The results of international school performance studies, such as PISA, regularly attract a great deal of media attention in Germany. This illustrates the importance of education in this country and the significance that empirical educational research has now achieved in the discussion about the further development of the German education system.
However, large-scale school performance studies are just one example of empirical educational research studies. Other studies examine issues such as educational equality and equal opportunities, analyze teaching and learning processes in schools, universities and further education, research the extracurricular educational processes of children and young people or reconstruct the interactions of the actors involved and the structures of underlying processes.
The four-semester Master's degree course in Empirical Educational Research at the Institute of Educational Science specifically introduces students to current practice in empirical educational research and prepares them for responsible positions in the university and non-university sector. In addition to research positions, the degree program also opens up career prospects for graduates in educational administration and evaluation, e.g. in higher education and continuing education. Teachers are also among the graduates of the course, as the application of empirical educational research findings is also highly relevant in school practice.
The individual modules of the Master's program equip students with theoretical, conceptual and research methodological skills. The module Methods of Empirical Educational Research and the research internship form the focus of the degree program and serve many students as a springboard for employment after graduation and for an academic career. The modules Educational Theory Formation and Educational Reform Processes, School and Teaching Research and Research in Informal and Non-formal Fields of Education provide theoretical foundations and offer interesting insights into current fields of application of empirical educational research. Upon successful completion of the course, graduates are awarded the title of Master of Arts, which entitles them to pursue a doctorate.
