What is lateral entry?

Lateral entry is an option for anyone who wants to combine their passion for STEM subjects with a meaningful job in education. With our degree programmes specially optimised for this option, you retain maximum flexibility and only decide when you are ready.

After graduating from our optimised STEM degree programmes and completing a Master's degree, you can go straight into the preparatory service (also known as Referendariat) for the subject combination of mathematics/computer science or physics/chemistry as a lateral entrant to the teaching profession for secondary schools in Saxony. All other options, such as a doctorate or a career in business or industry, remain open to you.

Why lateral entry?

Are you passionate about STEM, want to stay in your region, but can't find a suitable career opportunity in your specialism here? Do you also enjoy working with children and young people? Saxony has a massive shortage of teachers. Not only, but especially in the STEM subjects. With a lateral entry into the teaching profession, you can actively contribute to solving this problem. You can share your passion for STEM subjects with young people and support the education of the next generation. A challenging but also fulfilling task!

Procedure and requirements

The prerequisite for admission to our degree programmes is the general higher education entrance qualification, i.e. the Abitur.

Our STEM Bachelor's degree programmes B. Sc. Applied Natural Sciences and B. Sc. Sc. Applied Computer Science are optimised to enable lateral entry into the teaching profession at secondary schools in Saxony for the subjects of physics/chemistry or mathematics/computer science after a subsequent successful Master's degree, as the scientific training for 2 teaching subjects has already been completed in each case.

The qualification for the educational sciences, subject didactics and school practice should take place in particular as part of the lateral entry into the preparatory service for the teaching profession for secondary schools in Saxony (also known as Referendariat).

In order to gain teaching experience during the purely subject-oriented degree programme and to assess whether the teaching profession is the right prospect for you, you can help organise project days for schools and the school laboratory during your Bachelor's degree. In the subsequent Master's programme, you can gain teaching experience through paid work at partner schools in the region during your studies. Your teaching skills development will be supported by pedagogically supervised case supervision groups, special training and counselling at the university.

Do you have any questions or would you like to talk more about this? Get in touch at lehramt4you [at] tu-freiberg [dot] de. We will be happy to advise you in detail about your opportunities to gain initial teaching experience alongside your studies, possibly even as part of a paid job.

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