Ukrainian Olena Devyatko completed her master's degree at Kharkiv National University two years ago. After graduation, she came to the German city of Cologne for a year to work under the Au-Pair program and eventually decided to stay in Germany. But with a Ukrainian diploma as a translator-teacher, she says, finding a job is impossible. "When you come to an employer and show our diploma, you hear: 'No, a German diploma is required,'" says Devyatko.
The girl was unlucky also because her second specialty – teacher – belongs to regulated professions in Germany. This list also includes doctors, engineers, etc. Usually, people with diplomas in such specialties have to study for a few more semesters, undergo an internship, and then pass a state exam. Only then can they obtain a certificate of recognition of their diploma in their profession. Olena Devyatko decided not to go this route and instead reapplied for a bachelor's degree at a German university in a different specialty.
Holders of Ukrainian university diplomas face problems both when trying to find employment in Germany and when they want to continue their education. Currently, about seven thousand Ukrainian students are studying at German higher education institutions. Most of them have, in one way or another, encountered the problem of diploma recognition in Germany. The fact is that there is no agreement between Ukraine and Germany on automatic mutual recognition of diplomas.
Ukraine's accession to the Bologna Process was supposed to help this. Its goal is to align the educational programs of participating countries with common standards. This was supposed to improve the quality of Ukrainian education, enhance the competitiveness of universities, and lead to much easier recognition of Ukrainian diplomas abroad. But it did not turn out as expected. Under the Bologna Process, Ukraine has concluded mutual recognition agreements only with a few countries, including Azerbaijan, Belarus, Armenia, and Moldova. Germany is not on this list.
That is why a graduate of a Ukrainian university who wants to enroll in a German university must first prove that his diploma is genuine. The German university sends a corresponding request to the Ministry of Education of Ukraine. After receiving a positive response, specialized German institutions calculate how many hours the student studied a particular subject, what courses they took, what qualification they have, and whether it corresponds to the qualification level approved in Germany.
And here is where graduates run into problems, because for the most part Ukrainian educational levels do not match German ones. In some professions, Germans study much longer and undergo more practical training. "You can study for three years at a Ukrainian university, but in Germany they will only count two years because you attended fewer hours of lectures or seminars," says Anna Novosad, head of the Department of International Cooperation and European Integration of the Ministry of Education.
Problems with diploma recognition in Germany are not unique to Ukrainians. Qualification standards even of two neighboring European countries – Germany and France – also differ. Therefore, Ukraine will not be able to reform its curriculum to suit all European countries. It is better to negotiate with each country separately.
For example, last year, according to Anna Novosad, the Ukrainian side approached the German side with a request to develop an agreement on the comparison of educational degrees. Simply put, both sides compare the differences in the number of subjects and teaching hours for a particular specialty. Kyiv and Berlin only started this work last year. To the question from Deutsche Welle, "Why not earlier?" the official, who recently started working at the agency, throws up her hands and laughs.
Minister of Education and Science Liliya Hrynevych stated in an interview with Deutsche Welle that in Ukraine, in particular, the curriculum for lawyers and teachers will be reviewed. Because in Europe in general and in Germany in particular, students of these specialties study longer than in Ukraine. According to the minister, this process will take about a year. "But in the meantime, our students can take an additional qualification exam in Germany if they want to confirm their Ukrainian education," adds Liliya Hrynevych.
Completely different timelines are given at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany. According to the ministry's spokeswoman Nina von Sartori, before both countries finally harmonize their qualification standards, it could take ten years. "The level of certain Ukrainian universities does not correspond to the German level," explains von Sartori. "But this does not mean that Ukrainian diplomas are not accepted here at all. We have a different approach. We do not say that this student came from Ukraine and this country has such and such a level of training. We look at the personal characteristics and training of the individual."
To avoid a long wait, universities themselves can ease the student's fate. The fact is that after Ukraine joined the Bologna Process, universities themselves determine their curricula and do not always do this successfully. "The subjects that fill certain programs very often do not give the graduate the knowledge that he must have according to, for example, the German standard. Because our student may study labor protection, life safety protection, physical education, etc. for a year," complains Anna Novosad.
Therefore, in the opinion of the official, universities should improve the quality of education, thereby facilitating in the future the recognition of Ukrainian diplomas. "If, for example, Germans know that here we give out diplomas to everyone indiscriminately, then accordingly there is a picky attitude towards our graduates," adds the official.
Universities can also help their students and alumni by establishing cooperation with other higher education institutions. The result of such a partnership can be double diplomas. The idea is that two universities – for example, in Ukraine and Germany – fully harmonize their curricula and then exchange students for one semester. At the end of the academic year, graduates receive both Ukrainian and German diplomas. This makes it much easier for them to either enter a graduate program in Germany or find a job abroad.
For example, the Dnipro National University of Mining has been doing this for many years, cooperating with several German universities. A former student of this university, Dmytro Palekhov, after such an exchange and receiving a double diploma, stayed to work at the Brandenburg University of Technology and is now a lecturer.
According to him, problems for holders of Ukrainian diplomas sometimes arise not only from the mismatch in quality of education but also from errors in the interpretation of degrees. "I completed my postgraduate studies in Ukraine and received the qualification of Candidate of Legal Sciences," explains Palekhov. "But here in Germany, there is no such concept as 'candidate.' In Europe, they generally do not take it seriously. They think that if you are a 'candidate,' you haven't defended your dissertation yet."
Because of this, Dmytro had to defend his dissertation again – this time at a German university. According to him, even after Ukraine's transition to the Bologna system and the issuance of diplomas according to new standards, they still write the word "candidate" in Ukrainian and English and only indicate in parentheses that this degree is equivalent to a PhD. "We should move away from the old Soviet system of candidates of sciences and doctors of sciences and switch to the German system," believes Dmytro Palekhov.
To prepare in advance for admission to a German university, graduates of Ukrainian higher education institutions can now check the status of their diploma on the German website anabin.kmk.org.