Universität Fribourg Université de Fribourg Suisse | Universität Freiburg Schweiz Course offerings

Teacher Education for Secondary Level I

Abstract

This training course is aimed at people wishing to teach in Cycle d'Orientation/Orientierungsschulen (CO) classes. During the bachelor's degree, students learn the scientific knowledge and the content specific to their teaching subjects in the respective university faculties; the French-speaking Centre d'enseignement et de recherche pour la formation à l'enseignement au secondaire (CERF) and the German-speaking Zentrum für Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerbildung der Universität Freiburg (ZELF) teacher training facilities then complement the subject knowledge acquired by the future teachers by providing the professional training, educational skills, didactics and teaching practice.

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Profile of the study programme

The University of Fribourg offers a course in Teacher Education for Secondary Level I, either in German (LDSI), or in French (DAESI), or bilingually. This training course consists of a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education Level I comprising 180 ECTS credits (BA_SI in the Faculties of Theology or Humanities) or a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education Level I comprising 180 ECTS credits (BSc_SI in the Faculty of Science and Medicine) followed by a «Master of Arts en enseignement pour le degré secondaire I/Master of Arts für den Unterricht auf der Sekundarstufe I».

Objective
This training course is aimed at people wishing to teach in Cycle d'Orientation/Orientierungsschulen (CO) classes, corresponding to the final three years of compulsory education, in Switzerland. This prepares students to teach three to four subjects featured in the curriculum of these schools.
The bachelor's degree does not qualify students to teach; a «Master of Arts en enseignement pour le degré secondaire I/Master of Arts für den Unterricht auf der Sekundarstufe I» is required to teach in secondary level I education in Switzerland.

Subject training
The bachelor course is aimed at providing candidates with basic scientific knowledge of their chosen teaching subjects (subject training) as well as the professional skills required to teach pupils in the three final years of compulsory education (professional training, educational skills, didactics and teaching practice). As a general rule, the subject training is done in the different faculties (which means that students follow the study programmes of their chosen teaching subjects), while the professional training, educational skills, didactics and teaching practice are taught in the teacher training facilities [the French-speaking Centre d'enseignement et de recherche pour la formation à l'enseignement au secondaire (CERF) and the German-speaking Zentrum für Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerbildung der Universität Freiburg (ZELF)].

Professional training, educational skills, didactics and teaching practice at the bachelor level
The main emphasis is on introducing students to areas of scientific knowledge which play a role in teaching (educational sciences, humanities, didactics) through coursework, and to the practical aspects of teacher training through teaching practice in CO classes.
The different periods of teaching practice which are a part of the training course ensure students take their first steps as teachers under the supervision of a tutor, the latter being a partner of the CERF or LDSI for the practical part of the course.

Languages in which the course is taught
Students may take the course according to a French or German-language study plan, or else according to a bilingual study plan (with either German or French as the major language).

Find out more
For further information, please consult the following Web sites:

Studies organisation

Structure of studies

150 ECTS credits at least (academic training) + 30 ECTS credits (teacher training), 6 semesters
Table of bachelor's study programmes which entitle students to train for a DAES I/LDS I in the corresponding teaching subject.

Curriculum

http://studies.unifr.ch/go/49R-M (French)
http://studies.unifr.ch/go/3Q9Bw (German)

Comments

When studies commence students must also enrol at the Centre d'enseignement et de recherche pour la formation à l'enseignement au secondaire (CERF, French-speaking section) or at the Zentrum für Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerbildung der Universität Freiburg (ZELF, German-speaking section).

Admission

The following Swiss school-leaving certificates grant admission to bachelor programmes at the University of Fribourg:

  • Swiss academic Maturity Certificate
  • Federal vocational or specialised Baccalaureate + supplementary examination of the Swiss Maturity Commission (passerelle)
  • Bachelor Degree from a Swiss university, from an accredited Swiss university of applied sciences (HES/FH) or from a Swiss university of teacher education (HEP/PH)

A complete list of all further recognised Swiss school-leaving certificates is to be found on the webpages of swissuniversities (in French and German only): https://studies.unifr.ch/go/fr-admission-swisscertificates; https://studies.unifr.ch/go/de-admission-swisscertificates
Foreign upper secondary school-leaving certificates are recognised only if they correspond substantially to the Swiss Maturity Certificate. They must qualify as general education. Foreign school-leaving certificates are considered to be general education if, among other things, the last three years of schooling include at least six general education subjects, independent from each other, in accordance with the following list:

  1. First language
  2. Second language
  3. Mathematics
  4. Natural sciences (biology or chemistry or physics)
  5. Humanities and social sciences (geography or history or economics/law)
  6. Elective (computer sciences or philosophy or an additional language or an additional subject from category 4 or 5)

The general admission requirements to the bachelor programmes at the University of Fribourg for holders of foreign school-leaving certificates as well as the admission requirements for individual countries are to be found on the webpages of swissuniversities: https://studies.unifr.ch/go/en-admission-countries
In addition, foreign candidates must present proof of sufficient language skills in French or German.
All guidelines are available at (only in French and German): https://studies.unifr.ch/go/adm-guidelines

The assessment of foreign school-leaving certificates is based on the «Recommendations for the Assessment of Foreign Upper Secondary School-Leaving Certificates» adopted by the Chamber of universities of swissuniversities on 11.11.2021 (https://studies.unifr.ch/go/swissuniversities21fr; https://studies.unifr.ch/go/swissuniversities21de). The admission requirements are valid for the respective academic year. The Rectorat of the University of Fribourg reserves the right to change these requirements at any time.