Postgraduate Certificate in Education

Last updated

Postgraduate Certificate in Education
Type Postgraduate study
Duration1 or 2 years
Prerequisites / eligibility criteriaTypically a Bachelor's degree

The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE/PGCertEd) is a one- or two-year higher education course in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which provides training in order to allow graduates to become teachers within maintained schools. In England, there are two routes available to gaining a PGCE – either on a traditional university-led teacher training course or school-led teacher training. [1]

Contents

In addition to gaining the PGCE qualification itself, those who have successfully completed the course in England or Wales are recommended for qualified teacher status (QTS) - the requirement to teach in state maintained schools in England and Wales. Those passing PGCEs in Northern Ireland are granted 'eligibility to teach' in Northern Ireland (equivalent to QTS). Though the QTS/eligibility to teach only applies in the Home Nation it was awarded in, applying for QTS/eligibility to teach in either of the other two Home Nations is a formality, and is nearly always awarded to PGCE holders. Furthermore, the PGCE is also widely recognised in Scotland and the rest of the world, allowing holders to easily register as teachers there.[ original research? ][ citation needed ]

The PGCE was previously also offered in Scotland, but was renamed the Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) from 2005 to 2006 (the exact year depending on the university offering it). It is identical in content to the previous PGCE. Like the PGCE, the PGDE is widely recognised throughout the rest of the United Kingdom and the rest of the world.[ original research? ][ citation needed ]

Applications for admission to PGCE courses are handled by UCAS Teacher Training.[ citation needed ] Further and higher education lecturers are not usually required to hold QTS/eligibility to teach. However, many lecturers attend training courses to gain qualifications such as the Postgraduate Certificate in Further Education (PGCFE), which is comparable to the regular PGCE. There is also the PGCHE, for university practitioners. [2] "

Course content and structure

The PGCE is a professional qualification normally taught at a university or other higher education institution, with much of the course time spent on placements in local schools. A trainee teacher will have to meet the Standards for qualified teacher status and any course specific requirements to be awarded the PGCE. In England only, a trainee teacher also has to pass the professional skills tests before starting a course. The training provider will then recommend the trainee teacher for QTS to the relevant body:

or eligibility to teach to the:

After gaining QTS, the candidate becomes a newly qualified teacher (NQT) and embarks on an induction programme in their first post.

Equivalence

The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE/PGCertEd) sits at Level 7 of the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, while the Professional Certificate in Education (ProfGCE) sits a Level 6. The PGCE is not a postgraduate degree, it is instead an advanced but non-degree qualification (as it is directly related to a career, it is considered vocational).

From 2005 to 2007, most universities attached credits towards a master's degree to their PGCertEds. PGCEs that do not carry master's credits are now known as Professional Graduate Certificate in Education.

A recent review of the equivalence of qualifications in Scotland declared the PGCertEd to be equivalent to a postgraduate diploma (which in turn is equivalent to the taught element of a master's degree). This left the PGCE with a rather inappropriate name as a postgraduate certificate is a lower level than the postgraduate diploma, requiring only half the amount of work. As a result, the PGCE in Scotland were renamed to Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE).

The PGCE in Lifelong Learning or Post-Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) is considered to be equivalent to the Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS) at QCF Level 7. The DTLLS was also taught at QCF Level 5.

According to Education International, equivalency assessments place the PGCE as equivalent to a Masters Level degree in the United States and Canada. Although the program is shorter in delivery time than a typical masters level program, its intensive delivery model (specifically within Wales, offered by University of Wales Trinity Saint David) meets all requirements to confer this type of post-graduate degree in North America. [3]

Fees

For PGCE courses in England, a fee of £9,250 will normally be charged, which can be borrowed (at interest) from Student Finance England.

In September 2012, the government introduced a new initiative with the aim of encouraging the best graduates into the teaching profession, particularly in mathematics, physics, computer science, chemistry and modern foreign languages.

PGCE Financial Support [4]
SubjectBursaryScholarship
Chemistry£24,000£26,000
Computing
Maths
Physics
Classics£10,000Not available
Languages
Biology£7,000

Independent schools

Teachers in independent schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are not required to hold any particular qualifications, although most schools now prefer applicants to have a PGCE, especially younger people going into teaching as a first career. This flexibility does allow them to occasionally hire older people who have practical experience, such as appointing ex-engineers as mathematics or physics teachers, or appointing people with high-level postgraduate qualifications but no formal teacher-training.

Other qualifications

The PGCE is the main postgraduate route for teacher training in England and Wales, but there are a number of other ways to gain QTS. See Qualified Teacher Status#Routes to QTS.

See also

Related Research Articles

A Bachelor of Education is an undergraduate academic degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. A Bachelor of Education program typically lasts three to four years and combines both coursework and practical experience in educational settings. The curriculum is designed to provide foundational knowledge in pedagogy, educational psychology, teaching methodologies, and subject-specific training. Graduates of this program are equipped with the skills necessary to foster a supportive and effective learning environment for their students.

A higher diploma is an academic award in Iraq, Libya, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and Oman. In Iraq, it's one year after bachelor's degree. In Ireland it is a postgraduate qualification at the same level as the honours bachelor's degree. In the United Kingdom, the diploma is equivalent to higher tier (A*-C) GCSE.

A postgraduate diploma is a postgraduate qualification awarded after a university degree, which supplements the original degree and awards them with a graduate diploma. Countries that award postgraduate diplomas include but are not limited to Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Spain, Kenya, South Africa, Sudan, India, Israel, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Republic of Panama the Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Pakistan, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe. Level of education and recognition differ per issuing country.

Qualified teacher status (QTS) or Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills status (QTLS) is required in England and Wales to work as a teacher of children in state schools under local authority control, and in special education schools. QTS is not required at academies, free schools or independent schools. A similar status exists under a different name in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), also known as a Graduate Diploma of Education (GradDipEd), is a one-year postgraduate course in several countries including Tanzania, Australia, Ghana, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Hong Kong, Singapore and Zimbabwe for existing bachelor's degree holders leading to become a qualified teacher.

PGDE may stand for two similar postgraduate teaching qualifications:

The Certificate in Education is a professional qualification for teachers in the United Kingdom. There have been two incarnations of the Cert Ed over the years.

Legal executives are a form of trained legal professional in certain jurisdictions. They often specialise in a particular area of law. The training that a Legal Executive undertakes usually includes both vocational training and academic qualifications.

The Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) is a one-year postgraduate course for prospective teachers in Scotland. Successful completion of this course allows an individual to teach in a Scottish state school. All PGDE courses at each University are regulated by the Scottish Government and General Teaching Council for Scotland A PGDE is one of the two main routes for entering the teaching profession in Scotland, the other being a 4-year MA/BA Education course.

The Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) was a programme in England and Wales for graduates who want to gain Qualified Teacher Status while working. A person must work in a school as an unqualified teacher in order to participate in the programme, which can last from three months to a year. The Department for Education announced in mid-2012 that The Graduate Teacher Programme will no longer exist, and has now been replaced with a new scheme called School Direct. The last academic year the programme ran was 2012/2013.

A postgraduate certificate (abbreviated as PGCert, PG Cert or PGC is a postgraduate qualification at the level of a master's degree.

The Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (ProfGCE) is an award in England and Wales for undergraduate degree holders that attended the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and trained to be a teacher. It is very similar and enables candidates to gain their Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), but does not carry credits towards a master's degree of which the PGCE provides 60. It sits on the Honours Level of the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ), a level lower than the Postgraduate Certificate in Education. The Professional Graduate Certificate in Education level 6 is also a stand-alone qualification for those wishing to become a teacher in the post-compulsory sector or an advanced pathway for those completing a Diploma in Education and Training level 5. Completion of the Diploma / Professional Graduate Certificate allows you to apply for Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Certified teacher</span>

A certified teacher is an educator who has earned credentials from an authoritative source, such as the government, a higher education institution or a private body or source. This teacher qualification gives a teacher authorization to teach and grade in pre-schools, primary or secondary education in countries, schools, content areas or curricula where authorization is required. While many authorizing entities require student teaching experience before earning teacher certification, routes vary from country to country.

In the UK education sector, there are a wide range of qualification types offered by the United Kingdom awarding bodies. Qualifications range in size and type, can be academic, vocational or skills-related, and are grouped together into different levels of difficulty. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, qualifications are divided into Higher Education qualifications, which are on the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) and are awarded by bodies with degree awarding powers, and Regulated qualifications, which are on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) and are accredited by Ofqual in England, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment in Northern Ireland and Qualifications Wales in Wales. In Scotland, qualifications are divided into Higher Education qualifications, Scottish Qualifications Authority qualifications and Scottish Vocational Qualifications/Modern Apprenticeships, which are on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). Scottish Higher Education Qualifications are on both the SCQF and the FHEQ.

A graduate certificate is an educational credential representing completion of specialized training at the college or university level. A graduate certificate can be awarded by universities upon completion of certain coursework indicating mastering of a specific subject area. Graduate certificates represent training at different levels in different countries, for example a graduate certificate is at master's degree level in Ireland, but is at a bachelor's degree level in the United Kingdom. In both cases, the graduate certificate represents less work than a degree at the same level.

The Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS) qualification, sometimes referred to colloquially as "Petals", is an initial teacher training qualification within the British Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF). It is studied at QCF Level 3 or 4, awarded over 2006 to 2018 and was for those new to teaching, or who wanted to start out as associate teachers, or who were teaching in the United Kingdom and required certification or qualification in the Further Education (FE) or Lifelong Learning sector of education. It has since been superseded by the Award in Education and Training qualification.

The Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS) was an initial teacher training qualification, studied at QCF Level 5 or 7, for teaching in Further Education (FE) and the lifelong learning sector of education in the United Kingdom. The DTLLS was the highest of the teaching qualifications specifically for this sector of education, the others being the Certificate in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (CTLLS) and the Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS) qualifications. The DTLLS at QCF Level 7 was equivalent to a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education in Lifelong Learning or Post-Compulsory Education and Training (PCET). The DTLLS was phased out along with the CTLLS and the PTLLS, and replaced with the Diploma in Education and Training qualification at QCF Level 5. The framework for such qualification has been changed to (RQF) Regulated Qualification Framework. There are also different routes to be a qualified teacher in UK.

The Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) Level 3/4 Certificate in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (CTLLS) is an initial teacher training qualification, studied at QCF Level 3 or 4, for teaching in Further Education (FE) and the lifelong learning sector of education in the United Kingdom.

Post-secondary qualifications are qualifications typically studied for after successful completion of secondary school. In Mauritius, this is usually after successful completion of the Higher School Certificate or its equivalent, although select qualifications may permit early school leaving or require additional study. A variety of different post-secondary qualifications are offered in Mauritius.

The national qualification frameworks in the United Kingdom are qualifications frameworks that define and link the levels and credit values of different qualifications.

References

  1. ↑ "Teacher Training routes to gain PGCE in England".
  2. ↑ For example, see "PGCHE: Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education" Archived 2014-01-31 at the Wayback Machine , University of Nottingham.
  3. ↑ "PGCE Application Advice | UWTSD".
  4. ↑ "Bursaries and scholarships for teacher training" . Retrieved 9 February 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.