The study of teaching at the Gymnasium can be roughly divided into the following areas:

• Subject knowledge: As a prospective teacher at Gymnasium, you will choose two subjects that you want to teach later on. You can find out more exactly what the individual subjects are about by reading the subject descriptions.
• Subject-specific didactics: In didactics you will deal scientifically with all questions and challenges of teaching and learning the subject. Among other things, you deal with subject-specific learning content and learning processes as well as effective learning situations.
• The so-called education science comprises the sub-fields of pedagogy, school pedagogy and educational psychology.
  There you will learn a lot about how teaching and learning works, how you can best support students in their learning process, and how you can sensibly assess and advise them.
  The theoretical foundation for carrying out your educational mandate and the associated close cooperation with parents is also laid there.
• In several internships, you will have the opportunity to try out this knowledge at school and gain your first practical experience.

A teaching degree program is one of the few degree programs in which you start with a firm idea of what profession awaits you later. Nevertheless, the teacher degree program is not a „vocational training“ to become a teacher – it is a scientific program with practical components. The „practical training“ only takes place during the preparatory service (Referendariat).

Whichever subject you choose, you should enjoy it in any case, since you will not only take it during your studies – it will accompany you throughout your entire professional life.

To check whether the profession suits you, you can ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you enjoy working with children and young people and are you willing to engage with their lives?
• Are you able to get other people excited about something and do you enjoy communicating knowledge?
• Are you self-critical and a team player?
• Can you work independently and in a structured manner?
• Are you curious and open to new things?

No one is born to be a teacher – studies and preparatory service offer many opportunities for further development, if you are willing to engage with it.

Comprehensive study program:

As a comprehensive university, FAU offers almost all school types and subject combinations approved by the Bavarian Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs. In addition, there are a number of extension subjects that you can choose (only) at FAU.

One course of study – (at least) two degrees:

Our teacher training programs prepare you in the best possible way for the (first) state examination, which is the entry requirement for the preparatory service (= Referendariat).

In addition, you will automatically fulfill the requirements for a Bachelor’s degree in the course of your regular teaching studies: You only need to apply for the certificate.

FAU students of the Gymnasium teaching program can optionally obtain a Master’s degree with relatively little additional effort. This way you keep all your options open!

Going abroad during your studies? No problem!

FAU is a respected international partner with over 500 cooperations worldwide. Whether you want to study abroad, participate in an Erasmus program, do an internship or a practical training period – our competent contact persons in the Department of International Affairs, in the International Offices and in the project „FAU Lehramt International“ will help you with the organization and with questions of financing.

Media competence:

Digital media play an increasingly important role in the classroom. FAU wants to prepare you for this and has dedicated two professorships in educational science to these topics.

In the laboratory for digital teaching and learning (DigiLLab), which is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, you will have the opportunity to directly apply what you have learned.
Whether as an extension course or a certificate course, you will learn how to use media professionally in the classroom as well as how to teach media literacy.

Inclusion:

At FAU, we place great value on inclusion. It is important to us that you, as students, all have the same opportunities regardless of your background. Equal opportunities play a major role everywhere in education – in order to make you prepared to pass this on to your students, you will learn with us, for example, how to deal with heterogeneous groups and how to create inclusive learning environments.

Job profile of a high school teacher:

At school, you will encounter children, teenagers, and young adults (as well as other teachers), all with different interests, talents, and personalities. For teachers, no two days are the same; this profession is diverse, varied, and challenging.

Even if you realize after completing your state examination that you might not want to be a teacher after all, many doors are open to you due to the extensive and versatile, subject-specific as well as pedagogical-didactic training: Depending on the subjects studied, companies from a wide variety of industries are happy to hire trained teachers. In theory, you can work wherever scientifically qualified people are needed, including:

• Universities
• Science & Research
• Libraries & Archives
• Media & Print
• Banks & Insurance Companies
• Metal & Electrical Industry
• Human Resources
• Work with Children
• Museums & Culture
• Creativity & Marketing