Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Teacher Training in the Federal State of Berlin comprises the following consecutive courses:

• There are three-year foundation courses leading to the "Bachelor of Arts" or "Bachelor of Science".
• They are followed by graduate teacher training courses of 12, 18 and 24 months, depending on the level of teaching the students wish to be qualified for. On completion the "Master of Education" is awarded as equivalent to the First State Examination for the Teaching Profession,which qualifies graduates for entry into the Induction Service as trainee teachers (Referendariat) leading to the Second State Examination. Success in this examination is the final requirement for certified employment at state-maintained and private schools (qualified teacher’s status).

The whole programme is modularised. Credit points according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) are used as quantifyers of the students’ work load. In-course examinations as part of the teaching/learning process replace the traditional First State Examination.
For more detailed information (in German): "Bachelor- und Masterstudiengänge an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin"

Bachelor’s Courses

The three-year courses consisting of a combination of usually two subjects (core subject and secondary subject) lead to the Bachelor’s degree, which qualifies graduates for professional careers other than the teaching profession. The designation of the degree is derived from the core subject of the course:
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in the arts, humanities and social sciences,
Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in the natural sciences.

If you want to take up teacher training at Humboldt, the following points are of special significance with regard to the Bachelor’s course:

• You would be taking an integrated course also including Fachwissenschaften, i.e. subjects such as primary teacher training, special education and specialist disciplines, and Berufswissenschaften, i.e. educational disciplines such as general education, subject didactics and professional training in a chosen area.
  The Bachelor’s course carries a total of 180 credit points, which are allocated as follows depending on the type of qualification:
  90 or 80 points for the core subject + 60 points for the secondary subject + 30 or 40 points for the practical Berufswissenschaften component.

• You would have to choose your subject combination from a given set prescribed for universities in the Federal State of Berlin (For more information: cf. below.).

Applications for a Bachelor’s Course

An application must be made for the core subject, while registration is necessary for the secondary subject. In exceptional cases the secondary subject may be chosen from courses offered only at the Freie Universität Berlin (FU) or the Technische Universität Berlin (TU). Relevant information can be obtained from the combinability surveys below.

Entrance to a Master’s Course

Graduates whose Bachelor’s degree satifies the above mentioned requirements may embark on a one- or two-year Master´s Course for the teaching profession. Applications must be made for both the first and second specialist subject of the course the duration of which varies according to the level of teaching it qualifies graduates for, i.e. from two semesters for L1 and L2,  three semesters for L3 to four semesters for L4 and L5 qualifications (see below).

• The one-year Master’s course carries a total of 60 credit points, which can be received in the Berufswissenschaften. The Berufswissenschaften component of the first and second specialist subject of the course builds upon the relevant sections of the Bachelor’s programme. It includes the study of education, subject didactics, teaching practice and the study of German as a Second Language. The study of special education in two Subject Areas - as in the Bachelor’s Course - is continued, too.
  The theme of the Master’s thesis can be chosen from the didactics of one of the two subjects studied.. It may also be taken from primary teacher training or the special education section.
• The 18-month Master’s course leading specifically to an L3 teaching qualification carries 90 credit points, which can be received in the Berufswissenschaften and in the special education modules. The curriculum of the first subject builds upon the core subject of the Bachelor’s course, whereas the second subject is an extension of the Berufswissenschaften module at Bachelor level. The Berufswissenschaften module involves general education, subject didactics, teaching practice and German as a Second Language. The curriculum of the third semester includes only special education components. The theme of the Master’s thesis can be chosen from a special education subject or the didactics of the subject studied.

• The two-year Master’s course carries a total of 120 credit points distributed between the first and second subject and the Berufswissenschaften component. The curriculum of the first and second subject builds upon studies that of the core subject and secondary subject at Bachelor level. If a course in Agriculture and Horticulture was chosen at Bachelor level, it will have to be continued, too.
  The Berufswissenschaften component comprises the study of general education, subject didactics, teaching practice and the study of German as a Second Language.
  The theme of the thesis may be chosen from the first or second subject, or from Berufswissenschaften.

Applications for a Master’s Course

Applications are required for both the first and the second subject. The curricula of the first and second subject build upon those of the core subject and secondary subject at Bachelor level.

• Applicants for a Master's course in teacher training who did not take their Bachelor’s degree from a teacher training course of a university in Berlin, will have to have their qualification considered for equivalence by the Board of Examiners of the department teaching the first specialist subject. Admission can be subject to conditions.

• If at the time the application is filed the applicant's current course for the first academic degree is not yet completed, a statement by the Board of Examiners’ will have to be presented confirming the applicant's registration for the final examinations and giving the grades so far achieved in all other exams up to that point. Admission will be conditional in this case. After one semester, at the latest, the degree certificate will have to be submitted. The grade must be in line with the requirements of the course. Otherwise, the enrolment will be annulled.

• For courses in Agriculture and Horticulture and Economic and Business Teaching (Wirtschaftspädagogik mit Schwerpunkt Wirtschaftswissenschaften) evidence of at least 26 weeks of related work experience in an enterprise are a requirement for admission.

Induction Service

The subsequent induction period will take 12 months for teaching careers at advanced level (gehobener Dienst) , or 24 months for teaching at senior level (höherer Dienst) in the German civil service. The latter period may be reduced by a maximum of 12 months if there are equivalent components of practical training in the Master’s course. At the end of the induction service the Second State Examination has to be taken. Success qualifies graduates for teaching at school.

Types of Teacher Training Courses and Subject Combinations at Humboldt-Universität

Courses leading to L1 qualifications
(Graduates are qualified to teach in classes 1 to 10, preferably at primary schools)

Primary schools in Berlin differ from those in most other federal states of Germany in that they include forms 1 to 6. And that is the reason why teacher training at university combines tuition that prepares students for a more general type of teaching in school forms 1 to 4 without a strict separation into independent subjects with specialist training in particular subjects at school which qualifies students for teaching also in the more senior forms up to form 10.

The core subject is Primary School Teaching (Grundschulpädagogik).

Primary School Teaching includes three Areas of Study (Lernbereiche). German and Mathematics are compulsory. In addition, students may choose between the Areas General Studies and Fine Arts/Aesthetics (MÄErz) in accordance with the secondary subject they chose (cf. table below). Tuition in Fine Arts/Aesthetics will have to be taken at the University of Fine Arts in Berlin. Applications must be made for the subject Primary School Teaching. Areas of Study need not be mentioned in the application. And no separate application must be submitted for Fine Arts/Aesthetics to the University of Fine Arts.

In the table below there is information about which Areas of Study of Primary School Teaching as a core subject can be combined with the respective secondary subject:

The following secondary subjects are offered at Humboldt-Universität: biology, chemistry, english, french, german, geography, history, primary school teaching (only in combination with fine arts education and music as core subjects, see below) mathematics, physics, spanish and sport (which is continued as a master’s course as a subject in its own right).

Note: In combinations with the fine arts education and music these areas are considered to be core subjects with primary school teaching being the secondary subject.

In the table below there is information about which areas of study of primary school teaching as a secondary subject can be combined with the core subjects of fine arts education and music.

Courses leading to L2 qualifications (graduate teacher programmes in two subjects)
(Graduates are eligible to teach in classes 1 to 10, above all in secondary schools, i.e Hauptschulen, Realschulen, Gesamtschulen)

Combinability of core subjects with secondary subjects in courses offered at Humboldt-Universität:

Courses Leading to L3 qualifications (graduate teacher programmes primarily for teaching at special schools, but also in integrated classes)

The core subject is special education.
In the combination with fine art or music offered at the Unversity of the Arts (UdK) the arts subject is considered to be the core subject while speial education is the secondary subject.

On enrolment two Areas of Study from the following special education disciplines are to be chosen:

• Education of the blind
• Education of the deaf
• Education of the mentally disabled
• Education of the physically disabled
• Education of persons with learning disabilities
• Education of persons with visual disabilities
• Education of persons with language disabilities
• Education of persons with behavioural disabilities
• Audioeducation

The following Areas of Study must not be combined:
Education of the blind - education of persons with viual disabilities
Education of the deaf - education of persons with hearing disablities

Sign language training should be combined with education of the deaf or education of persons with hearing disabilities

The following courses are offered as secondary subjects at Humboldt-Universität:
biology, chemistry, computer science, english, french, geography, german, history, mathematics, physics, sport.
work science (TU) and social science FU) are also combinable as secondary subjects.

Courses leading to L4 qualifications (graduate teacher programmes for secondary school teaching classes 7-13, primarily at Gymnasium or Gesamtschulen mit gymnasialer Oberstufe)

Combinability of core subjects with secondary subjects at Humboldt-Universität:

Courses leading to L5 qualifications (graduate teacher programmes primarily for teaching at vocational schools)

Combinability of core subjects with secondary subjects at Humboldt-Universität:

Note:
Education of the deaf must not be combined with education of persons with hearing disabilities.
Education of the blind must not be combined with education of persons with visual disabilities.

Bachelor’s Courses for the Teaching Profession at Other Universities in Berlin

Bachelor’s courses for the teaching profession are offered also at the Technische Universität Berlin (TU), at the Freie Universität Berlin (FU) and the Universität der Künste (UdK). Their courses should also be taken into account before a decision is made.

Technische Universität
Core subject courses in civil engineering, electrical engineering, nutrition studies, agriculture/horticultureand landscape planning, metal technology
Core and secondary subject courses in work science

Freie Universität
Core subject and secondary subject courses in social science

Universität der Künste
fine art, music(ology)

Courses in the subjects mentioned above are only offered at these universities.

Teacher Training Counselling at Humboldt

• Service Centre Teacher Training

• Counselling Service