Latin as a study requirement

Dear students,

If you would like to become a teacher for the subject areas of History, Philosophy, Protestant or Catholic Religious Education at a grammar school in North Rhine-Westphalia, you must provide proof of Latin language proficiency as a prerequisite for your studies.

The requirements are regulated in the Teacher Admission Ordinance (LZV). For the subject areas mentioned above, "knowledge at the level of a Kleines Latinum" must be demonstrated. For comparison: This corresponds roughly to the subject matter of 3 school years of Latin lessons totalling approx. 400 school hours.

If you have not already acquired a Latinum at school, you can prove the required language skills by taking an examination at Paderborn University. The Language Centre (ZfS) offers a comprehensive and flexible range of courses to help you prepare for the exam.

Courses and ex­ams

You can start your exam preparation in the winter or summer semester with the "Latin 1" course.

The course lasts 10 weeks and usually begins in the fourth week of the lecture period, with lessons taking place on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9.15 am to 10.45 am.

In addition to the lessons, you will need to plan a further 2 hours a day for exercises and vocabulary work. In total, you should therefore expect a weekly workload of at least 16 hours for the "Latin 1" course.

To participate in the "Latin 2" course, you must first pass the "Latin 1 final exam".

You can take this exam either immediately after the "Latin 1" course - usually in the first two weeks of the holidays - or in the first weeks of the following semester.

If you have passed the "Latin 1 final exam", you can continue your preparation in the following semester with the "Latin 2" course.

The course lasts 10 weeks and usually begins in the fourth week of the lecture period. Lessons take place on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 11.15 am to 12.45 pm.

In addition to the lessons, you will need to plan a further 2 hours a day for exercises and vocabulary work. In total, you should therefore expect a weekly workload of at least 16 hours for the "Latin 2" course.

Wenn Sie den Lernstoff des Kurses "Latein 2" beherrschen, können Sie im folgenden Semester Ihre Prüfungsvorbereitung mit dem "Klausurenkurs – Kleines Latinum" fortsetzen.

Der Kurs geht über ein Semester. Der Unterricht findet i.d.R. dienstags von 8.00 Uhr bis 9.30 Uhr statt.

Neben dem Unterricht müssen Sie wöchentlich 3 weitere Stunden für die Vorbereitung der Übungsklausuren einplanen. Insgesamt müssen Sie also mit einem wöchentlichen Workload von mindestens 5 Stunden für den Kurs rechnen.

The "Latin proficiency at the level of the Latin minor" exam takes place twice a year. The exam consists of an oral and a written part.

The oral examinations take place in a period of approx. two weeks immediately after the "Latin 2" course, i.e. usually in mid/end January or mid/end July.

The written exam takes place in the fourth week of the school holidays, i.e. around the beginning of March or the beginning/middle of August.

Example A: Start winter semester, duration 10 months

End of October to end of January: Latin 1 course
End of January or mid-April: Final exam Latin 1
End of April to mid-July: Latin 2 course
Mid/end of July: Small Latin oral exam
Beginning/mid-August: written examination Small Latinum
End of August: Issue of certificates

 

Example B: Start of summer semester, duration 10 months

End of April to mid-July: Latin 1 course
End of July or mid-October: Final exam Latin 1
End of October to end of January: Latin 2 course
End of January: Small Latin oral exam
Beginning of March: written examination Small Latinum
End of March: Issue of certificates

 

As an alternative to the semester course, you can also take "Latin 1" as an intensive holiday course during the lecture-free period.

The intensive holiday course lasts 4 weeks. Lessons take place Monday to Thursday from 8.00 am to 1.00 pm.

In addition to the lessons, you must plan a further 4 hours a day for exercises and vocabulary work. Secondary activities (homework, internships, jobs, etc.) are incompatible with the very high workload of the course.

The intensive holiday course is subject to a fee. The course fee is currently 192 euros. The holiday intensive course is organised by the Institute for Ancient Languages (IfAS) in cooperation with kefb in the Archdiocese of Paderborn.

Example C: Start March, duration 5 months

March: Intensive holiday course Latin 1
Mid-April: Final exam Latin 1
End of April to mid-July: Latin 2 course
Mid/end of July: Small Latin oral exam
Beginning/mid-August: written examination Small Latinum
End of August: Issue of certificates

 

Example D: Start September, duration 5 months

September: Intensive holiday course Latin 1
Mid-October: Final exam Latin 1
End of October to end of January: Latin 2 course
End of January: Small Latin oral exam
Beginning of March: written examination Small Latinum
End of March: Issue of certificates

>>> Intensive holiday courses

>>> Registration deadlines and current exam dates

>>> FAQ

>>> Sample exams to prepare for the written exam