Study structure

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Background of the study program

Since the publication of the first PISA study results in 2000, the education system as a whole has gained in attention and importance. For over 20 years now, there have been a variety of dynamics in the field. Particular attention has been paid to early education, the educational processes of young children before they start school. In addition, the European strategy of "lifelong learning" has been created, which highlights the high relevance of further education and training for modern professions.
As a result, social work is called upon in various fields and in various ways to demonstrate its contribution to the education and qualification of children and young people - which also means that the importance of the school and education system for social work has increased enormously.
Since educational services can only be as good as the trained specialist staff, the training of trainers and further education and training providers has become an issue - and the political pressure is increasing: since around the mid-2010s, specialist and professional associations for vocational, socio-educational training have been calling not only for the personnel requirements of teachers to be secured, but also for the quality of their training to be ensured (e.g. AGJ, DJI or BöfAE).
This is where the Master's course comes in: The aim is to qualify students for the field of education, further education and training in social pedagogical professions - in terms of subject theory, subject science and, in particular, subject didactics and professional practice. The program is based on the successful completion of a six-semester undergraduate degree in social work (or similar degrees such as social pedagogy, social work or social services). The theoretical knowledge acquired in the undergraduate course is deepened during the Master's course by focusing on (specialist) didactic issues.

The study program

The basic idea of this Master's degree course is to prepare students for qualified work at vocational schools and in further education and training institutions by combining theoretical, (school) pedagogical and (subject) didactic knowledge. This knowledge can be related to each other in a practical placement in the third semester. The internship semester enables students to first become active as participating observers, then to build on this and gain initial experience in teaching socio-educational content as lecturers.

In accordance with the program, the courses offered are, on the one hand, exclusively for students of the Master's program and, on the other hand, linked to other degree programs, both within and outside the department. For example, seminars are offered together with the department's internal Master's degree program "Diversity - Research - Social Work". Students will also attend modules from other institutes and departments within the educational and social science core curriculum, which is a central component of all teacher training programs at the University of Kassel. Building on a broad theoretical qualification in the first degree course successfully completed by the students, this subject-specific knowledge is to be deepened and specified in the Master's degree course.

Teaching staff in the degree program

The Institute of Social Work is responsible for the Master's degree course, meaning that many of the lecturers and researchers here are active in the Master's in Social Pedagogy in Education and Training and offer seminars depending on the research and teaching focus. In addition, lecturers with special expertise from the professional practice fields of vocational schools and further and adult education are engaged with the aim of linking theory and practice.

In seminars and lectures, which are offered across departments in the social and educational science core study program, there are representatives from a variety of relevant disciplines, such as (developmental) psychology, vocational education and school pedagogy.

Sample study plan

(opens enlarged image)Master of Social Pedagogy Sample study plan

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