Pedagogical Training for Higher Education Teachers in Europe

Country	Requirement Status	What is required?	Legal / Policy basis	University culture & attitude	Key observations
Nordic Countries
🇸🇪Sweden	Mandatory	At least 10 weeks (or equiv.) of university pedagogical training required for permanent employment and promotion to associate/full professor.	Higher Education Ordinance (Högskoleförordningen); regulatory requirement tied to permanent appointments.	Universities broadly embrace pedagogical development. National discussions around whether mandatory courses are effective for all career stages.	Pioneer in Europe; most HEIs have teaching & learning centres. Research shows effects strongest for early-career staff (<3 yrs experience).
🇳🇴Norway	Mandatory	Basic pedagogical competence required by law for permanent academic positions; most institutions require ~200-hour introductory programme.	Universities and University Colleges Act (Universitets- og høyskoleloven); national Centres for Excellence in Education also exist.	Teaching quality increasingly valued. Centres of Excellence in Higher Education (SFU) provide institutional awards and incentives.	Publicly funded system; national centres (DIKU) support pedagogical development. Strong government investment in quality assurance.
🇫🇮Finland	Voluntary	No national law mandating pedagogical training for HE teachers. Universities offer substantial programmes (e.g., Aalto's 25 ECTS). VET teachers: 60 ECTS mandatory.	No national mandate; institutional autonomy prevails. Universities Finland (UNIFI) encourages practices.	Balanced culture; universities take pedagogy seriously, but research credentials dominate hiring. Growing student-centred focus.	Strong tradition of education research. Master's-level teacher education selective and highly regarded. University teachers distinct from school teachers.
🇩🇰Denmark	Partial	No national law; however most universities require basic pedagogical courses (adjunktpædagogikum) for junior academic staff in probationary period.	Sector-level agreement among Danish universities; AKKR accreditation framework plays a role.	Universities view pedagogy as a baseline professional expectation for junior staff, while senior academics face less pressure.	Very pragmatic approach: short induction-type programmes for new staff; limited obligation for established professors.
🇮🇸Iceland	Voluntary	No national mandate. Universities offer pedagogical courses voluntarily. Relatively small HE sector.	No statutory requirement for HE teachers.	Research prestige prevails; pedagogical development increasingly encouraged but not institutionalised.	Master's degree recently set as minimum for school teachers; HE teachers separate issue.
Benelux
🇳🇱Netherlands	Partial	BKO (Basis Kwalificatie Onderwijs – Basic Teaching Qualification) mandatory at nearly all Dutch research universities for new permanent staff; typically ~200 hours.	Sector-wide agreement (Universiteiten van Nederland); embedded in HR and promotion policies at institutional level.	Universities largely endorse BKO as a quality baseline. Teaching performance increasingly weighted in promotion alongside research.	BKO recognised across all Dutch universities; promotes inter-institutional portability. Growing interest in Teaching Qualification (SKO) for senior staff.
🇧🇪Belgium (Flanders)	Voluntary	No formal national or community law mandating pedagogical training. VLIR and LNO2 network encourage development. Some HEIs require new staff to follow courses.	Quality assurance framework (VLHORA/VLIR) and new accreditation standards create incentives without legal mandate.	Growing awareness; quality assurance reform pushed HEIs to formalise teaching support. Mix of attitudes across institutions.	Strong Flemish network of educational developers (LNO2). Universities increasingly establish teaching centres.
🇧🇪Belgium (French)	No requirement	No formal requirement. Pedagogical courses exist but are scattered and non-compulsory.	No regulatory basis. Higher education largely research-driven.	Research credentials dominate. Teaching quality considered secondary in hiring and promotion.	Less structured than Flanders; fewer institutional teaching centres; AIPU-linked initiatives exist.
🇱🇺Luxembourg	No requirement	No national requirement. University of Luxembourg has some internal programmes; many staff trained abroad.	No statutory obligation.	Young, internationally oriented institution. Research performance dominates academic career logic.	Many lower secondary teachers obtain qualifications abroad; HE sector small and internationally staffed.
Western Europe
🇩🇪Germany	Voluntary	No federal mandate. Each Land (state) sets its own rules; most have no requirement. Some HEIs reward pedagogical certification in hiring. Hochschuldidaktik centres widespread.	Regulated at Land level; no national Higher Education Pedagogical framework for university staff.	Strongly research-oriented (Humboldtian tradition). Teaching seen as obligation but rarely rewarded. Culture shifting slowly in some Länder.	German Rectors' Conference (HRK) acknowledges teaching quality but Hochschuldidaktik remains optional. Ratio of didactics/education sciences to subject study roughly 1:2 in teacher ITE.
🇫🇷France	No requirement	No national mandate for HE teachers' pedagogical training. IDEFI excellence initiatives funded some innovation in teaching (2012–), but not systemic.	No regulatory requirement. Grandes écoles tradition and CNRS research culture dominate.	Research heavily dominates. Teaching is often seen as an obligation, not a professional expertise to be developed. Among lowest rates in EU for combined pedagogical training.	Below EU average for pedagogical training completion among teachers (secondary level). HE teachers effectively unregulated. Some movement post-pandemic toward innovative teaching.
🇨🇭Switzerland	Voluntary	No federal requirement. Some cantons and universities (ETH Zurich, EPFL) encourage or incentivise training. Pedagogical courses available but not mandatory.	Institutional autonomy; no national mandate.	International research competition culture. ETH-domain institutions increasingly invest in teaching development but it remains secondary.	High institutional variety; research-intensive institutions tend to downplay pedagogy, while universities of applied sciences are more teaching-oriented.
🇦🇹Austria	Voluntary	No national mandate for HE teachers. OeAD (national agency) supports development. Some universities encourage participation in didactic training programmes.	No statutory requirement. Universities Austria (UNIKO) promotes good practice without obligation.	Research-oriented culture. Master's degree recently set as minimum for school teachers (not HE). HE pedagogy an emerging topic.	Professional training for school ITE is included in total ECTS, but HE teacher preparation is separate and unregulated.
🇬🇧United Kingdom	Partial	Not legally mandated, but HEA Fellowship (UKPSF) widely expected during probation. Many institutions require teaching qualification or fellowship for permanent posts.	Advance HE / UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF). QAA quality assurance framework creates strong institutional pressure.	Significant institutional variation. Pre-1992 universities more research-driven; post-1992 (modern) universities more teaching-focused. Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) created new incentives.	Scotland has its own Enhancement Themes approach through SHEEC. TEF ratings have elevated teaching quality as a public accountability measure. One of the most developed systems in Europe.
🇮🇪Ireland	Voluntary	No national mandate. National Forum for the Enhancement of T&L offers frameworks and encourages institutions. Some HEIs link pedagogical training to probation.	National Forum for T&L (funded by HEA) provides infrastructure. Quality assurance indirectly encourages uptake.	Growing professionalisation of teaching. National Forum has raised awareness considerably. Research culture still dominates top universities.	Strong national coordination body; project-based approach. Among more progressive countries despite no legal mandate.
Southern Europe
🇮🇹Italy	No requirement	No national requirement for HE teachers. Some universities offer pedagogical courses informally. Below EU average for combined pedagogical training completion.	No statutory basis. Ministry of University and Research (MUR) has not legislated on HE teacher pedagogy.	Research-first culture. Teaching overshadowed by publication metrics (VQR system). Low institutional investment in pedagogical centres.	CRUI (Italian university rectors) has not prioritised this. Italy is among countries with below-average pedagogical training completion rates.
🇪🇸Spain	No requirement	No national requirement. ANECA accreditation criteria focus on research output. Catalonia's Margalida Comas programme (since 2018) is a regional exception encouraging innovation.	No legal mandate. ANECA accreditation weighted toward research; teaching quality assessed informally.	Lowest rate in the EU for teachers trained in all core pedagogical elements (~41.5%). Culture strongly research-led; teaching seen as given, not developed.	Despite low baseline, INOVUP project in Slovenia (co-funded ESF) and Catalan programmes show appetite for change. Teaching innovation exists but is not mainstreamed.
🇵🇹Portugal	No requirement	No national mandate. CRUP (Council of Rectors) acknowledges quality of teaching but has not mandated training. Some universities have internal pedagogical courses.	No statutory framework for HE teacher pedagogical development.	Research dominates promotion and hiring criteria. Teaching quality gaining more visibility through quality assurance but not yet formalised.	ESF-funded projects support some pedagogical initiatives. Trend toward more systematic approaches driven by European quality assurance standards.
🇬🇷Greece	No requirement	No national requirement. Master's and PhD in Educational Sciences can qualify school teachers without formal training, but HE teachers have no pedagogical obligation.	No legal basis for HE teacher pedagogical training.	University culture is strongly research-oriented. Teaching development largely absent from institutional agendas.	Greece's teaching quality challenges are well-documented. No systematic national effort to professionalise HE teaching.
🇨🇾Cyprus	No requirement	No national mandate. Induction programmes for school teachers exist, but HE teachers are not regulated pedagogically.	No statutory framework for HE pedagogy.	Small HE sector; research culture prevails. Teaching quality not systematically addressed at national level.	School teachers undergo practical experience during induction; HE teachers outside this framework.
Central & Eastern Europe
🇵🇱Poland	Partial	New 2019 standard introduced pedagogical training requirements for those teaching at school levels. HE-specific mandatory training less clear; institutions set own criteria. Min. 150 hours in-school placement required in ITE.	2019 Teacher Training Standard; KRASP (Conference of Rectors) discussions ongoing. HE law separates academics from school teachers.	Mixed culture; reform momentum exists. Research credential still primary for HE hiring. Teaching quality gaining attention through quality assurance.	Concurrent and consecutive ITE models coexist. HE teachers relatively unregulated compared to school teachers post-2019 reform.
🇨🇿Czechia	No requirement	No national mandate for HE teacher pedagogical training. 188 hours of professional training may be completed in parallel or after a non-pedagogical master's for school teachers — HE teachers are separate.	No statutory requirement for HE teachers. Czech National HE Policy Council (RVŠ) does not mandate it.	Research culture dominant in universities. Teaching regarded as implicit duty; little institutional incentive for pedagogical development.	One of the lowest rates for teachers trained in all core ITE elements (66.9%). Systemic gap between school teacher training reforms and HE teacher preparation.
🇭🇺Hungary	Partial	Teachers required to complete 120 hours of professional development every 7 years. 2013 life-career model introduced staged advancement. HE-level staff partially integrated.	National career ladder model (Intern → Teacher 1 → Teacher 2 → Master Teacher → Teacher Researcher) with portfolio requirements.	Universities acknowledge pedagogical work within career advancement. Subject knowledge and research remain primary drivers, but teaching portfolio required for advancement.	Recent master's-degree minimum for ITE. Strong emphasis on methodology (subject pedagogy), general pedagogy, and psychology in initial training.
🇸🇰Slovakia	Voluntary	No national mandate for HE teachers. Some pedagogical-psychological training included in school teacher education; HE staff unregulated.	No statutory basis for HE teacher pedagogical training.	Research prestige dominant. Teaching development available but not incentivised by national policy.	Pedagogical-psychological training including pedagogy, psychology, and special pedagogy is part of school ITE but not required for HE academics.
🇸🇮Slovenia	Partial	Minimum Standards for appointment of HE teachers include criteria for pedagogical qualification, but criteria are set by individual HEIs. National law requires practical education in professional HE programmes. ~50% of HE teachers had never taken any pedagogical course.	Higher Education Act (2012) + Minimum Standards (2010). HEIs with well-defined criteria show lower rates of unqualified staff.	Mixed: universities value research heavily but national quality assurance reform has pushed pedagogy into the agenda. Significant institutional variation.	Research demonstrates that HEIs with stricter criteria have fewer staff without pedagogical education. INOVUP project (ESF-funded) trained ~5000 teachers in 2.5 years (120 courses/year).
🇭🇷Croatia	Voluntary	No national mandate. ASHE (Croatian Agency for Science and Higher Education) quality framework creates indirect incentives for teaching quality, but no formal pedagogical training requirement for HE staff.	ASHE accreditation framework; no statutory HE teacher pedagogical training obligation.	Research culture dominant. Some institutional development of teaching centres but unsystematic.	Quality assurance framework evolving; European alignment pushing for more attention to HE teaching quality.
Baltic States
🇱🇹Lithuania	Partial	CPD for school teachers mandated (at least 5 days/year). 2017 Teacher Training Model requires 60 ECTS for teacher qualification. Mandatory one-year pedagogical internship for beginner school teachers. HE-level regulations less strict, but career incentives exist.	2017 Teacher Training Model; participation in CPD linked to salary increases and career advancement. HE law separate from school teacher law.	Growing awareness; CPD incentivised financially. Research culture at universities, but teaching skills factored into career progression.	Teaching profession has low prestige and pay; attracting new teachers is a challenge. Systemic CPD reforms are ongoing. One of the few countries with explicit salary linkage to pedagogical CPD.
🇱🇻Latvia	Voluntary	Some regulatory framework for school teachers (Cabinet Regulation No. 618 on general education). HE teachers not specifically mandated. ESF-funded projects support pedagogical development.	National Development Plan 2021–2027 and Education Development Guidelines mention teacher quality; HE teacher pedagogy not explicitly regulated.	Evolving culture; European funds have supported training initiatives. Universities encourage participation without formal mandate.	Post-Soviet educational reform ongoing. European funding playing a key role in driving modernisation of HE teaching practices.
🇪🇪Estonia	Voluntary	No national mandate for HE teachers. Project-based approach with European funding. Strong digital education focus. Teacher CPD encouraged but not required.	No statutory requirement for HE teacher pedagogical training.	Innovative, digitally forward culture. Teaching quality appreciated but not formally mandated. ESF projects drive bottom-up changes.	Estonia known for e-governance and digital education innovation. Pedagogical development benefits from national digitalisation strategy but lacks formal HE-teacher obligation.
Southeastern & Other Europe
🇷🇴Romania	Voluntary	No national mandate for HE teachers. Project-based approaches supported by ESF and national funding. School teacher ITE regulated separately.	No statutory requirement for HE teacher pedagogical training.	Research dominant in university culture. Teaching quality generally not systematically developed. ESF-funded initiatives creating pockets of reform.	Ongoing quality assurance reforms tied to EU membership obligations slowly raising the profile of HE teaching quality.
🇧🇬Bulgaria	No requirement	No national mandate for HE teachers' pedagogical training. Some pedagogical preparation for school teachers exists in initial programmes.	No statutory framework for HE teacher pedagogical development.	Research culture dominant. HE pedagogical development largely absent from national policy discourse.	Quality assurance reforms and EU alignment may catalyse future changes. Currently one of the least developed systems in this area.