Food Science and Nutrition (teacher training), B.Sc.

Like every other bachelor’s degree program at TU Berlin, applicants must possess a university entrance qualification certificate to apply to the Food Science and Nutrition program. Generally, the Abitur serves as the university entrance qualification certificate. If you do not have a formal university entrance qualification, you may still be able to study at TU Berlin if you can provide proof of certain professional qualifications.

The Food Science and Nutrition bachelor’s program is taught in German. If you are applying with a foreign school-leaving certificate, you must provide proof of German skills at a specific level. This is a prerequisite for admission.

As this study program is significantly made up of natural science and nutrition content (including chemistry), you should have basic knowledge of these areas as well as an interest in pedagogical and technical issues. If you have taken these subjects as part of your Abitur, you will have an easier transition to this degree program, but they are not a formal requirement for admission.

The Food Science and Nutrition program consists of technical and teacher training components, which are broken down as follows (LP = credit points):

- 90 LP in the core subject nutrition/food science (including the bachelor’s thesis valued at 10 LP)

- 60 LP in the secondary subject at HU or FU Berlin

- 30 LP teacher training; these 30 credit points are further broken down as follows:

• 11 LP education
• 7 LP subject-specific teaching methodology in the core subject
• 7 LP teaching methodology in the secondary subject
• 5 LP German as a second language/language acquisition

There is a proposed course schedule for the degree program. This is a recommendation for how to complete the degree program within the standard period of study of six semesters. It provides an example of which modules to take in which semesters.

While this proposed course schedule is ideal on paper, it is not mandatory. It’s simply an example of how to successfully schedule and shape your studies. Please note that some courses and modules are consecutive, meaning they have to be taken after each other.

You can find the proposed course schedule in the study and examination regulations. The most current version of the regulations applies to applicants.

The proposed course schedule for your other subject is available from the university, at which you are studying your secondary subject.

The bachelor’s degree program in Food Science and Nutrition consists of various modules. A module combines curriculum content relating to a certain topic. A module includes various study and teaching formats such as lectures, practical tutorials, seminars, and practical projects. Students are required to earn a specific number of credit points and complete certain coursework and assessments in each module.

You can find a module list which offers a current overview of all the modules in TU Berlin’s module transfer system (MTS). In the MTS you have an overview of which modules are mandatory for your degree program and which are elective. Detailed module descriptions provide information about the content, learning objectives, participation requirements, workload, type of assessment, and much more.

The module list is based on the study and exam regulations.

The first school internship in the teacher training program is the professional development internship. It is part of the module “Educational Practice in Schools II” and is held for six weeks after the preparatory course during the lecture-free period in February/March. Generally, this is completed after the first semester. During this professional development internship, you visit and get to know the school from various interdisciplinary perspectives by sitting in on classes. You observe, describe, and reflect on selected situations from school life and lessons. You will also lead a lesson of your own, where you can assume the teacher’s perspective and observe students’ learning processes.

Students in this program must submit proof of a prevocational internship lasting 26 weeks by the time they register their bachelor’s thesis. This is not a formal component of the curriculum or schedule, which is why we strongly recommend completing a portion of this prevocational internship before beginning your studies. Vocational training and other practical activities already completed in companies can be recognized.

Further framework conditions are laid out in the internship guidelines.

The topic of internationalization is becoming increasingly important to teacher training students. Some parts of the curriculum can be completed abroad. A stay abroad during your studies provides you with valuable experiences to draw upon when you later work with a diverse student body in our transcultural society. Knowledge of other educational systems and approaches allows you to view your own school system from another perspective and develop a broader understanding of its distinctive features.

You can learn about opportunities for teacher training students on the School of Education website.

Here you get general information about stays abroad.

The bachelor’s degree program in Food Science and Nutrition with teacher training combines a fundamental technical education and application-oriented modules from educational science and engineering science. You acquire a fundamental understanding of the different areas of nutrition as a vocational field. While using scientific basic principles, you will gain insight into human nutrition and the processes and hygienic practices in food production. In your teaching methodology units, you will learn about educational programs and the vocational training and continuing education system in the professional field of nutrition. Through the educational science component of the curriculum, you will learn more about fundamental concepts relating to learning, education, and vocational education.

Completion of this degree course qualifies you to pursue a consecutive teacher training master’s program and is thus the first step towards later employment as a teacher of this subject at vocational schools. The teacher training bachelor’s program in Food Science and Nutrition does not qualify you for work as a dietitian or nutritionist.

Guidance and choosing the right degree program: Academic Advising Service

Questions about the degree program: Course Guidance

General questions: Student Info Services

Application and enrollment: Office of Student Affairs - Undergraduate Admissions

Recognition of previously acquired credits: Examination Board

Overview of service and advising offers for teacher training studies