Studying for a PGCE

Designed to prepare students for life as a primary or secondary school teacher, the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) is one of the most popular academic teaching qualifications

Offered in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, PGCEs usually take one academic year to complete full time, and two years part time.

You only need a training course to offer Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) to teach as a qualified teacher in England. While most PGCEs provide QTS, an added benefit is that courses increase your academic knowledge and provide you with the flexibility to teach internationally.

The Scottish equivalent to a PGCE is the Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE).

What is a PGCE?

A PGCE is a postgraduate course that combines substantial school placements with studying the theory behind teaching and learning. Most courses run from early September to July and take nine months to complete if studied full time. Some longer, part-time and distance learning options are available.

PGCE courses can either be university or school-led and the majority of programmes lead to QTS, making you eligible to teach in a variety of countries. Scottish PGDE courses, and Welsh and Northern Irish PGCEs, are similar in structure to university-based programmes.

There is a shortage of teachers in some subjects, such as maths and physics, while other programmes are more competitive, such as physical education. You should research this with the provider you're interested in and be prepared to look in other areas of the UK for places.

If your undergraduate degree doesn't link closely to the subject you intend to teach you may be offered a subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) course as part of your application. This is taken before the PGCE so you'd be studying for a little longer.

What's the difference between school-led and university-led PGCEs?

In England a PGCE may be led by a:

• higher education institution (HEI)
• school/charity/multi-academy trust (MAT)
• consortium of schools in partnership with the HEI, such as Teach First.

As a university-led PGCE trainee you will have more opportunity for studying and reflecting on your progress, as well as spending valuable time with other trainee teachers. You will need to pay course fees but bursaries are available. You'll also be able to move from a placement if it's not suited to you.

If you'd like to be placed in a school from day one, school-led training may be the route for you. Trainees are often paid as trainee teachers and may have to pay fees. School-led trainees can be chosen by the school, participating as a team member from the beginning. Discover how you can build your experience by gaining work experience in schools.

Both routes lead to QTS, where you can apply for a teaching position in primary and secondary schools.

Is a PGCE a Masters?

A PGCE is a Level 7 qualification, awarding up to 60 credits at Masters level. However, it is not a full Masters degree, which you need 180 credits to achieve.

Upon completion of a PGCE you'll graduate with a postgraduate certificate. If you'd like to gain a Masters in Education it's usually possible for you to transfer the 60 credits from your PGCE towards this higher qualification.

Do I need a PGCE if I have a Masters?

No, but what you do need is QTS. If your Masters is in an unrelated subject or your Masters in Education didn’t provide QTS you’ll need to gain this to be eligible to teach, and a PGCE is just one of the ways you can achieve this.

Are there different types of PGCEs?

• Early years - also known as lower primary and early childhood, these courses equip you to teach Foundation and Key Stage 1 pupils aged 0-5 or 3-7.
• Primary - prepares you to teach children aged 5-11. Programmes focus on the core curriculum, although some may allow you to specialise in a certain subject. This is the most popular PGCE and demand for places is high.
• Secondary - focuses on a particular subject and prepares you to teach children between the ages of 11-18.
• Further/Adult education - if you want to teach in further education colleges or conduct adult education classes, completing one of these PGCEs means you can apply for Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status rather than QTS.

All types include placements for a minimum of 24 weeks in at least two key stages and schools.

To see what's available, search for a PGCE.

What does a PGCE involve?

Studying for a PGCE can be challenging as you’ll balance lesson planning, teaching and marking with your academic studies and assignment deadlines.

Courses often start with an academic focus and usually cover teaching and learning theory, managing classroom behaviour and current educational issues. After the first few weeks you'll spend up to two-thirds of your time on placement in schools, teaching in two different key stages. Your placements will help you to explore theory in practice. You'll be immersed into school life gradually, with an emphasis on research-informed and evidence-based teaching.

You will also work towards meeting the professional standards, which determine recommendation for QTS. Assessment is ongoing and progressive, developing the academic standards required for the PGCE and QTS. At the same time, you will work through personalised development plans to ensure that you're able to target individual strengths and improvements.

In this way, your academic performance and teacher development are closely linked. You will reflect, get feedback from others and be assessed against teaching standards as you progress through the PGCE.

What will I learn?

You will study modules such as the:

• Professional teacher - Looking at key issues in teaching and learning, tailored to the context in which you're working. Sessions will often be a lecture and seminar, or workshops.
• Subject specialist - Building on your knowledge of the subject range, this would be led by a specialist tutor with expertise in your subject/s, both in university and in your placement, and supported by a mentor. You may study and evaluate key theories and policies, analyse and model best practice, and develop the skills required for teaching the subject. This will be further developed in your placement with your school mentor.
• Reflective teacher - Looking at what you're teaching in the classroom, thinking about why you do it, and reflecting on what works. This includes tutorials, group work and peer support to develop your experience in practice.
• Research informed teacher - Learning from and participating in research linked to your specialism and teaching.

What's the difference between a PGCE and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE)?

Not to be confused with the Scottish Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) despite sharing the same acronym, PGDEs in England are similar to PGCEs with the main difference being the number of credits they offer.

Like PGCEs, PGDEs are also Level 7 qualifications and take the same length of time to complete, but they're worth 120 credits, double that of PGCEs. If you'd like to convert a PGDE into a Masters (180 credits) at a later date, you’ll have less credits to make up than if you study a PGCE.

PGDE course structure is similar to that of the PGCE, but the increased number of credits means that you’ll spend more time on academic study than practical teaching work.

Another thing to be aware of is that more universities offer PGCEs than PGDEs.

Do I need a PGCE to teach?

You only need QTS to teach in England. The PGCE is an additional qualification offered by some providers, which you can gain alongside QTS.

However, it's advisable to gain a PGCE if you want to teach in Scotland and other countries such as the USA, as the PGCE is an internationally recognised qualification. It's possible to gain a qualification such as a PGCert with PGCE, if you have QTS and want to gain Masters credits and a university qualification. Find out more about the routes into teaching.

Be aware that not all courses award QTS - the further education PGCE, for example. Speak to your training provider if you are unsure about whether your programme awards QTS.

What are the entry requirements for a PGCE course?

Some course providers may have specific eligibility criteria, but in general you must have:

• An undergraduate degree or equivalent. For primary teaching a degree in a national curriculum subject is useful. For secondary, you must have a degree or related degree in the subject you're applying to teach.
• GCSE grade C/4 or above in English and maths (a B in Wales).
• GCSE grade C/4 or above in a science subject to teach pupils aged 5-11 (primary).
• An IELTS with an average score of 6.0 if English is not your first language and you don't have a GCSE grade C/4 in English.

Plus, non-academic requirements of:

• a declaration of convictions through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

There are some variations and exceptions to these entry criteria so you should check with the admissions department of each individual institution you're applying to.

Applicants with a degree in a subject not included in the national curriculum, such as marketing or education, are able to apply for early years, primary and post-compulsory teaching.

If you have A-levels in a shortage secondary subject, such as maths, and your degree included a large mathematical element, you may be able to do an SKE course and go on to train as a maths teacher.

Some courses are very competitive, so applying early and getting school experience is advantageous. If you aren't sure whether you meet the criteria, or if you gained your degree overseas, you should contact the admissions department of the institution you're considering, or attend an open day.

How much does the PGCE cost?

The standard tuition fee in 2024/25 for UK students is £9,250 and on average £15,000 for international students, although overseas fees vary widely and can cost up to £36,000.

Universities may offer special reductions for alumni, so check with individual providers.

You will also need to consider living costs. You're likely to have additional costs for travelling to school placements. Some providers may offer support towards travel expenses - contact them to find out more.

The majority of trainees find that they have limited time for part-time work, especially while on placement. International students are advised to check their visa restrictions on working.

There are three main ways to fund teacher training and depending on your circumstances you could receive them all. Tax-free bursaries and scholarships are available - the amount of which differs depending on the subject studied, tuition fee and maintenance loans are available to help pay tuition fees for unsalaried teacher training routes, and additional financial support is available if you have children or a disability. See funding teacher training for more information.

Do PGCE trainee teachers get paid?

This depends on the route you take and the provider you train with.

University-led PGCEs are unsalaried. As discussed you'll have to pay tuition fees to study a course. PGCE Primary programmes are not eligible for scholarships or bursaries but you can get undergraduate tuition fee and maintenance loans from Student Finance.

Tax-free scholarships and bursaries are available (alongside tuition fee loans) for university-led PGCE Secondary courses. What you receive depends upon the subject you choose specialise in. For example in the 2025/26 academic year those specialising in:

• Chemistry or maths - could receive a scholarship of £30,000 and bursary of £28,000.
• English - bursaries of £10,000.
• Languages - scholarships of £27,000 (for French, German or Spanish) and bursaries of £25,000.

This funding does not need to be paid back.

Some school-led teacher training programmes are salaried, such as School Direct, Teach First and postgraduate teaching apprenticeships. You’ll likely earn an unqualified teacher wage while you train and you won’t have to pay tuition fees toward your programme. The amount you earn depends upon the school you work in. On average unqualified teacher salaries fall between £21,731 and £33,902 (England excluding London) and £23,140 to £39,417 in the capital. Some salaried courses include a PGCE, while others award QTS only, so check with the provider. If you’re on a salaried teacher training course you’re not eligible for Student Finance, scholarships or bursaries.

Discover how much teachers get paid.

Will a PGCE/PGDE guarantee me a teaching job?

The Teacher Induction Scheme in Scotland offers a guaranteed one-year training post to every eligible student graduating with a teaching qualification from one of Scotland's universities. This is not the case across all of the UK.

A PGCE is a well-recognised and valued qualification and normally includes QTS (although not all courses do), but this doesn't mean that you will automatically be employed when you graduate.

Traditionally, graduates quickly find their first teaching job. The placements completed as part of your course and any additional school experience will stand you in good stead. If your school placements go well and the school has a vacancy when you graduate, you may well be offered a job.

Pupil numbers are rising and this increases the demand for teachers. If you've completed a PGCE in a shortage subject, such as physics, maths, chemistry, computing, languages, biology, geography or design and technology, your knowledge and skills are particularly sought after.

To learn more, see how to become a teacher.

How do I find a PGCE?

You should attend university open days and meet course tutors to make sure you get answers to all your questions. Consider asking:

• How much does the course cost?
• Does the course include a PGCE, as for many overseas teaching roles you will need a university or college teaching qualification (BEd or PGCE)?
• Does the qualification lead to QTS?
• How much school experience do you get?
• Are there grants/loans/bursaries available?
• What is the school's Ofsted rating?
• What is the employment record after graduation?
• What is the institution's reputation and department ranking?
• How much access do students have to tutors?
• How many lectures and tutorials are there per week? How many days a week do you need to be on campus?

To find out what's on offer and which institutions match your requirements, search PGCEs.

When do applications open?

PGCE applications in England are normally made through the DfE's Apply for teacher training service. Courses in Wales and Scottish PGDE applications are made through the UCAS undergraduate system in the autumn for courses starting in September the following year.

Applications can be made throughout the academic year. However, providers are able to close the applications after a minimum of two weeks if they have enough quality applicants. They may open again later in the year but it is strongly recommended to apply early for the more popular courses.

In Northern Ireland, applications for PGCEs are made directly to the institution.

For more information, see applying for teacher training.

Where can I get more advice on PGCE courses?

• Alumni - ask them what it was like to study at a particular university.
• Careers service - advisers can explore your options, help you decide which course is best for you and assist your application.
• Current students - they'll tell you how much work is involved, and recommend books and other resources.
• Open days and fairs - you can meet representatives from numerous universities, meet tutors and take a look at the campus. Take a look at upcoming open days and events.     
• Tutors - find out more about the course content and how your career goals match up.

Find out more

• Take a look at the teacher training and education sector.