CONFERENCEFirst-Cycle Professional Higher Education Study Programme “Teacher of Latvian as a Foreign Language”
Programme level: First‑cycle professional higher education study programme
Language of instruction: Latvian
Study form and duration: Full‑time, on‑site – 1 year/60 ECTS; full‑time, on‑site – 1 year and 6 months/90 ECTS
Credits: 60 or 90 ECTS
Obtainable degree or qualification: Teacher’s qualification
Number of study places for admission in 2025/26 academic year: minimum 15
Study location: Riga
The purpose of the study programme: to develop, for those studying, the competence required for pedagogical work with adults so that they may obtain a teacher’s qualification and carry out professional pedagogical activity with adult learners, teaching Latvian as a foreign language.
Within the programme, students will acquire current teaching methods and educational psychology for work with adults, the didactics of Latvian as a foreign language, technological solutions for language teaching, and issues of language studies; they will obtain skills to establish intercultural communication, thereby promoting intercultural dialogue.
Through practical activity, students will enhance the theoretical knowledge they have gained, and the skills needed to design lessons in Latvian as a foreign language for adults. They will design and use various forms of assessment of language attainment, critically appraise available information and materials, and be able to select appropriate materials suited to learners’ skills, language level and individual needs.
Eligibility to study in second‑cycle higher education programmes, subject to the admission requirements of the relevant programme.
Graduates’ professional activity may take a variety of forms. One of their most important tasks in the labour market is to strengthen the status of Latvian as the State language by teaching it as a foreign language to citizens whose native language is not Latvian but who wish to integrate into Latvian society and who are pursuing or intend to pursue education programmes of various levels in Latvia. Graduates may work in training centres and in the private sector, teaching Latvian.
For the 60 ECTS option
Prior education: First‑cycle higher education or equivalent in Latvian (Baltic) philology; or first‑cycle higher education or equivalent in another field of study together with successfully completed study courses corresponding to Latvian (Baltic) philology totalling not fewer than 12 LV credit points (i.e. 18 ECTS credits).
Formula for calculating the competitive score: weighted average mark (60×10=600) + total (or average) mark of the final examinations (40×10=400).
For the 90 ECTS option
Prior education: First‑cycle higher education or equivalent in another field of study.
Formula for calculating the competitive score: weighted average mark (25×10=250) + admission exam (10×75=750). The minimum score in the admission exam required for admission is 40.
Description of the admission exam
The admission exam in Latvian philology consists of a written part in which the candidate demonstrates knowledge and skills related to reading and writing competences, comprehension of a text, analysis of linguistic means, and the system and stylistics of Latvian. The first part of the examination comprises tasks in reading literacy, in which the applicant demonstrates his or her knowledge of the structure of the Latvian language; in the second part, the applicant writes an opinion piece on a specific question of Latvian‑language acquisition. The formula for calculating the examination score is points for Part 1 + points for Part 2. An examination is deemed to have been passed if the candidate attains at least 55% of the maximum number of points.
Agnese Mālere
E‑mail: agnese.malere@lu.lv
Tel.: 67034829
Imantas 7. līnija 1, Room 323