Teaching Certificate
The university teaching training programme at the University of Graz
Would you like to receive sound, research-based didactic training and engage with current topics and issues in university teaching? The Teaching Certificate gives all teachers at the University of Graz the opportunity to do this, and opens up even more possibilities:
Development and expansion of university teaching skills, professionalization and reflection on one's own teaching practices, collegial exchange and peer learning, certification of university teaching knowledge and thus an important building block for a (inter)national university career.
Participation in the certificate program is free of charge for teachers at the University of Graz.
The course concept
The Teaching Certificate consists of several sections.
In a joint kick-off event (one-day workshop), you will get to know the other participants and the main event leaders. You will also be introduced to basic university teaching concepts and contexts. In the section on university teaching basics, you will work on topics such as lesson planning, digital teaching and learning, and assessment design in face-to-face events and asynchronous self-study phases. In the specialisation module, you will attend freely selectable continuing education courses. In the third semester, you will take part in a peer observation. At a joint closing event, the experiences and insights gained throughout the programme will be reflected upon and presented, and the certificates will be awarded.
The mandatory workshops at the beginning, end, and in the basics module are held in German. However, participants may contribute in English at any time. In the specialisation module, participants can attend workshops in English. This means that English-speaking participants can also participate in the certificate programme.
Dates
A continuously updated overview of all dates in the modules “Basics” and “Peer observation” can be found on this subpage.
The event calendar on the teaching website offers suggestions for workshops and continuing education courses that you can complete for the specialisation module.
The next round of the teaching certificate programme will start at the end of February 2026.
Registration is open until February 1st, 2026.
The following requirements must be met in order to register for the certificate program:
Valid teaching obligation in semester 3 of the certificate program at the University of Graz (summer semester 2027)
The registration process for the teaching certificate consists of two steps:
Register for the teaching certificate during the registration period via the ZLK event page.
Please send a letter of motivation to zertifikat.lehre@uni-graz.at within the registration period.
The letter of motivation should include the following points:
- your reasons for participating in the certificate module
- your interests and needs in terms of university teaching
- and the compatibility of the programme with your other commitments.
FAQ
The "Teaching Certificate" is aimed at all teachers at the University of Graz. External teachers and employees of the University of Graz who teach at other universities can also participate in the programme.
For successful and constructive participation in the certificate program, you should hold a valid teaching position (at least one course) at the University of Graz in the third semester of the certificate program in order to complete the “Kollegiale Hospiation” module.
The registration process takes several steps:
1.) Register for the course on the registration page of the Competence Center for University Teaching.
2.) Send a letter of motivation with evidence of meeting the participation requirements to zertifikat.lehre(at)uni-graz.at.
3.) After checking the participation requirements, you will be informed about the successful registration for the programme.
There are two criteria for the allocation of spots:
- Quality of the letter of motivation (motivation, reflection on compatibility with other commitments, university teaching interests/needs)
- Balanced distribution of spots across the faculties
Attendance is mandatory at the opening and closing events as well as at the in-person sessions in the basics module. If you are unable to attend on the scheduled dates or are absent due to illness, please contact the respective instructor to clarify whether you can compensate for your absence with substitute work.
The real-time effort in the program totals 195 AE (approx. 145 hours).
A new iteration of the Teaching Certificate programme starts every summer semester. Regular participation is designed to last three semesters. So, if you start the Teaching Certificate programme in February 2026 and attend all classes as planned, you would complete the programme at the end of the 2027 summer semester.
Of course, it may happen that you are unable to complete the certificate programme within the regular time frame for professional or personal reasons. In this case, you can extend your participation in the programme by two semesters.