Einstein's Diploma

In his Letter to the Editor to “set the record straight” about Albert Einstein ( Science 's Compass, 21 May, p. [1273][1]), Harold I. Brown, citing Abraham Pais's splendid biography ([1][2]), writes that “Einstein had received a diploma from the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, which indicated that he was qualified to teach physics at the university level.” Although Einstein, upon graduation, repeatedly sought a university position (unsuccessfully), the 4-year curriculum, according to Pais ([1][2], p. 41), qualified Einstein “as a Fachlehrer, a specialized teacher, in mathematics and physics at a high school.” And until he got the patent office job, Einstein did teach at high schools. 1. [↵][3]1. A. Pais , Subtle Is the Lord: The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein (Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, UK, 1982). [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.284.5418.1273b [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1 in text"