Co-operative study programme Bremen - Oldenburg (teaching degree)
Co-operative study programme Bremen - Oldenburg (teaching degree)
Slavic studies/Russian as a co-operation subject
Slavic Studies (B.A.) with the aim of becoming a teacher and subsequent M.Ed. Russian (Gymnasium) can also be studied as part of a cooperative degree programme with Bremen.
There are two possible constellations depending on your home university.
A. Home University Oldenburg
If Slavic Studies is your first subject and Oldenburg is your home university, you can take the following second subjects at the University of Bremen:
- French (Bachelor’s, Master of Education: secondary school teaching, early years education)
- Spanish (Bachelor’s, Master of Education: secondary school teaching, early years education)
The structure of the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes is generally based on the requirements of the University of Oldenburg. This means that, at Bachelor’s level, you will study 60 credit points of subject-specific modules per subject (+45 credit pointsin the professionalisation areafor teacher training, including internships, +15 credit points for the Bachelor’s thesis module). At Master’s level, you will study 30 credit points of subject-specific modules per subject (+18 credit points in educational sciences, +15 credit points in training modules, +27 credit points for the Master’s thesis module).
Further details on the Slavonic Studies programme leading to a teaching qualification can also be found in the University of Oldenburg’s subject-specific appendix to the BA examination regulations.
Registration and organisation of teaching placements for both the BA and the MEd programmes are handled by the Centre for Teaching and Learning (DIZ) at the University of Oldenburg. You can also find further information here on the joint degree programme with the University of Oldenburg
For the school subject Russian, you must also provide evidence of a stay abroad of at least 3 months (or equivalent alternative arrangements) by the end of your Master’s programme. If your second subject is also a modern foreign language, this requirement applies to only one of the two subjects.
For further practical information regarding the co-operation degree programme, the Bremen-Oldenburg Co-operation Degree Programme Student Body will certainly be happy to assist you.
B. Home university: Bremen (from the winter semester 2026–27)
If Bremen is your home university, your studies of Russian as a subject will be organised slightly differently from the programme for students at the University of Oldenburg.
On the Bachelor’s programme, you will study a total of 72 credit points in the Russian subject. On the Master’s programme , you will take a total of 24 credit points in the Russian subject at the University of Oldenburg. Specifically, this comprises the following modules:
For the BA:
- 4 Russian language practice modules (language level depending on the result of the placement test, 6 CP each) = 24 CP in total
- 2 core modules (sla071 Introduction to Slavic Studies I: Spaces, Contexts, Themes (9 CP); sla081 Introduction to Slavic Studies II: Concepts, Techniques, Perspectives (9 CP)) = total 18 CP
- 4 advanced modules (sla270 Slavic Languages and Literatures. Historical and Systematic Foundations (3 CP), sla271 Project Module (3 CP), sla280 Language: Structures, Functions, Contexts (6 CP); sla290 Literature: Text, Context, Institutions (6 CP)) = total 18 CP
- ! The specialisation module sla 531 (comprising either linguistics or literary studies courses, plus a course accompanying a work placement in Oldenburg and so-called practice-oriented elements (POE) in accordance with the Bremen regulations) = 12 CP
Further details can also be found in the Oldenburg subject-specific appendix to the BA examination regulations.
For the MEd:
- 1 module in Specialised Subject Studies & Subject Didactics: Russian (sla771) (comprising either linguistics or literary studies courses complementary to those chosen in the specialisation module, plus a course accompanying the teaching placement and a school teaching placement in accordance with the Bremen regulations) = 12 CP
- 1 module in Russian Language Practice & Language Didactics (sla781) (2 language practice courses: Russian 9 and Russian 10, including integrated language didactics support) = 12 CP
Further details can also be found in Oldenburg’s Subject-Specific Appendix 17 for the subject Russian in the MEd examination regulations.
Registration and organisation of school placements for both the BA and the MEd programmes are handled by the Centre for Teacher Training (ZfLb) in Bremen! However, you will undertake the respective placement-accompanying modules for the subject Russian in Oldenburg.
For the subject of Russian, you must also provide evidence of a stay abroad of at least 4 months (or equivalent alternative arrangements) by the end of your Master’s programme. If your second subject is also a modern foreign language, this requirement applies to only one of the two subjects (in this case, other conditions may apply in accordance with the Bremen regulations – please check with your department in Bremen for further details).
For further practical information regarding the joint degree programme, the Bremen-Oldenburg Co-operation Student Body will certainly be happy to assist you.
B. Home university Bremen
If Bremen is your home university, your studies in the subject of Russian are organised slightly differently to the variant for Oldenburg students.
You will study a total of 72 CP in the subject of Russian in the Bachelor's programme. In the Master's programme, you will take a total of 24 CP in the subject of Russian at the University of Oldenburg. This includes the following modules:
For the BA:
- 3 practical Russian language modules (language level depending on the result of the placement test) = 18 CP in total
- 3 basic modules (sla051 Introduction to Slavic Linguistics, sla061 Introduction to Slavic Literary Studies, sla090 Regional Studies and Language Acquisition) = 24 CP in total
- 2 advanced modules (1 each in linguistics (sla230 or sla240) and literature (sla250 or sla260)) = 18 CP in total
- ! The specialisation module sla 531 (with either linguistics or literature courses, + an internship course in Oldenburg and so-called practice-oriented elements (POE) according to Bremen regulations) = 12 CPs
Details can also be found in the Oldenburg subject-specific appendix to the BA examination regulations.
For the MEd:
- 1 module Specialised Studies & Didactics of Russian (sla771) (with either linguistics or literary studies courses complementary to those chosen in the specialisation module, + an accompanying internship course and a school internship according to Bremen regulations) = 12 KP
- 1 module Language Practice & Language Didactics Russian (sla781) (2 language practice courses: Russian 9 and Russian 10 incl. integrated language didactic support) = 12 CPs
Details can also be found in the Oldenburg subject-specific Annex 17 for Russian as a teaching subject to the MEd examination regulations.
The registration and organisation of the school internships in both the BA and MEd is carried out via the Centre for Teacher Training (ZfLb) Bremen! However, you will attend the respective practical training courses for the subject Russian in Oldenburg.
For the school subject Russian, you must also provide proof of a stay abroad of at least 4 months (or equivalent) by the end of the Master's programme. If your second subject is also a modern foreign language, this only applies to one of the two subjects (other conditions according to the Bremen regulations may also apply here - please check with your subject in Bremen).
The Bremen-Oldenburg co-operation student body will also be happy to provide you with further practical information about the co-operation degree programme.
News about your stay abroad
Suspension of the compulsory period of study abroad for students on the M.Ed in Russian programme
In response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the Presidential Board of the University of Oldenburg decided on 1 March 2022 to suspend the University’s research and teaching co-operations with institutions in the Russian Federation. This is a decision which the Institute of Slavic Studies expressly supports.
However, this means that, until further notice, you will no longer be able to undertake stays abroad in the Russian Federation. Due to the security situation, stays in the Republic of Belarus and, of course, in Ukraine are also impossible.
Against this background, a proposal from the Institute of Slavic Studies to suspend the compulsory period of study abroad, as stipulated in the Lower Saxony Master’s Degree Regulations (Nds. MasterVOLehr), for all affected students on the M.Ed. Russian (Gymnasium) programme has been approved.
!However, so-called compensatory work must be completed in place of the study period abroad!
What counts as a compensatory activity?
- Alternative activities such as an intercultural portfolio (e.g. work in cultural institutions, NGOs or companies with a Russian-language focus);
- online language or further education courses (e.g. here: https://www.russisches-sprachseminar.de/; www.perelingua.eu, amongst others)
- Where applicable, a semester abroad in Poland, Estonia or Lithuania, during which you can attend Russian language courses or courses in Russian studies offered there (see the programmes and advice provided by the International Office). Please note, for example, the recently established Erasmus co-operation with Tallinn (Estonia). Please note – only language courses actually attended, or specialised courses taught in Russian, will be recognised!
- Alternative activities in support of refugees from Ukraine (e.g. participation in the University of Oldenburg’s Buddy Programme (https://uol.de/buddy; assisting in schools and educational institutions) or taking part in the training programme for intercultural mentors (https://uol.de/internationalisierung-zu-hause/orientierungplus/interkultureller-begleiterin) and supporting Russian-speaking students.
- ...
What is the required scope of the compensation work?
The compensation work should total at least 360 hours. This corresponds roughly to a 3-month stay abroad, calculated on the basis of 6 hours per working day. You are welcome to do more than this!
What exactly do I need to do to ensure the compensatory work is recognised?
- Agreement and confirmation: In order for compensation work to be recognised, it must be discussed in advance with representatives of the Institute of Slavic Studies. Please contact us well in advance! Activities that you have not notified us of beforehand may be rejected for compensation purposes.
- Implementation and documentation: Document your activities as precisely as possible in terms of the number of hours, the institutions involved, etc. Where possible, obtain certificates for everything.
- Evidence and proposal: Once you have completed the required total number of hours of alternative work, submit an informal proposal for the recognition of these compensatory activities in lieu of the compulsory period abroad. In the proposal, briefly list the compensatory work you have carried out. Address the proposal to the examining board of FK III for the M.Ed. Gymnasium (Russian) via the Institute of Slavic Studies. Enclose all evidence of the compensatory work you have completed with the proposal and submit it to the Slavic Studies Office. If you need help drafting the proposal, please do not hesitate to contact us!
The suspension applies to MEd students, but I’m still on my BA – what should I do?
Our current recommendation (as of April 2023) is that, where possible, you should start ‘accumulating’ potential compensatory credits whilst still on your BA programme. Ultimately, we can hardly predict how the situation will develop over the next few years. However, it is more likely that – even if the war itself were to end – a period of study abroad in a Russian-speaking country will still not be possible given the current political climate. Should the situation take a turn for the better, there will certainly be transitional arrangements for students.