Comment by Archelaos

3 years ago

This is very good advice, if you want to work in Germany. The general requirement to call oneself an engineer ("Ingenieur") is that a person has successfully completed a technical or scientific course of study at a German university or university of applied science with the duration of at least three years (full-time). Each German state has its own Engineer Law ("Ingenieurgesetz", IngG) for the details, which also include the regulations regarding the recognition of foreign qualifications and fines for unauthorized use of the title (for example, up to 25,000 Euro in Baden-Württemberg).

8 comments

Archelaos

seppel 3 years ago

"Software Engineer" (without German translation) is used as an official job title by many German companies and the German linkedin is also full of people describing themselves as Software Engineers. This is the first time I hear such an objection.

Archelaos 3 years ago

From the German Wikipedia article on "Softwareentwickler":

My translation:

  The job title _software developer_ is not a protected job title in Germany and Austria.

  According to German law, the job title _software engineer_ may only be used by those who have successfully completed a technical degree. In Austria, the title of engineer can also be acquired through training at an HTL [Höhere Technische Lehranstalt, aprox.: Higher Technical College].

Original:

  Die Berufsbezeichnung _Softwareentwickler_ ist in Deutschland und Österreich keine geschützte Berufsbezeichnung.

  Die Berufsbezeichnung _Softwareingenieur_ darf nach deutschem Recht nur führen, wer ein technisches Studium mit Erfolg abgeschlossen hat. In Österreich kann der Ingenieurstitel auch durch die Ausbildung an einer HTL erworben werden.

Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Softwareentwickler#Berufsbezei... (in German)

seppel 3 years ago

This all might very well be, but it does not reflect reality. Everybody calls himself Software Engineer, nobody calls himself Softwareingenieur.
As if Google Deutschland would not hire you as a Software Engineer (or SRE, ..) if you are missing a B.Sc. (or did it in a non-technical field) but everything else is perfect.

3 replies →

analog31 3 years ago

Does this mean a physics degree qualifies?

Archelaos 3 years ago

For example the Engineer Law of Baden-Württemberg states in § 1.1:

  (1) The professional title "engineer" may be held by anyone who

  1. has successfully completed a course of study in a technical or natural science subject with a standard period of study of at least six semesters, corresponding to at least 180 ECTS credits, at a German state or state-recognised higher education institution, whereby this course of study must be predominantly in the fields of mathematics, information technology, natural sciences and technology, ... [1]

My own interpretation is that not all of these four aspects need to be included equally in a course of study. If the question is of practical importance to you, you should contact the Chamber of Engineers of the respective (federal) state for an authoritative answer.

[1] Original:

  (1) Die Berufsbezeichnung »Ingenieurin« oder »Ingenieur« darf führen, wer

  1. ein Studium in einer technischen oder naturwissenschaftlichen Fachrichtung mit einer Regelstudienzeit von mindestens sechs Semestern, was mindestens 180 ECTS-Punkten entspricht, an einer deutschen staatlichen oder staatlich anerkannten Hochschule mit Erfolg abgeschlossen hat, wobei dieses Studium überwiegend von den Bereichen Mathematik, Informatik, Naturwissenschaften und Technik geprägt sein muss, ...

Source: https://www.landesrecht-bw.de/jportal/portal/t/3ba/page/bsba... (in German)