The Teaching of German as a Foreign Language (GER)

HOU > The Teaching of German as a Foreign Language (GER)

Purpose - Description

Learning Outcomes

Admission Requirements

Structure

Teaching Staff

Financial Contribution

Examination Method

Contact

The main purpose of this course is to provide specialized knowledge in the subject “Teaching German as a Foreign Language”, in accordance with the requirements of the field and the current needs of the labour market in Greece and internationally.

Students are systematically introduced to theories of language acquisition, research methodology and techniques of writing scientific papers, didactic-pedagogical principles for the teaching of a foreign language, communicative activities & abilities of the learner and the methodology for the planning & assessment of German as a foreign language course.

QUALITY POLICY *
QUALITY INDICATORS 2025 *

*The above files are currently available in Greek.

Upon completion of the post-graduate studies, students are expected to be able to:

describe the theories of foreign language acquisition, traditional and modern teaching methods and the methodological approaches associated with them,
understand and describe the basic principles of oral and written communication in a foreign language,
analyse and select in a scientifically informed way appropriate oral and written (conventional and multimodal) texts for the development of receptive and productive skills in a variety of communication contexts,
critically analyse foreign language teaching materials on the basis of specific learning objectives,
design learning scenarios aimed at promoting oral and written comprehension and production skills and developing language competences on the basis of traditional media and digital technologies, drawing on the findings of the Council of Europe, documenting their teaching choices and evaluating the course flow and learning outcomes,
describe the principles of assessment, reflect on tools for measuring linguistic competence and apply techniques for assessing communication skills,
design, conduct and present in a scientifically sound manner research studies relevant to their field with the aim of their professional development.

ECTS Credits

The total required academic credits (ECTS) to earn the Master’s Diploma are 120 ECTS.

Classification according to Unesco code ISCED-2013

By field of education: 0114-Teacher training with subject specialization

By level of study: 7

Classification of Postgraduate Studies

Master of Education

Duration of studies

The minimum required duration to complete the program is two (2) academic terms, i.e. four (4) semesters.

Language of instruction

The language of instruction of the course is German. The language of educational activities and the language of the thesis is also German.

The Post-graduate programme accepts graduates or higher institution diplomas holding a B2 certification in the German language. The programme is offered in German.

The knowledge of an extra foreign language except the language of the programme and good computer-Internet skills would be useful for the successful participation in the programme.

Note:

Holders of a degree or diploma of higher education means graduates of Greek Universities or Polytechnics or Higher School of Fine Arts or Higher School of Pedagogical and Technological Education or Higher Technological Educational Institutions (ATEI) or those who hold academically equivalent first cycle degrees from recognized foreign educational institutions with the degrees awarded by the Greek Higher Educational Institutions, in accordance with the provisions of article 304 of Law No. 4957/2022 (Government Gazette 141/21.07.2022, vol.).

Clarification regarding foreign academic institutions

When evaluating an application to a Postgraduate Study Programme, the University will examine whether the candidate’s institution of study is included, or is eligible to be included, in the National Registry of Recognized Foreign Higher Education Institutions, and whether the candidate’s degree is included, or is eligible to be included, in the National Registry of Degree Types Awarded by Recognized Foreign Institutions. If the degree is listed under Article 307 of Law 4957/2022, the Hellenic Open University is required to request a “Certificate of Place of Study”, which must be issued and sent directly by the foreign university. If the certificate confirms that the place of study, or any part of the studies, took place within Greek territory, the degree cannot be recognized—unless the portion of studies completed in Greece was carried out at a public Higher Education Institution or at a recognized foreign educational institution, as defined in point (b) of Article 299 of Law 4957/2022.

Certification of German language competency at level B2

German language competency (Level B2) can be proved according to article 10, Presidential Decree 85/2022 “Determination of qualifications for appointment in the public sector (Qualification-Department)” (Α΄ 232), in combination with Part C΄ and namely “LANGUAGE CERTIFICATES ” of no. 20/01.02.2023 “Amendment of no. 94/20.6.2022 of the decision of the SUPREME COUNCIL FOR CIVIL PERSONNEL SELECTION (ASEP)”Procedure for determining the fixed parts of the content of staff selection announcements based on predetermined and objective criteria (Articles 28 – 30 of Law 4765/2021 ) (B’ 3614)” (B’ 594) with language proficiency certificates.

Language Certificates

The table below shows the language certificates -level (B2) of German Competency that are accepted as well as the issuing body.

Certification of German competency at level B2 can be proved as follows:

GOETHE – ZERTIFIKAT B2 (Units: Lesen, Hören, Schreiben, Sprechen) of the Goethe Institut.
ZERTIFIKAT DEUTSCH FUR DEN BERUF (ZDfB) of the Goethe Institut.

ÖSTERREICHISCHES SPRACHDIPLOM (ÖSD) B2 MITTELSTUFE DEUTSCH (until 31/12/2014)
(From 1/1/2015) ÖSTERREICHISCHES SPRACHDIPLOM (ÖSD) ZERTIFIKAT Β2
(From 1/1/2018) ÖSTERREICHISCHES SPRACHDIPLOM (ÖSD) ZERTIFIKAT B2 (Unit 1: LESEN, HOREN, SCHREIBEN, Unit 2: SPRECHEN)
ZERTIFIKAT V.B.L.T. SOZIALES LEBEN University of Geneva.
National Foreign Language Exam System (KPG) equivalent level of Law 2740/1999, as replaced by paragraph 19, Article 13, of Law 3149/2003.

German competency (level B2) is also proven with certificates of other institutions (not limited to universities) of an equivalent level, irrespective of their legal form, provided they are certified or recognized by the competent authority of the country concerned for conducting examinations and issuing certificates of proficiency in German at the appropriate level. These certificates must be accompanied by a proof document from the issuing body that both the issuing body and the language certificate competency are certified by the competent national authority and also and that the certification also concerns the evaluation of basic communication skills (written language production, oral language production, written language comprehension and oral language comprehension).

If there is no certification or recognition body in the country concerned, a certificate from the relevant Ministry or Embassy of Greece is required, confirming that the certificates issued by the above bodies to third parties for whom German is not a native language are accepted in public services of that country as valid evidence of the German language at the appropriate level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

General notes:

Advanced level foreign language certificates also prove knowledge of a lower (required) level of the foreign language.
Foreign Language Teaching Certification does not prove the competence in a foreign language. In order to prove their competence in the foreign language, candidates who hold the relevant certification must provide the foreign language certificates as provided for in this Annex where applicable
All foreign language degrees must be accompanied by their official translation into the Greek language, except the above German language proficiency certificates, which are accepted without requiring any translation and validation.

1st Semester		(30 ECTS)
GER10	Research Methodology and Techniques for Academic Writing	(C¹, 15 ECTS)
GER11	Didactic and Pedagogical Principles in Foreign Language Teaching	(C, 15 ECTS)
*2nd Semester*		(30 ECTS)
GER12	Theories of Language Learning and Grammar Models	(C, 15 ECTS)
GER13	Communicative Activities	(C, 15 ECTS)
*3rd Semester*		(30 ECTS)
GER20	Learner’s Competencies	(C, 15 ECTS)
GER21	Lesson Planning and Assessment	(C, 15 ECTS)
*4th Semester*		(30 ECTS)
GERPD	Master’s Thesis (Postgraduate Diploma Thesis)	(CC², 30 ECTS)
GERPA	Practical Training Module	(CC, 30 ECTS)
Total:		120 ECTS

Notes:

C¹: Compulsory

CC²: Mandatory optional

Specifically, the GERPA is mandatory optional of the GERPD, if the student has the specific formal qualifications for appointment to primary or secondary education in the field and specialisation of teacher “PE07 German”. Otherwise, the GERPD is compulsory.

Guidelines for the Selection of thematic units (modules)

All thematic units in the programme are compulsory. You can choose from one (1) to two (2) thematic units per semester (30 ECTS).

1^st Semester:
- If you choose to take only one unit to familiarize yourself with the principles of Open and Distance Learning and assess the study workload, you must select GER10 – Research Methodology and Techniques for Academic Writing.
- If you wish to take two units, you must select GER10 and GER11 – Didactic and Pedagogical Principles in Foreign Language Teaching.
Subsequent Semesters:
- You may select any available thematic unit from the current semester, as well as any outstanding unit(s) from previous semesters.
- In all cases, a maximum of two (2) units may be selected per semester.
Prerequisites for 3rd Semester thematic units:
- To register for GER20 – Learner’s Competencies, you must have successfully completed GER10.
- To register for GER21 – Lesson Planning and Assessment, you must have successfully completed GER10 and any two of the following units: GER11, GER12, GER13.
4^th Semester:
- In the fourth semester, the Master’s Thesis (Postgraduate Diploma Thesis) (GERPD) and the Practical Training Module (GERPA) are offered. Specifically, the GERPA is a mandatory optional unit of the GERPD and you can choose it if you have the specific formal qualifications for appointment in primary or secondary education in the field and specialisation of teacher “PE07 German”. Otherwise, you must choose the compulsory GERPD.
- The preparation of the Master’s Thesis (Postgraduate Diploma Thesis) (GERPD) requires the successful completion of the six (6) thematic units. The oral support of the Master’s Thesis requires the successful completion of all units of the Programme. The choice of the Practical Training Module (GERPA) requires the successful completion of six (6) units.
- For the award of the Postgraduate Diploma of Specialization (M.Sc.) it is mandatory: either the successful completion of six (6) thematic units, as well as the successful preparation and presentation of the Master’s Thesis (Postgraduate Diploma Thesis) (GERPD), or the successful completion of six (6) units and the Practical Training Module (GERPA).