Study Teaching Degrees in Germany

Would you like to be an inspiration for children or adolescents and share your enthusiasm for learning with them? Would you like to accompany and support them in their development? Are you assertive, good at explaining things, and handling stress? If your answer is yes, then a teaching profession may be the right one for you. During your studies, you will learn how to design challenging and motivating lessons.

Explore degree programmes

154 Higher Education Institutions

Bachelor, Master, Final Examination, State Examination

German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Danish

2-11 Semesters

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Teaching Degrees is divided into 3 fields of study.

School Subjects

Do you enjoy sharing your knowledge and working with children and adolescents? Do you remain composed in stressful situations? If so, studying to become a teacher of school subjects may be right for you.

Special Pedagogy, inclusive Pedagogy

Studies in the field of special pedagogy prepare you to work with children with special educational needs including, e.g., intellectual or physical disabilities or sensory impairments.

Vocational Disciplines

With a teaching degree in vocational disciplines, you can prepare young people for their professional lives or studies. The type of school you specialise in will depend on the state you study in.

Requirements and prospects

In your studies, you will go through several training phases: the study course itself and a practical traineeship (the so-called “Referendariat”). Before you start your studies, you should carefully consider the following: Which subjects and which age group would you like to teach? At which type of school and in which federal state would you like to work? Because education in Germany is governed by the individual federal states, there are 16 different regulations and training concepts, which, for example, affect the possible choices and combinations of subjects. While degrees are mutually recognised across the states, it makes sense to study in the federal state you would like to work in later because of the variations in types of schools and training concepts.

To pursue a teaching degree, you need a general higher education entrance qualification or an equivalent. For certain subject combinations and degree programmes, the subject-specific higher education entrance qualification is sufficient. If you would like to teach at vocational schools, you need to show proof of subject-specific work. Completed vocational training in the same field can be recognised as proof of work experience. For the subjects art, music, and sport, as well as for foreign languages, you must also pass an aptitude test.

The teaching profession is divided into three study areas: vocational disciplines, school subjects, and special pedagogy and inclusive pedagogy.

Government agencies regularly publish figures on the development of expected teacher recruitment needs. If you would like to, you can check in advance which subject combinations and which school grade levels will be in demand in the future.