B. Ed. Mathematics

What characterizes the Bachelor of Education in Mathematics?

At school, you always had the feeling: “I can explain that much better than my teacher!” Or did you raise your pocket money with private tutoring during your school years and enjoy teaching other people, especially children? You can effortlessly make your way through the jungle of numbers and formulas and would like to help others to find their way around better? – Then the Bachelor of Education in Mathematics at the University of Mannheim is the perfect match for you.

With us, you will not only learn important basic mathematical knowledge that will take your understanding of logic to the next level, but thanks to the lectures in educational sciences and subject didactics, you will also learn how best to teach it. In the orientation internship and even in some seminars, you have the opportunity to apply what you have learned directly in school.
You can then deepen your skills in the master’s degree program in mathematics for teaching, in which you will also complete your school internship semester.

Course of studies

General

The Bachelor’s program in educational Mathematics at the University of Mannheim usually lasts six semesters. It consists of your two main subjects and the accompanying studies in educational science. The choice of basic subjects in mathematics is mandatory at first. Towards the end, however, you can choose one lecture and two seminars. In the educational sciences, you have more options to choose from.

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. An exam is considered passed if a grade of 4.0 or better is achieved. For our mathematical lectures, you often have to complete weekly practice 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. Throughout your studies, you also have three “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:

• Analysis I
• Linear Algebra I
• Linear Algebra 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 Computer Science 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.

Seminar paper

As a bachelor’s student of mathematics, you have to take two seminars. One of them you usually take with a professor of your choice in an area in which you later want to write your bachelor thesis. The other one you can choose from any area of mathematics. The seminars usually take place in such a way that your professor will assign you a topic, which you have to work out and present in front of a small group of seminar participants. There is no grade for the seminar, you just have to pass it.

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 Mathematics, you will work on a topic from the field of maths 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’s thesis. Therefore, you should contact your potential supervisor early – from the fourth semester on. At the end of your third semester, all Mathematics professors present themselves and their offers at an event for this purpose. You can also find an overview of our professors and their topics here.

Bachelor exam

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 two 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.

Contact persons

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