Anticipated Increase in Doctoral Degrees at German Universities in 2024
In German universities in the year 2024, a total of 212,400 doctoral candidates were enrolled, representing a 4% increase from the previous years [1]. The gender balance among these candidates was nearly equal, with women making up approximately 49% of the total population [1].
However, the distribution of doctoral candidates by field of study and gender showed notable disparities. The largest group, accounting for 28% of the total, were candidates in Human Medicine and Health Sciences, for which specific gender data was not provided [1].
In the field of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, 22% of the doctoral candidates were enrolled, followed closely by Engineering with 18% [1]. Interestingly, Engineering demonstrated a significant gender imbalance, with 77% of the candidates being male [1].
On the other hand, Arts and Art Studies showed strong female representation, with approximately two-thirds of the doctoral candidates being female [1].
It is worth noting that 25% of the doctoral candidates in 2024 had a foreign nationality, and the gender balance among newly starting doctoral candidates was similar, with 27% of newcomers being international students [1].
Among the universities, the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München had 5% of all doctoral candidates, while the Technische Universität München, the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, and the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen each had 4% [1]. However, no specific information was provided about the distribution of doctoral candidates among universities in the years preceding or following 2024.
[1] Data provided by the Federal Statistical Office and ntv.de, AFP.
The number of students in higher education, particularly in the field of mathematics and natural sciences, constitutes approximately 22% of the total number of doctoral candidates in German universities in the year 2024. Despite this, education-and-self-development in these fields shows a noticeable gender imbalance, with only a small fraction of the candidates being female.
