Ancient Greek as a study requirement

Dear students,

If you would like to become a teacher for the subject areas Protestant or Catholic Religious Education at a grammar school in North Rhine-Westphalia, you must provide proof of knowledge of Ancient Greek as a prerequisite for your studies. For the subject area of philosophy, you can decide for yourself whether you want to prove your language skills in Latin or Ancient Greek.

The requirements are regulated in the Teacher Admission Ordinance (LZV). For the three subjects mentioned, you must provide evidence of knowledge at different levels. The following applies in detail:

• Protestant Religious Education GyGe: knowledge of Greek at the Graecum level
• Catholic Religious Studies GyGe: basic knowledge of biblical Greek
• Philosophy GyGe: Graecum (external examination of the school authority)

For comparison: knowledge of Greek at the Graecum level corresponds roughly to the learning material of 4 school years of Greek lessons totalling approx. 520 school hours.

If you have not already acquired a Graecum at school, you can prove the required language skills by taking appropriate examinations at Paderborn University.

IMPORTANT: There is currently an exception for the subject area of Philosophy. The proof required for the Graecum can only be provided through a so-called external examination at a school authority. The internal university examination at the Language centre to prove knowledge of Greek at the Graecum level is not sufficient.

You can take advantage of a comprehensive and flexible range of courses at the Language Centre (ZfS) to prepare for the exam.