Philosophy/Ethics – Master of Education (Secondary education)

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The Master of Education (MEd) in Philosophy/Ethics follows the Bachelor of Education (BEd) and complements your teacher education Lehramt Gymnasium. After earning your MEd, you can be admitted to the teacher traineeship (“Referendariat”).

During your studies you will gain an understanding of the theories and positions of classical and contemporary philosophers. You will discuss philosophical questions, such as free will, the rationale of moral norms, the potentials of knowledge and the relationships between language and reality. Alongside insights into the history of philosophy and a variety of its sub-disciplines, you will be encouraged to develop a range of valuable skills. These include especially the ability to think carefully and analyse critically, to develop structured approaches to reading and writing texts, to critically assess arguments, and the ability to develop your own arguments creatively and independently. The study of philosophy will enable you especially to pose foundational questions and to repeatedly scrutinise and challenge the foundations of existing theories and positions. In addition to subject-related content you will have classes in didactics and education.

Overview

Degree Master of Education (Secondary education)
Programme start Winter semester & Summer semester
Period of study 4 semesters
Application period 9.5. - 15.7. | 29.11. - 15.1.
Admission restrictions no

Why study Philosophy/Ethics in the University of Konstanz?

The Department of Philosophy at the University of Konstanz features systematic areas of focus. This means that, rather than approaching the history of philosophy mainly as the history of ideas, you will be addressing historical positions and the extent to which their contents and arguments are convincing. In addition to this, the department likes to pursue interdisciplinary approaches in both teaching and research. As a student you will benefit especially from regular interdisciplinary lectures and courses. Our philosophy students enjoy very good study conditions. There are no overcrowded lectures and seminars, and the staff-student ratio allows excellent personal contact and supervision. In addition to this, the core courses and the compulsory courses in logic are accompanied by student tutorials. Students can satisfy stronger interests at a large range of conferences, colloquia and workshops based on the department’s numerous research initiatives.

Content

Prospects and opportunities

Career prospects

Once you have earned the degree Master of Education you can apply for the Referendariat (18 months of teacher traineeship) in Baden-Württemberg (and under certain conditions in other federal states, too). At the end of the Referendariat you will take the 'Staatsexamen' (state examination). Having passed this state examination, you may apply to work at a public school in Baden-Württemberg (and, in certain circumstances, in other federal states).

You will find further career perspectives in the interview series #dreamjob - Starting a career. Here, alumni of the University of Konstanz report on their personal career entry.

Programme structure

Programme start

Winter semester & Summer semester

Academic structure

The master’s programme usually takes four semesters to complete. Graduates are awarded the academic degree of “Master of Education”. You will be taking two major subjects as well as classes in educational science including a practical teaching semester. A total of 120 ECTS credits (cr) is required.

You can find an overview of teacher education here.

Erweiterungsfach (additional subject)
If you are enrolled in a Master of Education programme, you may opt to study an Erweiterungsfach (additional subject) as a separate master's programme. You can start taking courses in your additional subject during your Bachelor of Education programme and even complete the relevant coursework and performance assessments. These may be recognised once you start your Master of Education programme. Please consult the director of the departmental administration first.

You can study one of these as an additional subject:

  • Chemistry (90 ECTS-Credits)
  • Computer Science (120 ECTS-Credits)
  • German (120 ECTS-Credits)
  • English (120 ECTS-Credits)
  • French (120 ECTS-Credits)
  • History (120 ECTS-Credits)
  • Italian (120 ECTS-Credits)
  • Latin (90 or 120 ECTS-Credits)
  • Mathematics (120 ECTS-Credits)
  • Physics (120 ECTS-Credits)
  • Russian (120 ECTS-Credits)
  • Spanish (120 ECTS-Credits)

The following subjects are not available for study as additional subjects: biology, political science, sport, economics.


Please check the Exam regulations (partly in German) for more information about the programme structure.

Internship and study abroad

Internships

You will complete a practical teaching semester (12 weeks) during the master's programme.

Study abroad

We recommend that you spend at least a few months abroad to acquire language skills and intercultural competencies that supplement your study programme. Your departmental student advisory service and the International Office will be happy to support you in this.

Impressions from students and lecturers

Hear from students and lecturers
In our interview series, students talk about their subject, teachers explain the department's research and tell you what topics they cover in seminars and lectures.

Get an impression
Discover online lectures and websites with more information about your prospective subject.

Requirements

What interests and skills should I have?

Philosophy students need to have a good command of English, because a large amount of the relevant literature is written in English. But most of all you need to have a deep-seated interest in philosophical questions, because this will provide you with the motivation and endurance needed to complete the highly demanding course of study. If you are uncertain whether the study of philosophy really suits your interests and abilities, you should take a look at the department’s websites. There you will find examples of original texts and class material. Of course, you are not expected to immediately understand these texts before beginning your studies. But you should certainly feel the desire and be prepared to make the effort to deal intensely with these texts.

As a teacher you need a variety of skills and competences. You should of course be fascinated by the contents of your subject, and at the same time enjoy sharing your knowledge with your young students. You will need to be able to develop teaching concepts, sometimes with your teacher colleagues, and you will need to demonstrate a high level of educational skills in your daily work with children and adolescents. In addition to this, you will need a variety of social competencies. These include communication skills, the ability to deal with conflict, resilience and the ability to inspire and motivate. These skills will also help you when interacting with parents. You enjoy working with scientific and very complex texts and have a structured approach to reading and writing texts. Abstract thinking should come easily to you, and you should have a lively interest in logical and consistent reasoning.

Language skills

You must produce evidence of having earned your Latinum or Graecum. If you have acquired your Latinum and/or Graecum at school, you can submit your school certificate (e.g. Abitur-Zeugnis). Alternatively, you can catch up on missing language skills during your first semester. You can do so either at our Language Institute (SLI), or at a suitable external institution if agreed upon with the university beforehand. You must produce the required evidence by the time you register for your master’s thesis at the latest. We do not carry out our own language tests to determine your aptitude.

Required German language skills
International applicants need to document their German language skills, level DSH-2 or TestDaF 4, or a language test recognised as equivalent. The University of Konstanz does not offer preparatory German language courses or approved German language exams. For this reason, you must submit accredited proof of your German language skills along with your application.

Language(s) of instruction

The languages of instruction are German and English.

Admission requirements

We will publish the admission requirements soon.

Fees

Semester fee

All students enrolled at the University of Konstanz are charged a semester fee each semester, similar to all other German universities. Here you can find the current semester fee and its individual components.

Tuition fees for first degree studies for certain international students
Since winter semester 2017/18, the state of Baden-Württemberg has required some international students to pay tuition fees for their first degree studies. The following students are not required to pay tuition fees: citizens of a country within the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA), doctoral students and certain “Bildungsinländer” (e.g. non-EU citizens with a German “Abitur”). More detailed information can be found here.

Each year, the University of Konstanz grants exemptions to a limited number of particularly gifted international degree-seeking students in accordance with the university’s “Begabtenbefreiungssatzung” (statutes governing the exemption of gifted students). More detailed information can be found here.

Tuition fees for second degree studies for all students
All students are required to pay tuition fees for their second degree studies. More detailed information can be found here.

Application and application documents

This study programme has no admission restrictions.

An application is possible during the following period: 9.5. - 15.7. (winter semester) and 29.11. - 15.1. (summer semester). There may be other deadlines if you are applying for admission to a higher semester (for instance, if you are changing subjects or universities). For more information please consult the university website.

Application documents

You will find an overview of the required application documents in your application for admission, which you will receive at the end of your online application.

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