Noether was educated as a typical German girl of her era. Besides learning to cook and do household chores, she took piano lessons and enjoyed going to dances. Since girls were not eligible to enroll in the gymnasium (college preparatory school), Noether attended the Städtischen Höheren Töchterschule, where she studied arithmetic and languages. In 1900, Noether passed the Bavarian state examinations, becoming certified to teach French and English at female-only institutions.
Enters a Man's World
Rather than seeking a language teaching position, Noether decided to undertake university studies. Since she had not graduated from a gymnasium, she first had to pass an entrance examination. At the University of Erlangen, Noether obtained her instructors' permission to audit courses during 1900 and 1902, and in 1903 she passed the matriculation exam. Noether attended the University of Göttingen for a semester and heard such notable mathematicians as Hermann Minkowski, Felix Klein, and David Hilbert. Noether enrolled at the University of Erlangen when women were accepted in 1904. At Erlangen, she studied with Paul Gordan, a mathematics professor who was also a family friend. Noether completed her dissertation, entitled "On Complete Systems of Invariants for Ternary Biquadratic Forms," and was awarded her Ph.D., summa cum laude, in 1908.
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