FAQs

Q: What does the Bachelor/Master programme look like if I want to become a teacher?

A: The Bachelor of Education comprises six semesters, the Master of Education comprises four semesters. Both courses of study are obligatory for becoming a teacher in Germany. This new programme is polyvalent in that the first four semesters of the B.-Ed. have no specific focus on the type of school. Only from the fifth semester onwards is it possible to focus on the school type, which in our case is Gymnasium.
The Bachelor/Master programme includes two different subjects as well as the subject of education. The workload of the course of study has been designed according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS): one credit point equals 30 hours of workload. B.-Ed., as it has been mentioned before, comprises six semesters and 180 credit points and the M-Ed. comprises 120 credit points in four semesters:

Bachelor of Education
Subject 1 65 CP
Subject 2 65 CP
Education (Bildungswissenschaften) 30 CP
Bachelor Thesis 08 CP
Practical training in school 12 CP
180 CP

Master of Education
Subject 1 42 CP
Subject 2 42 CP
Education (Bildungswissenschaften) 12 CP
Master Thesis 16 CP
Practical training in school 08 CP
120 CP

You can find more information on

http://www.english-and-linguistics.uni-mainz.de/Dateien/Stverpl_BEd.pdf

and

http://www.english-and-linguistics.uni-mainz.de/Dateien/Prford_BEd.pdf

Q: What does a Bachelor class look like?

A: During the B.-Ed. programme, students learn about various TEFL topics, such as lesson planning, methods and material, assessment and media in the classroom. Students are expected to work on the topics individually and in groups. Also, presentations play a vital role during the seminar. Nonetheless, oral participation is always a prerequisite for the course work in general. At the end of the term, students have to conclude the seminar by writing an exam.
A fachdidaktiksche Übung is worth two credits for the B.-Ed. program.

Q: What does the practical training in school look like?

A: The practical training in school has become more crucial since the second phase of teacher education (Referendariat) has been shortened to only 15 months. During the B.-Ed. programme, students have to complete five practical trainings and two more during the Master’s programme.

Practical Training When Duration CP
Bachelor of Education
Orientation 1 after the 1. semester 10 days 1
Orientation 2 after the 2. Semester 10 days 1
Orientation 3 after the 3. Semester 15 days 2
Deepening 1 after the 4. Semester 15 days 4
Deepening 2 after the 5. Semester 15 days 4

Master of Education
Fachpraktikum 1 after the 1. Semester 20 days 4
Fachpraktikum 2 after the 2. Semester 20 days 4

The aims and goals of the practical training are the following ones:

• Getting to know the institution and the various fields in school from the teacher’s perspective (Orientation Phase)
• Reflecting on one’s own abilities and capabilities as a teacher (Orientation Phase)
• Checking the decision of becoming a teacher (Deepening Phase)
• Capability and ability of lesson planning and giving lessons (Fachpraktika)

You can find more information on

http://www.zfl.uni-mainz.de/122.php

The site by the state is a vital part for you in order to know everything about the training. Constantly check out their site, too.

http://schulpraktika.rlp.de/

Q: What does the old system of Staatsexamen look like?

A: The old system requires students to receive one graded Schein during their course of studies.
Also, students take an exam in this seminar which then counts for their final grade in Staatsexamen.
Additionally, students are then expected to pass the seminar by writing a paper based on the seminar’s topic.

More information can be found on

http://www.english-and-linguistics.uni-mainz.de/Dateien/StaatEx_spez_Englisch.pdf