For this master’s degree program, you should be interested in the following areas:

• The teaching profession (particularly at vocational schools)
• Economic phenomena and interrelations
• Topics in occupational training and continuing education
• Interdisciplinary, international, and intercultural topics
• Digitalization

The following skills will also be an advantage:

• Good mathematics and English language skills
• The ability to think analytically, logically, and abstractly
• The ability to work independently and in groups
• Openness, open-mindedness, and curiosity
• Perseverance and motivation

The entrance requirements for the master’s degree program Business Education (M.Ed.) are:

• A bachelor’s degree in Business Education from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) with the same subjects or an equivalent degree earned at a higher education institution.
• Proof of successful completion of the school internships required for the Bachelor of Education program.

If special entrance requirements for studying individual subjects are stipulated in the appendix according to section 19 subsection 2 HochSchG, admission to the program cannot be granted without corresponding proof.

If you are applying with a university degree that is not fully equivalent to the required bachelor’s examination or cannot provide proof of having completed the school internships, you can still be admitted to the master’s program under the condition that the missing examinations and coursework as well as the school internships have been completed by the end of the first academic year. The examinations and coursework to be caught up on, including the school internships, may not exceed 40 credit points.

In justified cases, the examination committee may, in agreement with the ministry responsible for teacher education, also recognize degrees other than those mentioned for admission to the master’s degree program. Recognition may be subject to conditions relating to the specific structure of the master’s degree program.

If you have not yet received your bachelor’s degree certificate by the application deadline, but have earned at least 135 credits in your bachelor’s program, you must apply by the set deadline with a transcript (certified copy issued by your university) of all coursework and exams completed to date, including your average grade to date.

Applicants who have not obtained a university entrance qualification at a German-speaking institution or a degree in a German-speaking course must provide proof of sufficient German language skills. These must correspond to the level DSH-2 of the “German Language Proficiency Examination for Admission to Higher Education for Foreign Applicants” and must be proven by the time of enrollment at JGU.

Good to know: The legally binding basis for selection, admission and enrollment is the text of the entrance requirements as specified in Section 2 of the currently valid examination regulations and, where applicable, in the appendix.

You can find more information in the examination regulations.

For the subject of Economics, you must choose two of the following required elective modules:

• Accounting & taxation
• Management & marketing
• Finance
• Information & logistics
• International economics

You will also complete the module on didactics in economics.

Business Education

• Vocational and business education II
• Teaching studies (including an advanced internship)
• Tutorial and project
• Empirical research

Subject of specialization and relevant didactics

You will continue with the subject of specialization from your bachelor’s degree program. You can choose from 10 subjects: German, English, Protestant Theology, French, Computer Science, Catholic Theology, Mathematics, Social Studies, Spanish, Sports.

Master’s thesis

You must write your master’s thesis in a different subject than the one you wrote your bachelor’s thesis in. Either your bachelor’s or your master’s thesis must be written on the subject of Economics (including didactics). You may not write your master’s thesis on the subject of Business Education.

Weighting of the content of the degree program for the final grade:

Stays abroad

Would you like to live abroad for half a year or a whole year? Do you want to get to know another language and culture? Would you like to get a different perspective on your particular degree program? A stay abroad provides you with the perfect opportunity to achieve this and is possible with every degree program – either self-organized or by taking advantage of one of the popular exchange programs. This is made possible by various partnerships with foreign universities.

For information on this topic, please visit our websites on studying abroad. An overview of cooperating universities that would suit your degree program can be found on our Student Exchange Platform.

Good to know: If you choose English, French, or Spanish as your subject of specialization, you must complete a stay abroad of at least three months if you have not already done so during your bachelor’s degree program. If you have questions about this, please contact the responsible subject-specific academic advisor.

Internships

As part of your studies, you are required to complete a teaching internship lasting at least three weeks. These practical experiences complement the theoretical components, help you practice your pedagogical skills in a classroom setting, and provide direction for your future career. You should have completed the internship by the beginning of the third academic semester.

Voluntary internships are another good opportunity to obtain more in-depth insight into a professional field.

An internship allows you to discover whether everyday life in a particular occupation suits your career expectations and interests. You can gain qualifications for a professional field and acquire important professional and personal skills to start a career. An internship helps you both shape your career path, and mold the remainder of your course sequence – in particular by selecting specializations that suit your practical experience.

You can find further information and relevant internships on the Career Service website.

As a graduate of the Business Education (M.Ed.) degree, you will be well prepared for a job as a teacher at a vocational school. You will possess a lot of important knowledge and skills helpful for introducing your students to business-related topics:

• Planning, carrying out, and following up on lessons
• Developing curricula
• Didactic-methodical design of (occupational) teaching and learning processes
• School and curriculum development
• Advanced knowledge of economics
• Advanced knowledge of your subject of specialization
• Research competency
• Diagnostic and assessment competencies

In order to work as a teacher at a Gymnasium, you must complete a teacher traineeship (Referendariat) after earning the Master of Education degree. The first, university-based phase of your teacher education ends with the recognition of your B.Sc. and M.Ed. degrees as the First State Examination. The second phase, the teacher traineeship (Referendariat), generally lasts 18 months in Rhineland-Palatinate and concludes with the Second State Examination.

What if you decide not to become a teacher after finishing your master’s degree? No problem! With your Master of Education degree, you can enter into numerous other professional fields. As business educator, you can work in:

• Research
• Companies (e.g., HR, continuing education)
• Public institutions (e.g., ministries, chambers)
• Other educational institutions (e.g., higher education institutions, academies)
• Associations

Not sure what to do after graduation? Don’t worry!

A university degree generally does not prepare you for a single profession but qualifies you for a wide range of career paths – for example, in research, in a typical profession related to your field of study, or in one of many other academic fields.

This is why career orientation is also part of your studies. Gaining practical experience is key, and you can do so through internships, working student positions, part-time jobs or voluntary work, for example.

JGU’s Career Service will support you throughout the entire process with information, advice, workshops and numerous events – from career orientation and working on your profile and skills to finding your dream job and successfully applying for it.