Studying Teacher Education

With a bachelor and master's program in Teacher Education (Bachelor and Master of Education), you can teach at secondary schools as well as at vocational schools. However, there is an exception: To teach the subject Economics, you must choose to study the bachelor's and master's program in Economic and Business Education (Bachelor and Master of Science).

In the bachelor's program in Teacher Education, there are specific selection criteria for each subject. Be sure to take a look at the subject profiles for Teacher Education. The following points are relevant:

• grade average achieved in your university entrance qualification,
• grades in individual school subjects, and
• relevant work experience and extracurricular activities.

The bachelor's program in Economic and Business Education is a non-selective program. However, you must meet certain requirements to obtain a study place.
The following points are relevant:

• proof of university entrance qualification,
• proof of proficiency in German,
• certificate of participation in the aptitude test, and
• certificate of participation in the Career Counseling for Teachers test from the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts Baden-Württemberg.

If you are unsure whether teaching is really the right profession for you, you can take the Career Counseling for Teachers test.
Good to know: If you study the bachelor's program in Teacher Education, you are not yet deciding on a career as a teacher. If you realize that a career in teaching is not right for you after all, you can switch to another master's program during your studies or internship.

The same goes for the bachelor’s program in Economic and Business Education. Throughout your studies, you are free to decide whether you want to pursue a career as a teacher or work in a company, for example, in human resources or training. After earning your bachelor's degree, you can continue with either a master's program in Economic and Business Education or another master's program, such as the Master in Management program at the University of Mannheim.

Prospective teachers should

• like working with young people and understand their problems,
• enjoy presenting and explaining things,
• be confident,
• be enthusiastic about their subjects and the job, and be able to pass this enthusiasm on to others,
• be able to accept criticism and reflect on themselves, and
• communicate in a clear and understandable manner.

Decide which age group you would like to work with and whether you would rather focus on the educational field or on imparting knowledge and competencies. The program in Teacher Education at the University of Mannheim prepares you to teach at a secondary school or a vocational school. You will mainly work with older pupils and focus on teaching subject-specific knowledge and specific skills.
If you would like to teach at a primary, secondary school other than a general German Gymnasium, special needs or other type of specialized school (Realschule, Förderschule or Sonderschule) later on, you must study at a university of education in Baden-Württemberg.

In the bachelor's and master's program in Teacher Education at the University of Mannheim, you can combine two subjects. Here you can find an overview of the subjects. Be sure to study subjects that you enjoy. It is very important that you are interested in your subjects, as you will be trained to become experts in them.

However, there are a few things to consider when choosing your combination of subjects, for example, with regard to your employment prospects. The program managers for Teacher Education will be happy to advise you on this.

In addition, during or after having earned your degree in Teacher Education , you can study a third subject as part of the Master of Education program.

The bachelor's program in Economic and Business Education consists of the subjects Economic and Business Education, Business Administration, Economics, Civil Law and Commercial Law. To tailor your studies to your individual interests, you can choose from a selection of 15 minor subjects including Corporate Learning, German, English, Mathematics, Sports and Business Informatics.

Here you can find an overview of the elective subjects.

If you prefer to work in a company rather than in a school, the elective subject Corporate Learning is a good choice. All other elective subjects allow you to pursue a career in the teaching profession as well as in business.

Teachers’ salaries depend on their degree and the type of school they teach at. It also depends on whether they are civil servants or not. On the website of the Landesamt für Besoldung und Versorgung, you can view the different salaries in the salary tables.

In general, the following can be stated about the salary of teachers:

• After finishing the master's program in Teacher Education (M.Ed.) or the master's program in Business Education (M.Sc.), you will complete a preparatory service for one and a half years. During this time of practical training, you will earn less than later in the job. Information on the so-called remuneration for civil servant candidates is also available on the website of the Landesamt für Besoldung und Versorgung.
• With the Master of Education degree in Teacher Education or the Master of Science degree in Business Education, and after the preparatory service, your salary will be very good and, above all, very secure. After your career, you will also receive a pension for civil servants instead of a regular statutory pension.