10,000 teaching certificates: University of Cologne celebrates its anniversary on April 11th!

10,000 teaching certificates: University of Cologne celebrates its anniversary on April 11th!

The University of Cologne is celebrating a significant milestone in teacher training: the 10,000th master's certificate in teaching will be presented on April 11, 2025. This marks an important step since the switch to bachelor's and master's degree programs in the winter semester of 2014/15. Every year, around 1,300 teacher training students earn their master's degree at the institution, which is one of the largest teacher training locations in Europe.

Professor Dr. Beatrix Busse, Vice-Rector for Studies and Teaching, emphasizes the significance of the number 10,000 and emphasizes how important it is to train qualified teachers in view of the rapidly increasing demand. According to calculations by the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK), there will be a shortage of around 68,000 teachers nationwide by 2035. Given these forecasts, the role of the University of Cologne in teacher training is even more important.

Big numbers in education

The University of Cologne has over 11,000 student teachers; every fourth student there chooses a teaching degree course. The training extends across all five teaching professions, from primary school to special education and secondary schools. In addition, the university works closely with 900 schools and maintains seven centers for practical teacher training as well as collaborations with the University of Music and Dance and the German Sport University Cologne.

In this final round, more than 550 teaching graduates will receive their master’s certificate. Most graduates will begin their preparatory service next fall, so they will probably be available as fully trained teachers from 2027.

Current challenges and future strategies

The university actively deals with topics such as internationalization, further education and training, digitalization, artificial intelligence, sustainable development, diversity and well-being in teacher training. These aspects are crucial to meet the future demands on teachers and to ensure modern training.

The master's graduation ceremony will take place on April 11th at 4:30 p.m. in the auditorium in the main building of the University of Cologne. This event will not only be another celebratory highlight for the graduates, but also an important moment that reflects the university's ongoing commitment to quality in teacher training.

For more information about developments in teacher education and the challenges it faces Monitor teacher training as well as the current reports from the University of Cologne here to find.