Prevocational Education (core subject) (teacher training), B.Sc.

Every bachelor's degree program at TU Berlin requires applicants to possess a university entrance qualification certificate. 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 Prevocational Education 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 technical, economic, and work-related content, you should have basic knowledge of these areas as well as be interested in pedagogical and technical issues.

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

90 LP in the core subject (including the bachelor’s thesis valued at 10 LP)

60 LP in a secondary subject

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 bachelor’s degree program Prevocational Education 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 most current version of these regulations applies to new students.

The first school internship in the teacher training program is the professional development internship. This is part of the module “Educational Practice in Schools II” and is a six-week internship taking place during the lecture-free period in February/March after the preparatory course. Generally, this will be after the first semester.

During the professional development internship, you visit and get to know a school from various interdisciplinary perspectives by sitting in on classes. You observe, describe, and reflect on selected situations from school and lessons. You will also lead a lesson of your own, where you can assume the teacher’s perspective and observe students’ learning processes.

Before taking up a position as a teacher, you should experience the mental and physical demands of regular work to gain insight into operational service processes and functions, work organization, hierarchies, and internal and external customer relationships. You must complete and submit proof of a full-time internship totaling at least eight weeks, in which you gained experience in these areas. To ensure a consistent work experience, internships must last at least two weeks, which can be completed in different organizations either partially or fully before beginning your studies. Relevant activities are generally recognized. These include completed vocational training, practical components of a discontinued vocational training, and internships abroad. You must submit proof that you have completed the prevocational internship by the end of the fourth semester. You can find information about the guidelines and regulations for the prevocational internship in German on the Berlin School of Education (SETUB) website.

All other information can also be found on the School of Education website. 

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 can get general information about stays abroad.

Upon completion of your degree in Prevocational Education, you will be able to apply subject-didactic concepts from economics, technology and domestic work to the central activities of a teacher of economics, labor, and technology, and introduce job-related methodological and media skills. You will be capable of independent scientific work, critical thinking, and acting with social responsibility. Your approach to inclusion and heterogeneity will be both cross-cutting and interdisciplinary.

The bachelor’s program Prevocational Education with teacher training is the first step towards acquiring the qualifications needed to teach Economy-Work-Technology (Wirtschaft-Arbeit-Technik, WAT) at Sekundarstufe I. In order to teach at integrated secondary schools and Gymnasien, you must also complete a master’s program in Prevocational Training as well as student teaching.

Bachelor’s graduates are particularly able to find work at non-school educational institutions in fields such as career and academic orientation, nutritional and consumer education, and education for sustainable development.

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