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ZfL - Center for Teacher Education

Studying Teacher Education at the University of Cologne

All teacher education students, no matter what type of school they are specializing in, complete a three year B.A. program (six semesters), and a two year M.Ed. program (four semesters). However, the Master of Education is not the final stage of training yet: university training is followed by an 18 months residency at a school (Vorbereitungsdienst). During this time, the teachers-to-be already teach a certain number of hours but they are regularly monitored by Centers for Practical Teacher Training, and they receive detailed feedback on the development of their teaching skills. One central innovation that was implemented together with the B.A. and M.Ed. degrees are the mandatory internships/ practical phases. In total, students complete three internships: The aptitude and orientation internship (5 weeks) and the vocational field internship (4 weeks), both integrated into the B.A. program, and the internship semester (5 months), integrated into the M.Ed. program.

Portfolio work is the common thread that runs through all practical phases. At the University of Cologne, students are required to document and reflect on their experiences during the practical phases in a cross-phased e-portfolio. The portfolio is embedded in a didactical concept, which prompts students to take a closer look at all aspects of the teaching profession, from routines in the classroom to interaction with colleagues, from curriculum development to issues of school management. Students are encouraged to turn to theory in order to ‘shed light’ on some of the observations, and to go deeper and formulate research questions, which are presented at seminars and often developed into projects for a final thesis.

Practical Phases - EOP and BFP

To finish your teacher education (B.A.) at the University of Cologne, you need to complete two internships, called Eignungs- und Orintierungspraktikum (EOP - aptitude and orientation internship) and Berufsfeldpraktikum (BFP - vocational field internship). To complete the Master of Education, you also need to complete the Praxissemester (inernship semester).

The EOP needs to be completed at a German School of your field of specialization. E.g.: you study to become a primary school teacher, you need to do your internship at a primary school in Germany. Alternatively, you can do your internship at a German school abroad. You find more information here (German site) .

The BFP is an internship, that can be completed all over the world. It needs to be located in a social, pedagogical or subject-specific field and should not be completed at a German school. You can find more information about it here (German site). If you are interested in doing your BFP abroad, click the following link.

The Praxissemester is a semester to be realized at a German school of your specialization. It is an integral component of the Master of Education at the University of Cologne. You can find more information here (German site).

Subjects and different types of teachers

At the University of Cologne, you can study all five types of schools that are present in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia:

  • Primary School (Grundschule)
  • Secondary School and Comprehensive Secondary School (Haupt-, Real- und Gesamtschule)
  • High School and Comprehensive Secondary School (Gymnasium und Gesamtschule)
  • Vocational College (Berufskolleg)
  • Special Needs School (Sonderpädagogische Förderung)

So what do I do, if I would like to study here? Find your way!