Bachelor's degree programme in Political Science (2-subjects including teaching profession)

Description of the degree programme
What difference can politics make in the age of globalisation? Why are there an increasing number of conflicts in the world? What exactly is the meaning of social justice? Political science, as a discipline in the social sciences is primarily concerned with such questions. It is for this purpose that researchers study social action based upon which collectively binding decisions are taken with regard to institutions, processes and results.

The six-semester BA program offers a professionally qualifying degree through the combination of four elements:
• A well-founded introduction to the theories and methods of political science and a sophisticated training in methods of empirical social research
• Research-oriented introductory and intensification topics in line with our focus on politics in the Federal Republic of Germany, Comparative Political Science and Political Economics, International Relations and Political Theory and The History of Ideas.
• Support in academic writing
• Degree programme-relevant Internships

Main content focuses on
The German language, 2-subject Bachelor's degree programme provides you with the capability for independent academic work. You should develop extensive knowledge of the fundamental concepts and historical context, methods and theories of political science and apply these in a practice-oriented manner.

The degree programme in politics at Göttingen offers the following formal specialisations:

Political theory and the history of ideas
In his department, Prof. Walter Reese-Schäfer focuses on the political contemporary theory of North American and European political and intercultural political philosophy. Political theory is explicitly understood as an attempt to find answers to current contemporary issues.

Comparative politic sciences and political economics
Prof. Andreas Busch and the teaching staff of his department are working on the analysis of political institutions of liberal democracies and their impact on political outcomes. Special emphasis is placed on the interaction between business and politics.

The didactics of politics
This department is primarily concerned with the didactical and methodical work in the theory and practice of political education and the teaching of politics (teaching at university-qualifying secondary schools).

International relations:
• The chair is vacant at present and is deputised by PD Dr. Ingo Take.

The political system of the Federal Republic of Germany
• The chair is vacant at present and is deputised by Dr. Wolfram Lamping.

The Institute for Democracy Studies is also involved in teaching courses:
• Parties and political culture research // Institute for Democracy Studies
Prof. Franz Walter and the Institute for Democracy Studies place particular emphasis in their work, on the historical long-term perspective and importance of the social and cultural environment of the parties.


Degree programme structure
Second, equally ranked subject
In the two-subject bachelor's degree programme in Political Science, the subject is combined with a second, equally ranked subject that can be selected from a wide range of subjects offered by the various faculties. You can access a current overview if you go to “Study programmes from A to Z” and on the right dropdown menu “All degrees”, select “Bachelor (two subjects)”.
Teaching profession profile
The choice of subjects in the 2-subject bachelor's degree programme (teaching profession) is governed by the Lower Saxony statute "MasterVO-Lehr" (Regulation on Master‘s Degrees for Teachers in Lower Saxony dated November 8, 2007; Law and Ordinance Gazette of Lower Saxony, p. 488 ff).

If you wish to apply for the subsequent degree programme for a Master of Education in Lower Saxony, certain combinations of subjects are required.
The list of these combinations of subjects is available at:
Combinations of subjects for the subsequent Master of Education degree

Area of professionalisation (2-subject Bachelor)
The area of professionalisation consists of the optional area and the key competencies.

Optional area
Beyond the subject-specific skills, the bachelor's degree programme also imparts competencies for the successful entry into a career (profession-orientated profile) or for admission to a master's degree programme (academically oriented profile).

Area of key competencies
Key competencies
After completing your studies, you will face high professional standards as a graduate in working life. Alongside sound knowledge in their scientific or academic field, university graduates should possess cross-disciplinary qualifications relating to their chosen profession (key competencies): These key competencies form the cornerstone of a goal-oriented curriculum and lay the foundation for sustainable success in a working career.
Key competences can be acquired through internships and by means of meaningful supplementary qualifying courses adapted to your individual education profiles, or by directly engaging in professionally relevant coursework.
The key competencies can be selected from the catalogue of the Faculty of Social Sciences and the module handbook of the University of Göttingen.

Area of professionalisation (teaching profession profile)
In the area of professionalisation, automatically select the profile “Teaching profession”. This includes didactics, psychology, education, school internships and key competencies.

Additional offering: Teachers training PLuS.
PLuS stands for “Teach professionally and evolve schools” and covers the fields of study "Education science and (specialised) basic understanding of didactics” and “Professional expertise”.
PLuS allows individual profile building as part of teachers' training and adds competencies in the following areas:
- Teachers’ self-image and professional comportment
- Communicative design of teaching and learning processes
- Mentoring and consulting
- Education and conflict resolution
- Intercultural competency
- Development of classroom skills
- Media literacy
- School development.

For more information about this additional offering, please click here.

More information about the degree programme
Admission: Admission to both bachelor's degree programme in Political Science (2 subjects) and the bachelor's degree programme in Political Science (teaching profession) is limited.
Language: German
Other skills: A very good command of English is a prerequisite for successful studies. Other language skills in other modern foreign languages are considered assets. In addition, an extensive knowledge of history, particularly in the fields of Modern and Contemporary History is a prerequisite. If your skills in these areas are poor, you are advised to develop them further to the appropriate extent before entering this bachelor's degree programme.


As a graduate in political science, you can work in various fields, including:

  • Media, public relations, political education and adult education
  • Politics, administration and associations
  • Governmental organisations (NGOs) and intercultural transfer
  • Consulting agencies as well as brand-opinion research

  • Professional fields (teaching profession profile)
    As Bachelor of Arts graduate qualified to teach at university-qualifying secondary schools with Political Science as a teaching subject, you can prepare for admission to the degree programme for a Master of Education. After successfully completing the degree, you could transition to the preparatory service for teaching at university-qualifying secondary schools.