Education studies bachelor alongside your job
The subject is settled, this page is about the level. Who the bachelor suits, how your vocational training gets you in, how much credit transfer shortens it and which roles it opens. Everything about the subject itself is under education studies by distance learning.
When the bachelor is the right level
One sentence first, because it costs people six years every year.
A bachelor in education studies does not lead into state school teaching. In Germany the school service runs through a teacher training degree for the specific school type, with the prescribed teaching subjects, followed by the preparatory service known as Referendariat. What counts towards it is regulated by each federal state itself. Lateral entry programmes exist, but they depend on shortage subjects, school type and the situation in the state concerned, and they are a legal exception, not the standard route. If school is your goal, clarify it with your state school authority before you enrol.
The bachelor is right if you hold no higher education qualification and need one, because pay scales and vacancies at providers, chambers and companies use it as a filter. And if you want a step beyond direct work with people: designing courses instead of only delivering them, planning programmes instead of only running them, leading a team instead of instructing alone.
It is the wrong level in three cases. You already hold a bachelor, then the master in education studies is the shorter route. You want casework at public authorities, which requires the state recognition that comes through a social work degree, see social work and state recognition. Or you only need one topic, in which case a university certificate is enough, see continuing education alongside work. How the level works in general is under part-time bachelor.
How you get into this bachelor
Two things have to be settled before you enrol, not one.
The first is formal admission. Without A-levels three routes lead in: a completed vocational qualification plus several years of relevant practice for a subject-related degree, an advanced vocational qualification that often carries general university access, or a trial semester if the evidence is thin. The detail is under studying without the Abitur. What counts as subject-related is interpreted more generously in education than in almost any other field.
What decides the case is clean evidence, and it is better collected in advance:
- The final certificate of your vocational training, with the recognition document for state recognised occupations.
- References that describe your duties, not just your length of service. The description decides whether your practice counts as relevant.
- Proof of additional qualifications such as practice instruction or trainer aptitude, each with its workload. They count twice, for admission and for credit.
The second is often overlooked: check that the programme leads where you want to go. Whether an education degree is enough to lead a nursery, to work in specialist advisory roles or to reach a specific pay grade is decided by state law or by the employer, not by the university. One phone call costs ten minutes and can save years.
How long it really takes
Educational occupations credit well, and that is the big advantage of this level.
A bachelor covers 180 ECTS, some programmes 210. Educational occupations are formally regulated, with documented learning fields and hours, and that is exactly what a university needs in order to credit. The usual building blocks are a flat block for the state recognised qualification, points for additional qualifications such as practice instruction or trainer aptitude, and an individual review of relevant years of work.
The arithmetic on a typical case: 180 ECTS minus 60 for training and additional qualifications leaves 120 open. At 10 ECTS per semester, realistic alongside a full-time role with evening commitments, that is six years instead of nine. At 15 ECTS per semester it becomes four instead of six. For learning acquired outside higher education, an upper limit of 50 percent of a programme's ECTS usually applies.
A warning that applies to this subject in particular: educational texts read smoothly, which is why many people underestimate the semester load. The work is not in the understanding, it is in the assignments, the empirical exercises and the statistics that sit in almost every education curriculum. How the credit process works is under crediting ECTS, what it means for your timeline under part-time bachelor duration.
The levels in this subject compared
Four routes, one field, very different purposes.
| Level | ECTS | Part-time duration | Access | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University certificate | 5 to 30 | 1 to 2 semesters | often without a first degree, work experience is frequently enough | add one topic, no academic degree |
| Bachelor | 180, sometimes 210 | 6 to 9 years, 4 to 6 with credit | A-levels or vocational training plus years of work | first degree, entry into adult education and education organisation |
| Master | 60 to 120 | 3 to 5 years | a first higher education degree, often 210 ECTS required | leadership, programme design, research methods, access to a doctorate |
| MBA | 60 to 120 | 2 to 4 years | first degree plus several years of work experience | business administration and leadership, no depth in education science |
Calculated with 10 to 15 ECTS per semester and 30 hours per ECTS. The ranges are guide values, the binding source is each programme's examination regulations. None of these four levels leads into the state school service. On the difference between master and MBA see MBA or master.
What the bachelor opens professionally
And where a different qualification is required.
The bachelor opens entry into education work outside school. Three fields in practice: adult education at providers, adult learning centres, chambers and education charities, so designing courses and steering trainers. Workplace learning and people development, so onboarding, qualification programmes, learning platforms. And coordination at providers and associations, so programme planning and project work. On top comes the filter effect in organisations bound by pay scales: without a degree you do not enter certain grades at all.
Four limits belong with that. No school service, see above. No state recognition as a social worker, which many roles at authorities and providers require. No regulated health profession: psychotherapy and related work have their own regulated training routes. And no automatic leadership: whether an education bachelor is enough to lead a nursery or to work in specialist advisory roles is decided by state law or the employer.
An honest word on salary: in publicly funded education, grading depends on collective agreements, and there the bachelor is often the ticket into a higher grade, but only the ticket. More under salary after your degree. What applies in your case is quickest to settle in an initial consultation.
Bachelor in education studies
The questions that come up about this level in almost every conversation.
Does a bachelor in education studies lead into school teaching?
No. In Germany the route into state school teaching runs through a teacher training degree for the specific school type with the prescribed teaching subjects, followed by the preparatory service known as Referendariat. What counts towards it is regulated by each federal state itself. A bachelor in education studies does not meet those requirements. If school is your goal, ask your state school authority before you enrol.
Can I enter the bachelor with a vocational qualification as an educator?
With many providers yes. A state recognised vocational qualification plus several years of relevant practice opens access to a subject-related degree, and education studies obviously fit. What matters is clean evidence: the final certificate, references that describe your actual duties, and proof of additional qualifications such as practice instruction or trainer aptitude.
How long does the bachelor take with credit transfer?
A bachelor covers 180 ECTS. If 60 are credited for vocational training and additional qualifications, 120 remain. At 10 ECTS per semester that is six years instead of nine, at 15 ECTS four instead of six. For learning acquired outside higher education an upper limit of 50 percent of a programme's ECTS usually applies.
Which roles does the bachelor open, and which not?
It opens entry into adult education, course organisation, workplace training and coordination roles at education providers. It does not open the school service, not the state recognition as a social worker, and no regulated health profession. Whether it is enough to lead a nursery depends on state law and on the employer.
Can I go straight into a master after the bachelor?
As a rule yes, if the bachelor is subject-related. Watch the volume: many master programmes require 210 ECTS on entry, so a 180 ECTS bachelor has to close the gap through bridging modules or creditable practice. If you plan to do a doctorate later, also look for a solid research methods component in the bachelor.
Which level carries in your case
Admission, credit transfer, state law and a fitting programme, settled in one conversation.
The information on this page is general in nature and based on my advisory practice (last updated 31.07.2026). It does not replace an official credit transfer or recognition decision by the respective university and is not legal advice. Specific decisions are made by universities, the ZAB (Germany), the BMBWF (Austria), or the SBFI (Switzerland). I clarify binding next steps with you in the initial consultation.