The 1978–79 DDR-Oberliga was the 30th season of the DDR-Oberliga, the first tier of league football in East Germany.
The league was contested by fourteen teams. BFC Dynamo won the championship, the club's first of ten consecutive East German championships.[3][4] Joachim Streich of 1. FC Magdeburg was the league's top scorer of the league with 23 goals.[5] Streich also took out the seasons East German Footballer of the year award.[6]
BFC Dynamo broke four records for the DDR-Oberliga during the season. The team set a new record for the number of consecutive matches won at the start of a season, by winning its first ten matches. The previous record of seven matches was held by Dynamo Dresden from the 1972-73 DDR-Oberliga. The team then set a new record for the number of points won after the first half of a season under the current format, by winning 25 points during the first half of the season. BFC Dynamo then set a new record for the number of matches undefeated since the start of a season, by being undefeated in the first 22 matches of the season. The team broke a record of Dynamo Dresden also this time. Dynamo Dresden was undefeated in its first 17 matches of the 1972-73 DDR-Oberliga. The team then also set a new record for the number of goals scored during a season under the current format. The previous record of 73 goals was held by ASK Vorwärts Berlin from the 1960 DDR-Oberliga.
On the strength of the 1978–79 title BFC Dynamo qualified for the 1979–80 European Cup where the club was knocked out by Nottingham Forest in the quarter finals. Fourth-placed club 1. FC Magdeburg qualified for the 1979–80 European Cup Winners' Cup as the seasons FDGB-Pokal winners and was knocked out by Arsenal in the second round. Second-placed Dynamo Dresden qualified for the 1979–80 UEFA Cup where it was knocked out in the second round by VfB Stuttgart while third-placed FC Carl Zeiss Jena lost to Red Star Belgrade, also in the second round.[7]
The 1978–79 season saw two newly promoted clubs Stahl Riesa and F.C. Hansa Rostock.[8][9]