Study Social Education, Social Work and Welfare Science (Bachelor) ✔ TU Dresden

Admission requirements

To be admitted to the degree program, applicants must have completed a general university entrance qualification (Abitur) or a comparable university entrance qualification.

NC (numerus clausus) selection procedure

You can find general information about the selection process for degree programs with restricted admission as well as the threshold values for previous admission cycles here.
General information about the selection process for degree programs with restricted admission as well as the threshold values for previous admission cycles can be found here.
A summary in English of the selection process for degree programs with restricted admission can be found here.

German language requirements

International applicants and German applicants with a foreign university entrance qualification are kindly advised to read the requirements for German-language courses.

Information regarding Studienkolleg

Applicants with a foreign university entrance qualification that does not grant them direct access to university education in Germany pursuant to the qualification comparability regulations of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs must attend a Preparatory College (Studienkolleg) prior to studying. You can acquire the subject-specific university entrance qualification here. Further information can be found on the website of the Preparatory College (Studienkolleg).
This degree program relates to the following specialized course at the Studienkolleg:
G-course

Notes on the application process

This degree program participates in the Dialogorientiertes Serviceverfahren (DoSV) – an initiative organized to aid communication between universities and applicants in cases where prospective students apply for multiple degree programs at multiple universities. This means that applicants from Germany and the rest of the EU must have an applicant ID (BID) and an authentication number (BAN) issued to them from Hochschulstart prior to submitting their application to TU Dresden.

General information about the degree program

The Social Pedagogy, Social Work and Welfare Studies Bachelor’s degree program values and strives to provide a sound, specialized education. The objective is to teach students about empirical scientific findings and analytical skills for gauging social problem areas and professionally handling them from a socio-pedagogical perspective.

In their studies, students acquire the skills they need to work in socio-pedagogical fields. To this end, the degree program includes key elements such as research into teaching and learning processes, student projects and the opportunity to participate in research projects. The degree program places particular focus on learning and applying methods of research and application, and includes specialization modules to help orient students toward socio-pedagogical and socio-political topics. With a view to a subsequent profession, there is an emphasis on both the conveyance of specialist knowledge and how to address universal issues in social work, such as age, gender, culture and experience with immigration.

Study contents

The basic content of the degree program includes an introduction to the subject area, training in methods of social research and application, an overview of social problems and forms of address as well as institutions and organizational forms of social pedagogy, social work and social policy. At the same time, the students gain knowledge regarding education, learning and socialization, as well as insights into the subjects of psychology and sociology. The program includes a practical semester, which is conducted and reflected upon from a scholarly standpoint.
The standard period of study is three academic years (six semesters) and includes independent study, supervised practical time and the Bachelor’s thesis, in addition to course attendance. The syllabus is structured in modules. In the individual modules, the course content is taught, consolidated and cemented through lectures, seminars, practicals, tutorials, study groups, internships, field trips, and independent study.

The program includes the following compulsory modules:

— Introduction to Social Education, Social Work and Welfare Science
— Working Area Analysis and Professional Action
— Social Problems and Forms of Address
— Institutional and Organizational Structures
— Social Pedagogy in Relation to Age
— Prevention and Intervention
— Upbringing, Education and Socialization
— Methods of Empirical Social Research
— General Qualifications and Interdisciplinary Competence Building
— Socio-pedagogical Internship
— Case and Fieldwork Analysis in Social Work

The 5 compulsory elective modules enable students to set their own focus during their studies. For example, the following topics are available as compulsory elective modules: “Social Pedagogy in Relation to Age: Focus Studies” and the module “Counseling: Focus Studies” or the modules “Advanced Module: Sociological Theory” and “Advanced Module: Macrosociology.”

The total workload for the program corresponds to 180 credit points and comprises the teaching and learning methods according to type and scope stipulated in the module descriptions, the study achievements and examined assessments, and the Bachelor’s thesis.

View the module descriptions

Stay abroad

Would you like to spend a semester abroad? Whether it is a semester of studies, an internship or a language course abroad, you will definitely benefit from the international experience. You can improve your knowledge of your subject and language skills, establish new contacts, make friends, get to know other cultures, and much more. You can find further information on the International Office’s website.

Mandatory internship during studies

6 months

Occupational fields

The program prepares students for professional activities in the fields of social education and social work by providing them with reflexive pedagogical skills. Furthermore, the degree program forms the basis for an academic career.
The fields of work include all areas of children’s and youth work, political youth education, as well as work in adult education, the health sector, contexts of social issues (e.g. poverty, migration, unemployment), psychosocial work with the elderly and planning activities in individual, socio-pedagogical service organizations.

Students are able to work conceptually, methodically and organizationally in project development, consulting, extracurricular education and social management, institutional analysis and organizational development, as well as in the practice of lifelong aid.
The knowledge acquired in the Bachelor’s degree program can be expanded upon in one of the Master’s programs, which, in addition to an academic career, also opens up broader possibilities for employment in professional practice later on.

As an alternative to enrolling in a Master’s degree program, students can also enter a professional field directly.

Postgraduate studies

Master’s programmes in the same fieldMaster’s programmes in similar fields

Study documents

The official announcements of TU Dresden include all published regulations . Please use the search bar to find the document you need: Official proclamation

The regulations are also available on each institution’s website.