The dual Master's degree in teaching at BTU - one year before the start

Around a year before the planned start in the winter semester 2026/27, the focus on 9 October 2025 was on working together on the final conceptual and organisational steps.

The Senftenberg Workshop has seen itself as an open forum for teacher training in Brandenburg since 2022. It brings together representatives from schools and universities, state and local politics, education administration, associations and students to shape the reform process of teacher training in the state in a practical and participatory manner.

After a welcome address by Prof. Dr Peer Schmidt, Vice-President for Academic Affairs at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, and Dr Ilka Goetzfrom the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MBJS), the event opened with a plenary session entitled "Innovation meets teaching profession - The Dual Master's in Teacher Education one year before the launch".
Steffen Kludt (MBJS) outlined the legal foundations of the new study model, while Prof. Dr Juliane Noack Napoles (BTU) presented the conceptual cornerstones of the Dual Master's - including, in particular, the close integration of university and school-based training and the planned partial integration of the preparatory service.

A central topic of the event was the qualification and support of training teachers. In a joint presentation by Dr Ilka Goetz (MBJS),Dr Manuela Röber from the Brandenburg State Institute for Schools and Teacher Training (LIBRA) and Dr Jana Buschmann (University of Potsdam), the planned mentoring programme for students and teacher trainees was presented. The aim is to provide close support during the practical placements of the dual Master's programme and to prepare trainee teachers specifically for their new tasks.

Four working groups were formed to discuss selected key areas:

1. Overall concept of the Dual Master's programme (Chair: Prof. Dr Noack Napoles, BTU),
2. Qualification programme for training teachers - focus on the kick-off module (led by Dr Ilka Goetz, MBJS, and Annerose Moras, MWFK),
3. Qualification programme for trainee teachers in the preparatory service (led by Anja Haß and Frank Schapp, LIBRA) and
4. specialist groups for accompanying exchange and further training (led by Dr Jana Buschmann, University of Potsdam).

The working groups provided space for in-depth discussions, registering for the following semester and making suggestions. The results were then summarised in a plenary session in order to agree on joint action steps for the upcoming implementation phase.

Prof. Dr Juliane Noack Napoles, Professor of Education Sciences at BTU, summarised the day: "The workshop once again showed how productive the continuous exchange between all stakeholders in teacher training is. The contributions from the ministries, state institutes, schools and the university complement each other perfectly and help us make decisive progress in terms of content and organisation."

Dr Ilka Goetz from the MBJS also emphasised the cooperative nature of the project: "The joint work on the Dual Master Thesis is a prime example of what successful educational development in Brandenburg can look like - with a high level of practical relevance, a clear structure and an open ear for the perspectives of all those involved."

Prof. Dr Peer Schmidt, Vice-President for Academic Affairs at BTU, emphasised in his conclusion: "The Senftenberg workshop creates a protected yet open space for constructive debate. One year before the start of the Dual Master's programme, we are seeing how theory and practice are increasingly merging - and that is precisely the aim of our model."

The positive feedback from participants underlines the success of the Senftenberg workshops as a driving force behind cooperative teacher training in Brandenburg. The eighth edition marked another milestone on the way to realising the dual Master's degree course in primary school teaching. The starting signal for the winter semester 2026/27 is now within reach - supported by a broad network of committed partners from academia, practice and politics.