First state examination

As part of your First State Examination, you can write your academic thesis and take part of your oral examinations at the Institute of History at TU Dresden in accordance with the provisions of the Teacher Examination Regulations I (LAPO I).

General information

• General information on the First State Examination can be found on the websites of the Center for Teacher Education and Educational Research (ZLSB) and the State Office for Schools and Education (LaSuB), Dresden site.
• Registration for the First State Examination takes place via the portal of the State Office for Schools and Education (LaSuB) - usually in March/April or September/October. It is imperative that you observe the respective valid schedule!
  • Schedule examination period summer 2025
  • Winter 2025/26 examination period schedule
  • Schedule examination period summer 2026
• Please contact possible examiners at the Institute of History at least 2 months before the start of registration!
  (Please note the limited availability or reduced consultation hours during the lecture-free periods)
• At the same time as the online registration ...
  • ... submit the academic paper form - completed and signed by both examiners - to the LaSuB
    [You can only obtain the form from the LaSuB].
  • the form for the oral examinations in History (StEx)
    completed and sent to stex-geschichte@mailbox.tu-dresden.de
    [The form is urgently needed for the further coordination of oral examinations at the Institute of History in cooperation with the LaSuB].

Academic work (§ 11 LAPO I)

You can write your academic paper in the field of history as well as in the field of history didactics. Please ensure that you have attended an advanced seminar in the respective epoch and preferably also a lecture and a research colloquium in good time during your studies before the issue (registration) of your examination topic for state examination theses and final examinations. This serves to ensure a professional education, university quality standards and, last but not least, student success. Please discuss supervision and examination options well in advance (one semester). Contact potential supervisors / reviewers at least two months before the start of online registration for the first state examination in order to clarify an idea or the topic of your planned thesis, the assumption and specific modalities of supervision as well as the preparation of a first or second review.
It is strongly recommended that you write an initial concept/exposé for your academic work before registering (you can obtain information from the relevant examiners/reviewers).
After registering your academic paper, you have a processing time of six months.

Oral examination (LAPO I, §12, §43, §70, §100)

• You can take an oral examination either in the field of history or in the field of history didactics.
• However, there are a few differences to consider when preparing for and taking the exam.

Subject didactics examination

• The oral examination in history didactics lasts 25 minutes.
• The examination is usually conducted by the holder of the Chair of Didactics of History and a representative of the LaSuB. It is not possible for students to select the examiner.
• Applies from winter semester 2024/25: An information event on the organization, content and preparation of the oral examination takes place at the end of each lecture period! Attendance is mandatory!
  Please register in the corresponding OPAL group !
  Please also note the announcements on the Chair's and Institute's homepage!
• To register and determine the examination topics/theses, please fill out the form for the oral examinations in History (StEx) and send it at the same time as the online registration for the First State Examination to:

Subject-specific examination

• The oral examination in the field of history (= subject examination) lasts 40 minutes and covers one epoch from each of the two areas of specialization, pre-modern and modern (20 minutes each). Within the pre-modern focus area, students can choose between the epochs of antiquity, the Middle Ages or early modern times, and in the modern focus area , students can choose between the epochs of modern history or recent history and contemporary history.
• The examination is conducted by the State Office for Schools and Education and two examiners from the Institute of History . The examiners of the relevant epochs (Ancient History / Medieval History / Early Modern History / Modern and Contemporary History) and the systematic Chairs (Chair of Social and Economic History / Chair of Social and Economic History / Chair of Totalitarianism Studies) are eligible.
• As a rule, examiners are the habilitated lecturers of the Institute, in particular the professors. A legal claim to specific examiners can expressly not be derived from the preliminary agreements.
• When choosing an examiner, please note that the Chair of Medieval History is currently vacant ! Prof. Dr. Eric Böhme (deputy professor) and Prof. Dr. Mirko Breitenstein (FOVOG) are available as examiners.
• The selection of epochs, examiners and specific examination topics is subject to individual consultation with the Institute's lecturers (via e-mail or during the usual consultation hours) and begins at least two months before online registration for the First State Examination.
• To register examiners, epochs and examination topics, please fill out the form for oral examinations in History (StEx) and send it at the same time as the online registration for the First State Examination to: