Proof of a bachelor’s degree in Educational Science or a related subject, or a similar degree.
This may include, for example:
• A degree program in which at least 60 credits or one third of the required coursework and examinations in Educational Science have been acquired
• A teacher education degree program (e.g., Bachelor of Education, state examination for teacher education)

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.

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.

The examination regulations can be found here.

All specializations in the Educational Science master’s degree program have the following structure:

The first two modules of General Educational Science are offered for all study specializations, followed by modules three to nine with content specific to the individual study specializations.

Empirical research methods, research designs and student research projects based on the content of the study specialization are covered in the seventh module. The eighth module comprises the completion of a compulsory internship of 300 hours.

The master’s degree program is completed in the ninth module after submitting the master’s thesis and taking the oral master’s examination.

Digital Education and Continuing Education:

• Foundational theory development (e.g., digital education, media literacy, adult educational professionalism, lifelong education)
• Linking scientific knowledge and empirical educational research (e.g., teaching and learning research, biographical research)
• Analysis of significant developments in adult and media education (e.g., pedagogical optimization, learning and teaching in the digital age, changing forms of employment)
• Thorough preparation for the demands of the profession: diverse fields of responsibility in a rapidly changing professional field

Social Pedagogy/Social Work:

• Theoretical approaches and foundations of social pedagogy
• Fields of employment and social work organizations
• Socio-educational practice
• (International/transnational) research in social pedagogy

Child and Adolescent Pedagogy

In this specialization, you will deal with the question of how extracurricular educational programs (early education, children and youth work, political and cultural education, family education, etc.) can be designed, evaluated, and further developed. To this end, current research from modern child and youth studies is combined with a critical analysis of historical, social, and political conditions.

Content of the degree program:

• Theoretical fundamentals: childhood and youth as historical social constructs and as independent phases of life.
• Action-oriented research: current debates on migration, cultural pluralization, globalization and democratization – all in the context of children’s and young people’s educational processes.
• Practical skills: project and program development, collaboration with schools, associations and research institutions.
• International perspectives: comparative analyses of educational systems and transnational developments.

Internships

This program of study does not include a mandatory internship. However, voluntary internships are a great way to gain 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 part of module 8, you will complete a compulsory internship of 300 hours.

Stays abroad

Would you like to live abroad for a semester or a year? Do you want to learn another language and get to know a new culture? Or gain a different perspective on your particular subject? 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 cooperation agreements and partnerships with foreign universities.

For more information on this topic, please visit our websites on studying abroad. Visit our student exchange platform for an overview of cooperating universities in your field.

This program of study does not require you to spend time abroad, but you nevertheless have the opportunity to do so.

The Department of Educational Science has a wide range of international collaborations, including with Kangnam University in Yongin, South Korea. Within this collaboration, for example, summer schools are organized and implemented, and joint research projects are conducted. It is also possible to do a student exchange at Chung Ang University in Seoul, South Korea.

The internship can be completed abroad. According to the degree structure, an internship is recommended in the 3rd semester.

On the one hand, the practical content of the educational science degree program is widely spread and located in different institutions, but on the other hand it is also very specific in terms of the skills required.

This master’s degree course provides you with a comprehensive, practice-oriented training that is relevant both for an academic career and for positions in educational institutions, counseling services, or education policy. If you are passionate about in-depth analysis and the design of educational processes and want to play an active role in shaping the future of education, this degree program is the right choice for you.

The following can be identified as the primary fields of work for educational scientists, depending on their chosen areas of focus:

Digital Education and Continuing Education

To prepare students for professional practice, the Adult and Continuing Education working group cooperates with a wide range of regional partners, including

• trade unions,
• independent and municipal adult education providers,
• companies in the field of in-company training,
• media companies in Mainz and the surrounding area (e.g., ZDF, News and Pictures, SWR),
• Stiftung Lesen (Reading Foundation),
• State media authorities (e.g., Landesanstalt für Medien und Kommunikation/Ludwigshafen),
• medien + bildung.com, open-access community media
• training institutions for various educational establishments with a focus on media topics

Social Pedagogy/Social Work:
The number of people employed in social work has increased significantly in recent years. The M.A. degree program qualifies you for a wide range of socio-educational fields of work in Germany and abroad, including

• child and youth welfare services,
• international/transnational organizations and networks in the field of social services,
• education, migration and health,
• social services for refugee support,
• (international) youth work,
• socio-educational counseling,
• elderly care,
• international student exchange,
• diversity management.

Child and Adolescent Pedagogy:

The degree program qualifies students for a wide range of pedagogical activities, in particular

• institutions for extracurricular child and youth education,
• political education,
• (inter-)cultural education,
• children and youth work such as youth association work, youth meeting places, youth exchanges and youth centers,
• daycare centers and all-day schools,
• fields of education, child and youth policy.

In addition, graduates of the master’s in Educational Science are employed in the following areas:

• academia (e.g., university, college, research institutes, project work)
• child and youth welfare services,
• education and learning consultation
• human resources development
• and much more

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.