The KU’s Postgraduate Program in Adult Education provides interested students and adults who are already in employment with the opportunity of a comprehensive academic further qualification in adult education. Against the backdrop of current social transformation processes, students are enabled to meet the associated challenges with scientifically substantiated teaching-learning methods and to actively help shape the educational landscape. The further qualification opens up access to a wide range of tasks and areas of work in various professional fields of adult and continuing education. In order to enable students to study flexibly while working, courses are offered as hybrid courses if required.
The program can be studied in full-time (3 semesters) or part-time (6 semesters).
After successfully completing the postgraduate course in adult education, students receive a continuing education certificate upon written application to the Examinations Office. Passing the postgraduate course in adult education does not confer an academic degree.
The increasingly rapid social and technological transformation processes make lifelong learning a necessity – even in adulthood. In this context, there is the increasing necessity of a further professionalization in adult and continuing education in the context of an academic training that prepares for specific task and fields of activity adequately. The offer gives students the possibility of acquiring a fundamental subject-scientific, pedagogical qualification based on their initial training, which ensures both acquisition of founded knowledge from adult education and skills related to the respective professional fields. Building on the theories of adult and continuing education, the program enables students to acquire basic pedagogical skills, methodological-didactic skills in the context of diversity and practical professional knowledge from the field of dialog-based HR and organizational development. The overarching qualification goal is to enable students to act professionally as teachers in different areas of adult and continuing education taking into account the conditions of social heterogeneity.
The postgraduate course in adult education comprises 9 modules, which are divided into basic and advanced modules, as well as one practical, one elective and one final module.
The three basic modules cover the theoretical foundations of adult and continuing education as well as the acquisition of basic teaching skills and fundamental methodological-didactical skills. They also offer a practical overview of the heterogeneity of the fields of action and target groups in the context of adult and continuing education.
The advanced modules deepen and expand professional knowledge in the areas of transformative education, macrodidactic program planning and HR and organizational development.
The intertwining of theory and practice is supported by an internship phase. Here, theoretical knowledge can be translated into practice and at the same time analyzed, reflected and applied against the background of one's own professionalization.
In order to develop an individual profile and expand interdisciplinary knowledge, students can take a module from the entire range of modules offered in the degree programs without admission restriction at the KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt outside the subject of Education.
In the context of the final thesis, students set their individual focus, by approaching a topic that they have chosen themselves in depth, applying the technical and methodological knowledge they have acquired up to that point.
KU students and alumni have voted for their University to be Germany's most popular university in the 2024 ranking of the online portal StudyCheck. This is the third time in a row, as KU was also voted the most popular university in 2021 and 2022. The ranking was based on over 78,000 evaluations for more than 500 higher education institutions and universities. 97 percent of students questioned for the ranking would recommend studying at the KU to others.
"There is no better praise for a university than almost 100 percent of students and alumni agreeing: I can only recommend studying at the KU! That is why we are very pleased with the ranking’s outcome, because it expresses the high level of satisfaction of our students," says KU President Prof. Dr. Gabriele Gien.
The postgraduate course in adult education offers a close, reflective link between theory and practice. This contains, among other things, work shadowing in the practice field, practice consultation and practice guidance by full/part-time coworkers of the local institution. At the same time, it enables self-guided learning in vocational practice. In addition, students have the opportunity to analyze and reflect on their practical experience against a theoretical background in a seminar accompanying their internship.
Numerous employment opportunities are open to graduates in state and non-state institutions (e.g. church sponsors, independent sponsors, associations, trade unions, commercial enterprises), including (departmental) management of an educational institution, lecturing and lecturing activities, activities in the field of HR, team and organizational development, in educational management and (continuing) educational counseling.
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"In the 2019/2020 winter semester, I completed the continuing education degree program "Postgraduate Program in Adult Education" in part-time. One argument why I chose this program as a career changer in education was the variety of employment opportunities after graduation, e.g. in in-company continuing education, in…
"In the 2019/2020 winter semester, I completed the continuing education degree program "Postgraduate Program in Adult Education" in part-time. One argument why I chose this program as a career changer in education was the variety of employment opportunities after graduation, e.g. in in-company continuing education, in educational and academic staff development or working for independent educational institutions. The certificate program, which can also be completed in part-time, offers the possibility to complete all modules as block seminars, which take place at times that are well feasible for working professionals. As regards contents, the program offers a broad spectrum of fields of activity in adult education, such as didactical methods for organizing lessons, organizational management techniques in educational facilities, intercultural aspects of inclusive education as well as digital teaching elements for the conceptualization of advanced training formats, to just name a few. The examination types are usually very competence-oriented and focus on the conception, documentation and implementation of interactive teaching formats. I can recommend the three- or six-semester (full- or part-time) degree program because of the well-founded and practice-oriented teaching of methods, the freedom to choose the topics to be worked on, and the insightful group work with students from different fields and with different life experiences.”
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"What I particularly appreciated about the Postgraduate Program in Adult Education was the balanced combination of practice-oriented courses and interesting insights into the research landscape of adult education. Thanks to the commitment of the teaching staff, we were able to carry out our own research project, so that…
"What I particularly appreciated about the Postgraduate Program in Adult Education was the balanced combination of practice-oriented courses and interesting insights into the research landscape of adult education. Thanks to the commitment of the teaching staff, we were able to carry out our own research project, so that we could put what we had learned in theory into practice and gain our own insights in the field of adult education research. The small groups in the seminars made intensive discussions possible. And outside of the seminars, I also appreciated the close contact with and good supervision by the lecturers. In the context of field trips and in special seminar formats, we came into contact with regional employers in the area of adult education and extra-curricular youth education, so that we got an overview of work possibilities after graduation, which facilitated and speeded up job entry enormously.”
The KU has two campuses: Eichstätt and Ingolstadt. Seven faculties are located in Eichstätt. The Ingolstadt School of Management (WFI) and MIDS (Institute of Applied Mathematics, Machine Learning and Data Science) are located on our Ingolstadt campus.
This degree program is taught on our Eichstätt campus.
The district of Eichstätt and the city of Ingolstadt are located in the heart of Bavaria. This central location also means that the KU is easy to reach. Eichstätt impresses with its unique combination of baroque architecture, modern amenities and the picturesque nature of the Altmühltal natural park.
Short distances and lavish green spaces characterize the KU campus in Eichstätt. The KU is a campus University with modern facilities. The buildings on campus are located close to the Eichstätt old town.
Studying at the KU not only provides you with the specialist knowledge you need, but also aims to open up real future prospects for its students. We want to support our students in finding their own personal path to their individual dream future! The question is not "What career do I want to pursue?", but rather "Who do I want to be?"
Some offers and study conditions are different for international students – our International Office is happy to provide help and support. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our team. We are happy to accompany you on your way to the KU and hope that we can welcome you in person soon!
The application process for international applicants is now completely digital. You can register online in our application portal and carry out and submit your application. After you have carried out the application and uploaded your documents, you do not need to send your documents to us again by post. You do have to submit certified true copies only if you are admitted at the time of enrollment.
Depending on the course of study, you may be asked for information on internships, professional experience, etc. Please upload the relevant documents in the upload area for all the information you provide, even if these are not mandatory fields!
Before you start the application process, please read the additional information on this page, in particular the information on the respective (German) language requirements and university entrance qualifications.