Subject "Education Studies" as part of the two-subject Master's programme "Master Kultur und Gesellschaft"
Brief portrait of the study programme
Since 2014, Paderborn University has offered students the opportunity to study the Master of Arts in "Culture and Society" with two freely selectable subjects. The aim of the programme is to provide students with specialist knowledge and skills for their future careers. By combining two different subjects, students have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of two subjects already studied on the Bachelor's degree programme or to add further subjects. This enables students to reflect and act in an interdisziplinär manner and to expand their own cultural and social science profile. The list of possible combination subjects can be found here.
The consecutive four-semester degree programme in Education Studies is research-oriented. It aims to differentiate and expand students' skills in independent research in the field of extracurricular education. Students are taught in-depth methodological knowledge of empirical educational research, which is applied in their own research project. Students are introduced to fields of application of empirical educational research. This enables them to understand research activities and results and to carry out their own research and practical projects. The particular focus here is on the professional application and utilisation of research results. This is made possible by content on learning theory and general didactic approaches, interaction and communication as well as extracurricular institutions and organisations. Further central contents of the programme are educator fields of action and work in the field of educational and cultural work as well as vocational training and professional action in these contexts. For further information, please visit the general information page on the two-subject Master's programme at Paderborn University.
| Info box: |
| The Master's students' projects from the 2015/2016 winter semester on the topics of workplace curriculum and eye-tracking as an indicator of expertise have already been presented to the scientific community at academic conferences. A list of other projects from the Master's module Practical Educational Research can be found here. |
Occupations and fields of activity
Due to the large selection of combined subjects, the possible fields of activity are broad. Basically, the degree programme prepares you for a responsible, managerial position, which varies depending on the combination of subjects, your chosen specialisation, internships and the like. Further information can be found here. After successfully completing a degree in Education Studies, the following fields of activity are possible:
- Managing vocational education processes in continuing/further education, professional development [depending on context]
- Consultancy work in staff and organisational development
- Analysis and development of educational programmes
- Evaluation and quality assurance of educational institutions
Programme content and course of study
Education Studies comprises four modules that are completed in four semesters as a standard period of study. In recent years, the size of the cohort has been less than 15 students (formally, the study programme is limited to a maximum of 20 students). The content of the programme is divided into three areas. In one module, acquired competences from the Bachelor's degree programme in educational sciences are deepened. Advanced knowledge of educational management and educational organisation is intensified in another module. Finally, knowledge and skills in methods of empirical educational research are deepened. In the module on practical educational research, a project-oriented piece of work is carried out, which can form the starting point for an empirical master's thesis. The Education Studies programme comprises 120 credit points. How these are divided up can be read here.
Study plan
The study plan is a recommendation and orientation.
| Planned semester | Module component |
|---|---|
| 1st semester | Theory of education and science |
| Teaching-learning-theoretical conditions of educational processes | |
| Social conditions of educational processes | |
| Basic questions of educational management and educational organisation | |
| 2nd semester | Development of educational measures and educational programmes |
| Evaluation and quality assurance of educational programmes | |
| Methods of empirical educational research | |
| Research projects in empirical educational research | |
| 3rd semester | Exercise on research projects in empirical educational research |
| Conception and realisation of an Education Studies research project | |
| Realisation, evaluation and presentation of a research project | |
| 4th semester1 | Profiling module |
| Master's thesis | |
| Oral defence of the master's thesis | |
| 1 The Master's thesis and its oral defence can also be completed in the other subject. The profiling module must then be completed there accordingly. | |
The examination regulations form the basis of the degree programme and primarily provide information on the content of the degree programme in the individual subjects. They are divided into two parts:
- The General Provisions provide information on the framework conditions of the degree programme and the examinations.
- The subject-specific regulations, which are available separately for each subject, contain module descriptions, study plans, specific information on examination forms, etc.
Study orientation and study counselling
Professor Dr. Christian Harteis is responsible for advising students. He advises on questions about the course of study, internships and stays abroad. Information opportunities are offered at the beginning of the semester.
