Faculty of Physics and AstronomyPhysics – Bachelor 50%
Students in the Physics academic programme focus on natural processes that are accessible to experimental exploration, measurement, and mathematical representation, and which are subject to universal laws.
Facts & Formalities
| Degree | Bachelor of Science |
| Type of programme | Undergraduate |
| Start of programme | Winter semester only |
| Standard period of study | 6 semesters |
| Language(s) of instruction | German |
| Fees and contributions | 151.05 € / Semester |
| Application procedure | Subjects with entrance examination procedure |
| Application deadlines | Information about deadlines can be obtained after you have put together a degree program. |
| Teaching degree option | Yes |
Course Content
The Bachelor’s degree programme in Physics offers students the option of studying physics as part of the specialised programme “Teacher Training at the Gymnasium Level” (50%), wherein Physics is one of two Gymnasium-level teaching subjects studied. The faculty strongly recommends a combination of Physics and Mathematics as the teaching subjects. On the basis of the degree programme with the teaching degree option, students are able to obtain a qualification in the Master of Education degree programme, with a specific qualification to teach at the Gymnasium level, leading to a student teaching position in a Gymnasium. Students with the necessary qualifications may also be approved to pursue the Master of Science degree in Physics.
Graduates of this programme will have gained an understanding of the fundamental methods and concepts of experimental physics and be able to recognise the interrelationships between physics experiments and the associated mathematical formulations. They will have the ability to communicate in general terms on physics-related topics and to both mathematically formulate simple physics problems and to precisely or nearly precisely solve these. Graduates will have learned the fundamental methods, models, and cognitive approaches to theoretical physics and be able to successfully apply these. In addition, they will be able to analyse and resolve simple problems in theoretical physics as well as to apply mathematical procedures for describing and modelling physics-related topics.
Graduates of this programme will have the ability to employ basic measurement and experimental techniques and will be aware of the associated safety procedures. They will have knowledge of important approaches to error calculation and estimation and will be able to evaluate laboratory experiments. In addition, they will have obtained basic knowledge in Astrophysics and Cosmology and will have gained the ability to connect specific subject-related knowledge and to convey this knowledge to pupils.
Course Structure
The Bachelor course Physics in the scope of specialisation for the teaching degree for Gymnasium secondary schools (50% LO) is targeted at students who strive to study physics with a teaching degree option. For this, the course lectures I and II of experimental physics, the basic course for a sustainable course of studies, and the beginners’ internship for the teaching degree I will be completed in the first two semesters. The course lectures I and II in theoretical physics and modern physics will follow in the third and fourth semesters. The course lecture in modern physics III, comprising environmental physics and astrophysics for the teaching degree with a specialised didactics part, is assigned to the fifth academic semester. The sixth semester offers a choice between the course lectures in experimental physics V and theoretical physics IV. That is also where the introduction into an algorithmic programming language and completion of a Bachelor’s thesis, if applicable, will take place. Thus, 86 credit points in total are intended for the specialised and 2 credit points for the specialised didactics training in the subject of physics.
Additional 74 credits/two credits are to be earned in the subject-specific scientific or didactical portion of a second teaching degree. The faculty strongly recommends a combination of Physics and Mathematics as the teaching subjects. In accordance with the pertinent Examination Rules and Regulations, a combination with the following subjects is permitted: Fine Arts, Biology, Chemistry, Chinese, German with German as a Foreign Language components, English, Protestant Theology, French, Geography, History, Greek, Computer Science, Italian, Jewish Religious Education, Latin, Music (in partnership with the University of Mannheim), Philosophy/Ethics, Political Science, Russian, Spanish, Athletics, and Economics. The remaining sixteen credits are to be earned in the area of cross-disciplinary competences, in particular, in Educational Science modules and internships.
The polyvalent Bachelor's degree opens up two qualification options: the academic training can serve as the basis for the Master of Education in the Lehramt Gymnasium profile if the career goal is to become a teacher. At the same time, the polyvalent Bachelor can be the basis for a Master of Arts or Master of Science. This study decision can be made during the Bachelor's degree programme.