| Qualification awarded | First State Examination for Teachers |
|---|---|
| Duration | 7 semesters |
| Starts in | April (summer semester) and October (winter semester) |
| Language of instruction | German |
As a Realschule secondary school teacher, you accompany school pupils from late childhood until after puberty. These are the formative years, where youngsters are prepared for vocational training schemes or more advanced education paths.
This not only involves imparting subject-specific knowledge but also helping them to gain the key skills they need to successfully participate in the labour market. One important aspect of secondary education is to foster and guide these young adults in their development.
The Teacher Education Programme for secondary education (Realschule) focuses on the acquisition of competences in the two teaching subjects and their didactics, pedagogy as well as psychology. Compulsory practice-teaching sessions give students a first glimpse of everyday school life as a teacher.
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. Initially this will be at a teacher training school (Seminarschule) and later you will be assigned to another school.
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 structure 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 210 ECTS credits by studying the following modules, which are at the same time access requirements for the First State Examination:
Complementary subject:
You can additionally take another of the teaching subjects offered, Ethics or Media Education.
Educational Science:
This module includes 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 during term-time, and the First State Examination, which take places after completion of the degree programme.
(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 catalogue [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. Information on applying for Physical Education as a teaching subject [German]
Furthermore, if you choose Art [German content] or Physical Education [German content] as a teaching subject, you will have to complete an aptitude test. You should apply for this as early as possible, as these tests are carried out before the start of your degree programme. Passing the aptitude test is a prerequisite for taking up studies in the teaching subjects Art or 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
