courses of study is a maximum of five years. [ . . . ]
8. Qualifications
Fundamentally speaking, B.A. degrees confer the same qualifications as diploma degrees [Diplom] from polytechnics; consecutive master’s degrees confer the same qualifications as diploma degrees and Magister Artium degrees from universities and other equivalent institutions of higher education. [ . . . ]
9. Quality Assurance and Accreditation
B.A. and M.A. degree programs must be accredited. Adherence to the common structural guidelines for the federal states for B.A. and M.A. degree programs, in accordance with Article 9, Section 2, of the Higher Education Act (HRG), as adopted by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Federal States of the Federal Republic of Germany (KMK), shall be reviewed in the accreditation process.
10. European Higher Education Area
A tiered system with B.A. and M.A. degree programs is an essential component of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), which is to be created by 2010, in correspondence with the objectives of the Bologna Declaration. Nonetheless, compelling reasons can support the retention of the established degrees beyond 2010.
Source: Secretariat of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Federal States, “Zehn Thesen zur Bachelor- und Masterstruktur in Deutschland” [“Ten Theses on the Structure of B.A. and M.A. Programs in Germany”], June 12, 2003, www.kmk.org/doc/beschl/BMThesen.pdf
Translation: Allison Brown
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