Bachelor: Social Pedagogy

The Social Pedagogy Bachelor at Leuphana College is a wide-ranging social sciences degree. Alongside history and theories of social pedagogy as well as legal, organisational and financial aspects of social pedagogy, you will examine in depth empirical methods of social research and knowledge production.

Complementary, the degree programme decidedly aims to affect the development of the students’ personality. The programme links academic engagement with research on social pedagogy to fundamental aspects of teaching and psychology. Hence, students look at the prerequisites for education and at the basics of teaching and learning.

You will develop subject-specific academic and didactic skills that lay the foundations both for a research and  teaching career in the vocational or higher education sector and for working in child and youth welfare.

International perspectives on the Social Pedagogy B.A.

The Social Pedagogy Bachelor is international in its approach: you will not only look at the state of research in Germany, but also at existing comparative research on an international scale.  

Moreover, there are options for you to spend time at one of our partner universities in Spain, Italy, Sweden, the UK or the USA.

The Social Pedagogy Bachelor follows the College degree structure and is therefore not limited to a focus on social pedagogy. Students at the College combine social pedagogy with another subject of their choice: German, English, Protestant studies, mathematics, politics or physical education.

Alongside your social pedagogy studies and chosen subject, the programme involves an area of professionalisation. In this part of your degree programme, you will look at the institutional and broader conceptual framework for vocational education in Germany and explore theories of development, learning and socialisation as well as tools for measuring and assessing performance. Furthermore, you will complete a placement at a vocational school and reflect on your role as a teacher.

Leuphana Semester

• Responsibility and Sustainability
• Humanities
• Methods I
• Methods II: Information and Data Literacy for Social Pedagogy
• Introduction to the discipline: Theories and Matters of Social Pedagogy

Second semester

• Education
• Methods of Empirical Research in Social Pedagogy
• Methods of Teaching in Social Pedagogy
• Didactics of Social Pedagogy
• Institutions of Vocational Education (Social Pedagogy)
• 1 teaching subject module

Third semester

• Legislation, Organisation and Funding of Social Pedagogy
• Inquiry-based Learning
• Psychology of Teaching and Learning
• Practical Training at Schools (Social Pedagogy)
• 2 teaching subject modules

Forth semester

• Legislation, Organisation and Funding of Social Pedagogy
• Inquiry-based Learning
• Practical Training at Schools (Social Pedagogy)
• 2 teaching subject modules
• 1 Complementary Studies module

Fifth semester

• Adressees of Social Pedagogy
  This module focuses on international studies on the addressees of social pedagogy. The module includes childhood studies, youth studies and research on people with disabilities, and takes recent research and debates in social policy into account.
• History of Social Pedagogy
  The focus of this module is on historical studies on social pedagogy. It looks at the early and recent history of ideas in social pedagogy and its socio-political contexts. The module also explores the latest German and international research in this area.
• Applied Methods and Procedures of Social Pedagogy
  The classes in this module focus on applied methods and procedures in social pedagogy and combine theoretical reception with practical exercises. Students reflect on organisational and professional practices in social pedagogy and its political contexts  while they try out applied methods and procedures that have become established in the field.
• Psychology of Development and Interaction
• Theories of Socialisation in Vocational Education (Social Pedagogy)
• 1 teaching subject module

Sixth semester

• International Perspectives of Social Pedagogy
  In this module, students develop a more detailed and nuanced understanding of international research on social pedagogy. They discuss German case studies, compare social pedagogy in different countries, and reflect on the practical implications of existing research studies in the  various countries.
• Bachelor dissertation
• Theories and Methods of Research on Vocational Education (Social Pedagogy)
• 1 teaching subject module

The wide-ranging Bachelor programme at the College opens up a variety of options for your professional career. The Social Pedagogy Bachelor  gives you the qualifications you need for continuing your study career with the Leuphana Masters programme in teacher education  that qualifies you to teach social pedagogy at vocational schools and universities.

The Social Pedagogy Bachelor also opens up a range of other possible careers. For example, you can continue your studies with a Masters in educational sciences at another university or start to work in child and youth welfare services that qualify as social pedagogy.

• Degree awarded: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
• Duration: 3 years
• Extent: 180 ECTS
• Study places: 95
• Language: German and  English
• Fees: no tuition fees
• Semester contribution: approx. EUR 318,15
• Semester abroad: possible
• Start date: Beginning of October
• Application period: from mid may to 15 July
• General entry requirements: university entrance qualification and language skills in German
• Specific entry requirements: for the teaching subjects English and physical education
• Admission restricted: yes
• Admission: own procedere at Leuphana College