Dorothea von Rodde-Schlözer

Dorothea von Rodde-Schlözer (née Schlözer; 18 August 1770 – 12 July 1825) was a German scholar and the first woman to receive a doctor of philosophy degree in Germany.

Dorothea was born in Göttingen, the daughter of professor August Ludwig Schlözer, a prominent historian and theorist on matters of education.

[2] In addition, she was given instruction in areas then thought to be typically female, such as playing the piano, singing, sewing, knitting, and cooking.

[1] Women were usually not permitted to study at Göttingen University at that time, and Schlözer followed an extensive private examination by a faculty committee in the subjects of modern languages, mathematics, architecture, logic and metaphysics, classics, geography, and literature.

Weak with disease herself she moved to Avignon, France, seeking a milder climate and hoping to save the life of her only surviving daughter.