Education in Further Education Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE)

Entry requirements

TTo be eligible to apply all applicants should normally:

• Provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English and Maths (GCSE grade C or equivalent). See DEL circular FE12/09 Annex A;
• have completed the Certificate in Teaching (CIT) from the University of Ulster or have successfully completed the Diploma in the Teaching and Management of Adult Literacy or Numeracy from Queens University Belfast.

  You must submit your Diploma to claim this exemption. Please note that it is only the Diploma and not the Certificate which can be used to progress straight to the PGCE (FE) programme.

• meet the general education requirements and experience requirements as outlined in Annex A DEL Circular FE12/09 issued November 2009. (Qualifications required to teach in further education)
• be currently in paid employment as a full or part time teacherin an FE College or the work based learning sector for at least 8 hours per week over one full academic year (Oct – May) with full teaching responsibility for a group of at least 6-8 learners. You will need a statement from your employer stating that you meet this criterion. Unfortunately one-to-one teaching is not acceptable.

Months of entry

September

Course content

This course is a mandatory requirement for those teaching in Further Education (FE) Colleges. This course is a follow-on
programme for those who have successfully completed the Certificate in Teaching.

Advanced teaching skills will be covered on the course and you will apply these to your own subject discipline. Further, you will have the opportunity to explore new structures in terms of processes, design assessment and the support mechanisms that will enhance quality.

Your classroom practice will be observed, and you will be required to draw upon research and academic literature to complete your assignments.

For acceptance to this course, students must meet the entry requirements as set out and must liaise with their employer in order to provide evidence that they are employed in a further education college or in the work-based learning sector.

(The University regularly ‘refreshes’ courses to make sure they are as up-to-date as possible. In addition it undertakes formal periodic review of courses in a process called 'revalidation’ to ensure that they continue to meet standards and are current and relevant. This course will be revalidated in the near future and it is possible that there will be some changes to the course as described in this prospectus.)

Information for international students

English language requirements for international applicants
The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.

Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.