Bielefeld School of Education - BiSEd

For a teaching degree program at Bielefeld University, the General Hochschulreife (German) 'Abitur' or a previous education recognized as equivalent according to the Equivalency Ordinance of the state is generally required. In addition, there may be further requirements for individual study programme variants, such as admission or access restrictions. It is also possible to study for a teaching degree without a general university entrance qualification; information can be found below.

Admission restrictions apply if there are likely to be more Applicants than study places. Admission is then usually based on the Nummerus Clausus (NC), i.e. your Abitur grade. There are ALWAYS admission restrictions for a teaching degree program, even if your subjects may be NC-free. A compulsory component of a teacher training program is the admission-restricted version of degree programme variants in educational sciences. You must therefore apply for a teacher training program in any case, even if your subjects are admission-free.

For some study programme variants, proof of aptitude must be provided for enrolment or further approval requirements must be met. Further information on this can be found under the approval requirements of the respective subject in the study information. Such an aptitude test is necessary, for example, for the subjects art, music and Latin. Further approval requirements must also be fulfilled for sport. The programme information provides you with an overview of special admission requirements and the aptitude test. 

The first step is to select the correct bachelor's teaching degree. In each of these degrees, there is a mandatory component: Educational Sciences (or more than one in elementary education: Educational Sciences OR Educational Studies/Integrated Special Education AND Basic Language Training AND Basic Mathematics). Since this component is admission-restricted (as are some subjects), a successful application is always required for a teaching degree. Thus, at a minimum, an application must be made to the subject of educational sciences.

Frequently asked questions about application and enrolment and the appropriate answers can be found in the Prospective student portal.

If you do not have a general university entrance qualification or previous education recognized as equivalent under the state's equivalency ordinance, but you do have training and work experience, you may be eligible for university entrance for those qualified in vocational education.

Allow sufficient time for preparation. Exam preparation in the time between the application for the Access examination and the deadline for applications for a study place is usually not sufficient for the teacher training program. The recommended schedule (PDF) for elementary school teachers provides an overview of the time frame.

For the teacher training program at Bielefeld University, a subject-related university entrance qualification or a technical college entrance qualification is usually not sufficient. You can catch up on your Abitur (German) 'Abitur' or apply for a teacher training program with a degree from another university that you have already completed. You may also be eligible for university admission for those qualified in vocational education.

You may also be able to study at Bielefeld University if you have a foreign university entrance qualification or have completed a degree abroad. Since the teacher training courses are taught in German, an appropriate language level must be proven for this. Further information can be obtained from the Student Office, International Students. If you have already obtained a foreign university degree, you can find further information under Studying after a foreign university degree.