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In the master's degree program in Pedagogics, you can deepen the academic qualifications acquired in the bachelor's degree program and supplement them individually with elective options beyond the compulsory curriculum. You will deal intensively with content from the fields of vocational education, educational research and teaching and learning research through the following specializations:

• vocational education research
  
• teaching and learning research
  
• personnel and skills development
  
• scientific processes
  

You will also plan and carry out your own study projects. The 4th semester is entirely dedicated to the master's thesis.

Program structure

The degree program comprises 120 credit points (ECTS). It is compulsory to attend the modules in the key study areas of personnel and skills development, teaching and learning research, vocational training research and academic processes. Each of these modules comprises 2 to 3 courses and includes an examination in the form of a term paper or oral examination:

• personnel and skills development (10 ECTS)
  • introduction to developmental psychology
    
  • organizational and personnel development
    
  • professional competence development
    
• teaching and learning research (10 ECTS)
  • understanding and promoting motivation to learn
    
  • pedagogical diagnostics
    
• vocational training research (10 ECTS)
  • work organization and vocational training
    
  • current topics in the sociology of work and industry
    
  • current fields of research in vocational education
    
• scientific processes (20 ECTS)
  • research-based learning
    
  • scientificization of work
    
  • learning and experience
    

The modules are also compulsory:

• study project (30 ECTS)
  
• project and research seminars I (2 ECTS) and project and research seminars II (8 ECTS) including the master's colloquium in preparation for the master's thesis defense
  
• master's thesis (30 ECTS)
  

With your master's degree, you can work in various educational fields: in personnel development in various organizations and contexts, in continuing vocational training, skills development, adult education, teaching-learning and vocational training research as well as in market research. Traditionally, the focus is on researching, planning, organizing and designing educational processes with different groups, learning occasions and problems. There is also a need for internal and external knowledge transfer in cultural institutions, associations and companies. If you have academic ambitions and a good master's degree, it could also be interesting to pursue a doctorate and a subsequent career at a university or research institution.

Characteristic features of Pedagogy M.Sc. at KIT

• diverse content from the fields of vocational education, educational research and teaching-learning research
• research-oriented and practice-oriented studies with own study projects
  
• close supervision and support for students throughout their studies up to their master's thesis
  
• wide range of course options
  
• integration into the EUCOR university network enables participation in courses at the universities of Freiburg, Basel, Strasbourg, Colmar and Mulhouse
  

What KIT has to offer

• central campus close to the city forest and right next to the city center
  
• 24-hour library offering single and group working places
  
• wide range of inexpensive catering options (dining hall, cafeteria, Koeri and Pizzawerk)
  
• numerous interdisciplinary offers for personal and professional development, e.g. Lernlabor, Schreiblabor and Perspektivenlabor
  
• study abroad, e.g. via Erasmus
  
• excellent university sports facilities with a large selection of sports
  
• comprehensive cultural offerings with university orchestras, choirs and theater groups
  
• extensive support for career entry and self-employment
  
• internationally oriented degree programs and diverse exchange programs
  
• modern laboratories and practical teaching methods
  
• Lernraum app
  
• diverse student initiatives, clubs and opportunities to actively participate in campus life
  
• stay in touch after graduation via the alumni network
  

Admission requirements

The requirements for admission to the master's degree program in Pedagogics are based on the current admission regulations:

• bachelor's degree
  a bachelor's degree (or at least an equivalent degree) in pedagogics or a degree course with essentially the same content, which contains at least 50% educational, social science or humanities content, from a university, university of applied sciences, university of cooperative education or a university of cooperative education or a foreign university. The course must have been completed within a standard period of study of at least three years and with a minimum number of 180 ECTS credits.
  
• minimum knowledge and minimum achievements in the following areas
  • empirical-social science and humanities research methods amounting to at least 16 CP
    
  • education, social sciences or humanities amounting to at least 90 CP
    
  If minimum achievements amounting to a maximum of 16 CP are missing, admission may be granted on condition that these achievements are made up in addition to the curriculum before registering for the master's thesis.
  
• approx. 30-minute selection interview to provide evidence of sufficient and necessary academic background in order to be able to complete the coursework and examinations within the standard period of study. Possible topics of discussion are
  • philosophical, scientific-theoretical and pedagogical-psychological foundations of pedagogy
  • vocational education
  • international comparative educational research
  • empirical research
  • teaching-learning research
  • pedagogical media research
  • educational sociology
  At the end of the interview, the members of the admissions and selection commission assess aptitude and open-mindedness for the master's degree program in Pedagogics and the desired profession on a scale of 0 to 30 points. The interview meets the requirements as soon as at least 16 points are achieved. The following are scored
  • up to 15 points for your ability to relate the content of your academic education to questions and objectives of pedagogy and pedagogical research
  • up to 5 points for your ability to relate the content of your practical experience (through internships and/or work experience) to questions and objectives of pedagogy and pedagogical research
  • up to 10 points for your motivation and study planning

Language requirements and certificates

For the master's degree program in Pedagogics, you need sufficient knowledge of the German language. Your German language skills must correspond to at least level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Proof of sufficient German language skills

Your school-leaving certificate is sufficient proof of your German language skills if

• you obtainted it at a German-speaking school in Germany or abroad
• you are a graduate of a bilingual secondary school in Germany or abroad and have passed a bilingual German examination, such as the AbiBac or the Gemischtsprachiges International Baccalaureat (GIB)
• you obtained your degree at a foreign school, but there is another official agreement with the respective country on the recoginition of your school-leaving certificate or language certificate as proof of language proficiency for university studies in Germany

A complete list of foreign school-leaving and language certificates that are recognizes as proof of sufficient German language skills can be found on the webste of the Kultusministerkonferenz (Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany).

If you have not obtained your higher education entrance qualification (HZB) at one of the above-mentioned institutions, you must provide a separate language certificate - regardless of your nationality. Only the following are accepted

• the passed „Prüfungsteil Deutsch“ of the Feststellungsprüfung,
• the passed DSH with an overall result DSH-2,
• the passed TestDaF level 4 in all four parts of the examination (reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written expression, oral expression)
• a comparable, recognized certificate of sufficient German language skills

To find our which other recognized certificates can be accepted by KIT as comparable, please contact

• as a German or German-equivalent applicant: Studierendenservice
• as an applicant with non- EU citizenship: International Students Office

Please note:
Language certificates are extremely important application documents that can prevent your enrollment if you do not submit them on time. Therefore, check early on in the application process whether you have the necessary language certificates for your degree program and, if necessary, plan to take one of the language tests mentioned above. The deadline by which you must submit language certificates corresponds to the enrollment deadline stated in your admission offer. In justified cases, you can apply for an extension of this deadline. The extension can be granted until the start of the lecture period at the latest.

Weitere Ansprechpersonen:

• KIT-Fakultät für Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften
• Institut für Berufspädagogik und Allgemeine Pädagogik
• Fachstudienberatung
• Prüfungsausschuss
• Informationen zum Auslandsstudium
• Fachschaft GeistSoz

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