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Faculty of PhilosophyHistory – Master of Education Extension Subject

In the academic discipline of History, human life worlds and their transformations over time are recorded, analysed, and interpreted, and the causes and conditions underlying historical developments are investigated. Through a critical approach to information and its interpretation, students who study History within the Master of Education degree programme acquire the ability to generate differentiated knowledge and to reflect upon its relevance to education in schools.

Information about the Master of Education

The Master of Education is a degree preparing for a future teaching job. In the section "Become a teacher" you will find all the information about the course of the complete teacher training programme from the choice of the subject, the bachelor’s and master’s phase to the teaching practice.
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Facts & Formalities

DegreeMaster of Education
Type of programmeConsecutive
Start of programmeWinter and summer semester
Standard period of study4 semesters
Fees and contributions151.05 € / Semester
Application procedureProcedure for Master of Education Extension Subjects
Application deadlinesInformation about deadlines can be obtained after you have put together a degree program.
Part-time optionYes

Course Content

In the subject-specific component of the Master of Education with History as the extension subject, students will acquire basic academic qualifications and a broad general knowledge of the fundamentals of history along with more specialised knowledge and the ability to independently and scientifically explore complex historical phenomena. The core of the degree programme consists of studies of the four historical periods: Ancient History, Medieval History, Modern History (1500-1900) and Contemporary History (1900-present). This is supplemented by the specialised disciplines of American History, Eastern European History, South Asian History, East Asian History, History of the Jewish People, Economic and Social History, History of Medicine, Basic Historical Methodology and National History.

The courses in history didactics are primarily taught by faculty from the Heidelberg University of Education and the State Seminar for the education and further professional training of teachers in Heidelberg. In these courses, students will learn to plan, design, and reflect upon learning processes, and, specifically based on history didactics, employ select competencies, goals, content, methods and media, fundamentals of individual support, differentiation, and subject-related performance evaluation, as well as fundamentals of communication and reflection in the area of history.   

Course Structure

The degree programme is structured to provide a combination of several different types of courses: Those that convey basic knowledge and provide basic academic qualifications, and those that convey more research-related, in-depth, up-to-date specialist knowledge in selected subdisciplines or that focus within selected topics on the practical application of skills required for the study and analysis of history.

The Master of Education degree programme is characterised by the blend of content and methodology provided in both subject-specific courses and specialised didactics courses. This allows students expand and strengthen their empirical, conceptual, and theoretical knowledge and to explore the (re)presentation of history in public, cultural, and political arenas.  

Students may choose from two options for the blended module, which combines subject-specific content with specialised didactics. Irrespective of the blended module chosen, there are also two options for the degree programme itself. More detailed information can be found in the module handbook. The topic for the Master's thesis may be chosen from either the field of history or that of specialised didactics. The study of History as a Master of Education extension subject may be pursued either as a major or a minor subject.

History can be studied as a subject comprising 90 credits (standard period of study 3 semesters) or as a subject comprising 120 credits (standard period of study 4 semesters).