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Overview

This course is primarily for teachers who are new to higher education seeking to obtain a recognised 60-credit initial teacher education award and Advanced HE’s (FHEA).

It is also suitable for experienced higher education teachers aiming to obtain a formal teaching qualification.

Why Higher Education PGCert?

  • Advance Your Career with Fellowship: Gain a prestigious qualification increasingly valued by employers for appointments and promotions in the higher education sector.
  • Expert Guidance from Advance HE: Benefit from accreditation, professional development, and support designed to elevate the teaching experience for higher education professionals.
  • Flexible Development Programme: Enhance your teaching, learning, and assessment skills with a tailored programme designed for those already teaching in higher education.
  • Master the Art of Education: Become a skilled and confident practitioner, excelling in all aspects of teaching and learning in higher education.
  • Reflect and Grow: Embrace professional values and set meaningful development goals with a structured framework that supports continuous improvement.
  • Achieve Fellowship Status: Evidence your engagement with the 2023 Professional Standards Framework (PSF) 2023 and earn recognition as Advance HE Fellow.
  • Learn from the Best: Study under an outstanding teaching team, including National Teaching Fellows, and connect with a rich academic network.
  • Access Cutting-Edge Resources: Utilise state-of-the-art facilities and specialist equipment that directly enhance your learning experience.

If you are involved in teaching health care professionals either in an academic or practice education setting, then you should apply for the Postgraduate Certificate in Health Professional Education.

Key Information

Entry requirements

You should have an Honours degree at 2:2 or above, or a professional equivalent.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

All entrants must be teaching, supporting and assessing with higher education (National Qualifications Framework and the Qualifications and Credit Framework level 4 or above) and have an average of at least six hours teaching (this could include team teaching) per week.

Start dates

21 September 2026

Duration

1 year part-time

Course Detail

Supporting and Assessing Students in Higher Education

This module will help you explore the role played by assessment and constructive feedback in developing student learning. You'll pay particular attention to the skills and knowledge of structures and processes required to work effectively at a variety of levels (module, course, department, school, university, professional body) in order to support students in their learning. The module will also help you to understand methods and approaches used to review and assessment of academic practice in relation to assessment and feedback and student support .

Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

This module will help you to discuss learning and teaching within your subject discipline, appropriate techniques of curriculum design and the overall curriculum context within your institution. You'll pay particular attention to methods and approaches to the review and evaluation of academic practice in relation to learning & teaching and curriculum design. The module will also give you the opportunity to address the need to underpin academic practice with a knowledge and understanding of key educational ideas, models and theories.

This course has modules making up 60 credits over the 1* year, with each credit being 10 hours of study (600 hours in total).

An average of approximately** 11% (64 hours) of the study time on this course is spent with your tutors face to face in lectures, seminars and workshops.

The remainder of the time will be spent on independent study. Assessments take place through a variety of exams, coursework, etc.*

*Subject to mode of study.

**Based on current core modules.

Calculated using data from the academic year 2024/25, as of November 2024.

Further information

The teaching year for most courses normally starts in September with breaks at Christmas and Easter, finishing with a main examination/assessment period around May/June. Teaching on other courses including professional courses, postgraduate taught, research, distance learning and apprenticeship may have other start dates including January and May. All start dates can be found on each course page and term dates are also available.Timetables are normally available one month before registration.

Our courses are taught at our University campus and you can expect that your lectures and seminars will be held face to face, except in cases of emergency or if specifically stated otherwise in the module description.

Feedback (usually written) is normally provided on all coursework submissions within three term time weeks – unless the submission was made towards the end of the session in which case feedback would be available on request after the formal publication of results. Feedback on exam performance/final coursework is available on request after the publication of results.

You may progress to the next stage of your course or research degree, subject to meeting University assessment criteria and professional, statutory or regulatory body guidelines.

  1. Triple proof of teaching excellence: our staff rank in the top three in England for the proportion who hold doctorates, who have higher degrees, and hold teaching qualifications (HESA 2024). So, you’ll learn from some of the best, helping you to be the best.

  2. We are first in the country for National Teaching Fellowships, which mark the UK’s best lecturers in Higher Education, winning a total of 22 since 2008 (2023 data).

  3. We won the first Global Teaching Excellence Award, recognising the University’s commitment to world-class teaching and its success in developing students as independent learners and critical thinkers (Higher Education Academy, 2017).

Postgraduate Open Days


Learn more about Postgraduate Study at one of our upcoming Open Days

Come along to an on-campus Postgraduate Open Day and discover all there is to know about our wide range of postgraduate taught courses, research degrees and professional development options at the University of Huddersfield. 

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Further Study

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Research Excellence

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Important information

We will always try to deliver your course as described on this web page. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below.

Changes to a course you have applied for

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment.

Cancellation of a course you have applied for

Although we always try and run all of the course we offer, we may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants to ensure you have a good learning experience. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will contact you to discuss other suitable courses with us we can transfer your application to. If we notify you that the course you have applied to has been withdrawn or combined, and you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

We will always try to deliver your course and other services as described. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below:

Changes to option modules

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have a range of options to choose from and we will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes

We will only make major changes to the core curriculum of a course or to our services if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change in this context is a change that materially changes the services available to you; or the outcomes, or a significant part, of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), classes, type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum.

For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators; to meet the latest requirements of a commissioning or accrediting body; to improve the quality of educational provision; in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback; and/or to reflect academic or professional changes within subject areas. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but this may not always be the case. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation with affected students. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

Termination of course

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed and we will notify you as soon as possible about what your options are, which may include transferring to a suitable replacement course for which you are qualified, being provided with individual teaching to complete the award for which you were registered, or claiming an interim award and exiting the University. If you do not wish to take up any of the options that are made available to you, then you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the course without liability to the University for future tuition fees and you will be entitled to a refund of all course fees paid to date. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by a framework of regulations, policies and procedures, which form the basis of your agreement with us. These include regulations regarding the assessment of your course, academic integrity, your conduct (including attendance) and disciplinary procedure, fees and finance and compliance with visa requirements (where relevant). It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to abide by them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan, where you will also find links to the full text of each of the regulations, policies and procedures referred to. You should read these carefully before you enrol. Please note that this information is subject to change and you are advised to check our website regularly for any changes before you enrol at the University. A person who is not party to this agreement shall not have any rights under or in connection with it. Only you and the University shall have any right to enforce or rely on the agreement.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

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