| Qualification awarded | First State Examination for Teachers |
|---|---|
| Duration | 9 semesters |
| Starts in | April (summer semester) and October (winter semester) |
| Language of instruction | German |
In Germany, the Gymnasium is one of three types of secondary school (next to Realschule and Mittelschule). Pupils attend the Gymnasium from 5th to 13th year and complete their schooling with the Abitur, the German university entrance qualification. As a prospective Gymnasium teacher in the subject teacher system, you will thus accompany school pupils from late childhood to early adulthood.
What characterises the Gymnasium is its great breadth of teaching subjects, which imparts a broad general education as well as preparing pupils for the general higher education entrance qualification and thus for university studies. As a secondary school teacher, you teach two school subjects and help pupils to recognise and develop their own talents. You will, therefore, be paving the way for lifelong learning and the personal development of the school pupils in your care.
In order to give pupils the best possible education, much importance is assigned to in-depth expertise, to be acquired during the teacher's university studies. Moreover, you will receive training in pedagogy, psychology and subject didactics (subject-specific teaching methods). As part of your studies, you will complete a number of practice teaching sessions at schools to give you a practical insight into the teacher's perspective in the classroom.
For details, please consult the Academic Advice Service's infosheet [German content]. The module catalogues [German content] list the exact courses you have to take in your teaching subjects and educational sciences.
International outlook: The University offers you a wide range of opportunities to go abroad during your studies. In addition to the classic exchange programmes at over 250 partner universities, you can complete internships or practice teaching at schools abroad and take part in a wide range of excursions.
Strong link between theory and practice: innovative teaching-and-learning formats at the University combine didactic, academic and practical school content using digital media.
Learning Innovation Labs: You can develop and test new teaching and learning concepts in rooms equipped with state-of-the-art technology, such as the "classroom and teacher room of the future".
The Future: Careers and Competencies Section offers free seminars – particularly for teacher education students – that prepare you for everyday professional life, e.g. "Being Well-prepared as a Teacher for Consultation Hours with Parents" or "Achieving a more Peaceful Classroom: Mediation at Schools".
The Teacher Education Centre (ZLF) is the coordinating centre for teacher education (teacher training) at the University of Passau. The Teacher Education Programme Coordinators support you individually during your studies with a comprehensive range of advisory and information services.
After graduating, you will complete a two-year practical teaching phase – the so-called Vorbereitungsdienst, before sitting the Second State Examination. The Bavarian State Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs regularly publishes statements on recruitment prospects [German content] for teachers.
Once you have completed the state examinations you are also fully qualified for occupations outside the public education sector. For example, you can work as an instructor for education providers, in the non-school youth education sector, in professional development, as a pedagogue for specialist publishers and much more. Depending your chosen subject combination, a wide range of opportunities will be open to you in the general labour market and in the business world. In order to unlock these professional fields, you should strive to gain work experience outside of the school system, even during your studies, e.g. by completing internships or studying or working abroad for a while.
Additionally, if you complete various certificate programmes in parallel to your degree studies you can also gain specific skills and competencies for working in non-school, pedagogical fields of action. The University currently offers the following certificate programmes:
The curriculum of the modular programme is laid down in the Lehramtsprüfungsordnung I (LPO I, the teacher training regulation for the State of Bavaria). You will accumulate 270 ECTS credits by studying the following modules:
Complementary subject:
You can additionally take another of the teaching subjects offered, Philosophy/Ethics or Media Education.
Educational Science:
This module includes the courses General Pedagogy, School Pedagogy and Psychology.
Practice teaching and internship:
The First Examination for Teachers consists of module examinations, which are administered by the University and should be completed while studying the course, and the First State Examination, which will take place after the degree programme has been completed.
(Please note that foreign language skills [German content] are now a requirement for admission to the First State Examination.)
For information on courses you have to complete in the various subjects, please refer to the module catalogues [German content].
For further details, please consult the infosheet [German content] from the Academic Advice Service.
In your future teaching career, you will increasingly be teaching diverse groups of pupils from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Study or work abroad can help you prepare for this. You will broaden your horizons and leave your comfort zone. You will learn a new language and culture and gain valuable life experience. While this strengthens your intercultural skills, it also allows you to develop your pedagogical competencies. More than a third of University of Passau students spend at least one semester abroad.
The Erasmus+ scholarship programme is open to you for study and internships in Europe. Other scholarship programmes and university partnerships are available for sojourns further afield, such as the DAAD-funded scholarship programme "global.trex Passau" for student teachers, which enables you to study at a foreign partner university and gain practical experience at a school abroad.
This programme begins in April and October each year.
The teaching subject Physical Education can only be started in the winter semester. In addition, there is an aptitude test [German content] for Physical Education, for which you must register early and which takes place before you start your programme. Passing the aptitude test is a prerequisite for taking up studies in Physical Education.
If you have chosen Mathematics or Computer Science as teaching subjects, it is recommended that you begin your programme in the winter semester.
Full list of teaching subject combinations
Prospective students with a higher education entrance qualification from Germany or the EEA region (e.g. German Abitur or the Austrian Matura) can enrol directly for this degree programme during the enrolment period.
If you are interested in teaching, these degree programmes might also be worth checking out:
The Academic Advice Service is the first port of call for all enquiries related to studying at the University!
Drop us a line: advice@uni-passau.de
