The quantitative development of academic careers in Germany 1850-1940: growth, exams and age structure

Abstract

"The term career is generally defined as a sequence of positions. During the time period in question, 1850-1940, the sequence and level of the steps for the different academic careers in Germany align more and more. With the help of the new data presented in this article it is now possible to draw quantitative comparisons between the academic careers over longer periods of time, which until now could not be presented universally. The data are presented in a way which shows the manifold of its usefulness. First the various factors influencing differences in growth will be analyzed: demographic, secular and career factors. Then the available graduates of these careers will be explored in terms of how the final examinations, the failure ratio and the final marks developed. Finally the development of another important factor, namely the age structure will be described. Supply and demand are interdependent and lead to periodic fluctuations, which in addition to the other growth factors have an influence on career development." (author's abstract)