B. Ed. Informatics

What characterizes the Bachelor of Education in Informatics?

At school, you always had the feeling: “I can explain that much better than my teacher!” Or did you top up your pocket money with private tutoring during your school years and enjoy teaching other people, especially children, while giving them an understanding of the digital world? – Then the Bachelor of Education in Informatics at the University of Mannheim is the perfect match for you.

Here, you will not only be prepared for teaching at high schools, but you will also gain versatile knowledge in the computer science field. In addition, the Bachelor of Informatics has a large number of practical elements, so that independent programming is not neglected. And best of all: Should you decide against the school career during your studies, you have a large selection of Master’s programs to follow your studies. Thus, the Bachelor of Informatics offers you a variety of professional perspectives and opportunities.

Course of studies

General

The Bachelor’s program in educational Computer Science usually takes six semesters, as in most Bachelor’s degree programs. It consists of your two main subjects and the accompanying studies in educational science. During this time you have to collect at least 180 ECTS points, which you receive by passing exams. Depending on the scope and time required for the individual modules, the respective ECTS points may vary. But don’t worry: The program is structured in a way that you should have achieved the 180 ECTS points by the end of the six semesters if you complete the exams.

Module catalog

In the module catalog, you can find an overview of all subjects that are offered. Here you can also look up which subjects are compulsory and which subjects can be taken additionally.

Accompanying examinations

For a module to be evaluated, an examination takes place at the end, which can take various forms. In addition to the classic written examinations, which usually last 90 or 180 minutes, there are also practical performance assessments, oral examinations, and presentations.
In the exams, you receive grades between 1.0 and 5.0, which are weighted with ECTS points and recorded in your grade report. ECTS points roughly reflect the amount of time you spend on the subject in question during a semester. An exam is considered to have been passed if a grade of 4.0 or better has been achieved.
For some lectures on the basic subjects, you have to work on weekly exercise sheets during the semester. These are counted as preliminary work for the exam admission and serve as preparation for the exam.
If you fail an exam, you will automatically be registered for the next exam. During your entire studies, you also have two “jokers” with which you can take a third examination attempt.

Orientation exam

The orientation exam is not an actual exam. Rather, you must have passed two of the following three modules after three semesters of study at the latest:

• Formal Foundations of Computer Science
• Practical Computer Science I
• Practical Computer Science II

In addition, you must also pass the module “Introduction to Educational Psychology”.

Orientation internship

The orientation internship is intended to allow you to gain your first practical experience at a school. The three-week internship is accompanied by a block seminar at the University of Mannheim and usually takes place during the lecture-free period (June/July) after the second semester. The orientation internship can be completed at any school. The only exception is the school at which you obtained your Abitur. You have to apply for an internship independently via the ‘Kultusportal’.

Study abroad

As a student of Informatics at the University of Mannheim, you can spend one or two semesters at one of our many partner universities. A stay abroad is not mandatory but recommended by the university. The work you do abroad can usually be credited so that your standard period of study is not affected. Most of our students complete either their fifth or sixth semester abroad. The application deadlines are usually in the second or third semester. If you are interested in a semester abroad, please contact our International Department for advice. You can also find further information and contact details at the International Office.

Bachelor’s thesis

Since you have two majors in your teaching degree program, one question often comes up right away: Do I have to submit two Bachelor’s theses? This is not the case! You can choose in which major you want to write your bachelor thesis.
If you choose computer science, you will work on a topic from the field of computer science over six weeks. You will discuss the topic with your chosen professor beforehand. During the six weeks, your chosen professor will act as your supervisor and support you with any questions you may have.
Most professors prefer that you also take the seminar with them or listen to particular subjects as preparation for the Bachelor thesis. Therefore, you should contact your potential supervisor early – from the fourth semester on. You can also find an overview of our professors and their topics here.

Bachelor’s examination

The bachelor’s examination consists of all examinations you did beforehand. In addition to the examinations in the subject areas, this also includes the subject didactics, the educational sciences (including the orientation internship), the Bachelor’s thesis and, if applicable, an oral examination in the final module in the Romance subjects.

Examination phase

Every semester there are two exam periods. The first exams take place during the two weeks after the lecture period has ended and the second exams in the last week before the start of the new semester.
You are free to choose on which of the dates you would like to take your exams. If you do not pass an exam on the first date, you can retake it on the second date.

Examination regulations

The examination regulations contain everything concerning examinations. Among other things, they provide information on the various forms of examinations and the calculation of grades. The current examination regulations can be found here.

Exam registration

There is a period each semester in which you can register for exams. You will always receive a reminder to your university mail address in time. During this period and until three days before the first date of the exam you can easily register for your exams via Portal².
If you did not pass an exam or have deregistered, you will automatically be registered for the next possible exam date.

Deregistration or withdrawal from an exam

You can deregister from an exam up to three days before the exam date via Portal².
After this deadline or in the case of compulsory registration, a withdrawal from an exam is only possible with a valid reason. You can find more information here. There you can also download a corresponding application and submit it to the Express Service or by mail to your study office.

Retaking an exam

In principle, you can retake a failed exam once. Within your studies, however, you have two “jokers” that grant you a third attempt at an exam. This is not possible within the orientation phase or for your bachelor thesis. The retaking of an already passed exam is not allowed.

Ansprechpartner

If you have further questions that could not be answered on our homepage or the website of our faculty, please feel free to contact us or one of the following contact persons:

• The student council:
• Study programme manager: Sanja Juric
• Contact person in the study office: Corina Wolf
• Subject advisory service for content related to the degree programme