Important requirements for you as an aspiring teacher include a joy for teaching, an interest in varied didactic methods, and good intuition when it comes to working with pupils. You should take pleasure in working with children and teenagers and be open to their worldviews.

You should also enjoy movement, exercise, and physical activity in various types of sports and areas of life. An appreciation for reflecting on athletic performance – both your own and that of others – and discussing it with others is also an advantage. High-performance and competitive sports do not have to be a priority for you. You may also have a different connection to sports, e.g., related to health, self-expression, or adventure.

You will need to demonstrate your own athleticism by passing an athletic aptitude test before you can be accepted to the program of study.
More information on the sports aptitude test (in German)

For this program of study, you should be able to read and understand specialist literature in English and, where required, to participate in events held in English.

This program is studied as a part of the Bachelor of Education degree program (teacher education for Gymnasium). The degree program always includes two teaching subjects as well as the subject of Education Studies.

The program of study consists of both theoretical and practical components. This adds variety to the sports degree program, as does the combination of different teaching methods: Conventional lectures and seminars are supplemented by tutorials, projects, practical teaching exercises, and internships.

The sports degree program comprises a wide spectrum of topics. You have the freedom to choose your own thematic specializations from a broad range of subjects according to your interests.

• Sports education and sports didactics
• Sports psychology
• Sports medicine
• Training and exercise science
• Sports history and sports sociology
• Selected individual sports such as track and field, swimming, gymnastics, and dance
• Selected team sports such as basketball, volleyball, hockey
• Selected forms of exercise such as parkour, beach games, qigong, acrobatics
• Selected outdoor sports, such as alpine and Nordic skiing, windsurfing, mountain biking

Program structure

Advanced phase

• At the beginning of your program of study, you will focus on the fundamentals of sports science as a teaching and research discipline. You will get to know the pedagogical and didactic discourses and learn how to reflect on sports critically.

Specialization phase

• You will deepen your knowledge of sports medicine and training and exercise science via various lectures and seminars.
• You will get to know the anatomy and physiology of the musculoskeletal, nervous, and cardiovascular systems.
• You will focus on psychological, sociological, and historical topics related to sports.
• Furthermore, you will gain insight into the mental processes behind the behavior and experiences of those who practice sports and reflect on learning, motivation, and sociopsychological processes relevant for sports in schools.
• You will also learn how to explain, demonstrate, correct, and support sports-related content and activities in a manner best suited for the target group.
• In addition, you will learn how to foster your future students’ motor skills through a variety of methodical-didactic means.

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 Institute of Sports has over 25 cooperating partner institutions at which you can study abroad.

Internships

In the Bachelor of Education, you will complete three 3-week internships and experience different types of schools firsthand. This practical experience will complement your theoretical training, help you practice your pedagogical skills in the classroom, and give you direction for your future career.

For more information, please visit the website for school internships provided by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Students interested in completing additional voluntary internships – including those in other professional fields – can find more information on the Career Service website.

The teacher education degree program prepares you – and is a prerequisite – for a career as a teacher at a Gymnasium in Germany. Not only will you acquire comprehensive knowledge about the subject, you will also learn how to convey this knowledge to your future students in a fun and creative way, while inspiring interest for your subject.

To work as a teacher later on, you must also obtain the Master of Education after completing your bachelor’s degree and then complete a teacher traineeship (Referendariat). The first, university-based phase of your teacher education ends with the recognition of your B.Ed. 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.

However, you are not restricted solely to classroom teaching after completing the teacher education program. You can also work in a variety of professional fields beyond teaching in public schools.

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.