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Historically, a master craftsman or master tradesman (sometimes called only master or grandmaster) was a member of a guild. The title survives as the highest professional qualification in craft industries.
In the European guild system, only masters and journeymen were allowed to be members of the guild. An aspiring master would have to pass through the career chain from apprentice to journeyman before he could be elected to become a master craftsman. He would then have to produce a sum of money and a masterpiece before he could actually join the guild. If the masterpiece was not accepted by the masters, he was not allowed to join the guild and possibly remained a journeyman for the rest of his life.
Guilds have been abolished in Germany, but the ranks of apprentice ( Lehrling), journeyman ( Geselle) and master craftsman have been retained even through modern times. For safety-relevant crafts, e.g., and , any business in the trade has to be run by a master craftsman or has to employ at least one Meister.
Journeymen and master craftsmen are by law automatically members of their regional chamber of crafts ( Handwerkskammer), which is a self-governing public body. The chamber organizes vocational training and oversees the examination of the journeymen and masters.
To become a master craftsman, it is usually required to have completed vocational training in the craft in which the examination is to be taken, culminating in a final examination called Gesellenprüfung (journeyman's examination). If these requirements are fulfilled, the candidate can take courses for the Meisterprüfung (master craftsman's examination). The duration of the courses takes 1 to 4 years depending on the craft and on the Course. The examination includes theoretical, practical and oral parts and takes 5 to 7 days (depending on the craft). In some crafts, the creation of a masterpiece is also part of the examination.
The German Meister qualifies the holder to study for a bachelor's degree at university, whether the Meister holds a regular university entrance qualification or not. Hochschulzugang für beruflich qualifizierte Bewerber ohne schulische Hochschulzugangsberechtigung . ANKOM. 3 March 2009. According to the German Qualifications Framework, the Meisterbrief is at the same level as a bachelor's degree, even though it is not an academic degree and thus not directly comparable.
Merchant guilds – associations of international trades – were powerful in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, but lost their ascendancy with the rise of the craft guilds – associations of master craftsmen, journeymen, apprentices and the various trades connected with a particular craft.
The College of Arms in London awarded a coat of arms of The Guild of Master Craftsmen in 1992, after four years of assessment. Designed by heraldic expert Peter Greenhill to reflect the many categories of guild membership, it features: three escutcheons (shields) to represent artists, painters and stainers; a pair of compasses opened in chevron for building, construction and carpentry; a dovetail (separating the top third of the shield from the rest) to represent cabinetmaking, woodworking and ; and a gavel and chisel for masonry and stoneworkers. The southern keep of Lewes Castle, which overlooks the guild's headquarters, is featured above the helmet as the crest.
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