Education (Secondary)

Academic entry

The minimum academic entry requirements for admission to a teaching qualification are:

• Degree: An undergraduate degree validated by a higher education institution in the United Kingdom or an undergraduate degree of an equivalent standard from a higher education institution outside the United Kingdom. The degree should contain 80 SCQF credit points overall in the subject which you intend to teach, of which 40 must be at Year 2 level or above (see subject specific requirements below). Graduates will be allowed to top-up the number of SQCF credits by a maximum of 30 credits which must be obtained before entering the PGDE programme. You must upload a copy of your degree transcript to your application via Applicant Self Service to evidence that you meet the credit requirement for your chosen subject. If you do not provide this your application may be rejected as incomplete.
• English: National Qualifications in English at SCQF Level 6 (for example, Higher Grade) or an accepted alternative from the list below.
• Mathematics: National Qualifications in Mathematics at SCQF Level 5 (for example, National 5, Standard Grade or Intermediate 2) or an accepted alternative from the list below.

The minimum academic requirements are set by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).
Further information can be found at: Memorandum on Entry Requirements to Programmes of Initial Teacher Education in Scotland September 2024.

Evidence of completed qualifications

When you submit your UCAS application form, you must include ALL of your qualifications. This includes your qualifications in English and Maths (see above). If you have omitted any qualifications, there may be a delay in processing your application. Upload of missing documents is permitted via the Applicant Self Service portal within 7 days of application submission.

Due to the competitive nature of the PGDE programme and the high volume of applications received, unfortunately if we do not receive the required documents within the 7-day timescale, your application will be rejected.

Personal statement, experience and reference

Applicants who meet or have the potential to meet the academic entry requirements will be considered for a place on the programme and their personal statement and reference will be reviewed.

Applicants should use the personal statement to demonstrate their suitability to join the teaching profession and to talk about their interests and wider achievements and the extent to which they match the skills and attributes desirable in a teacher. The GTCS advise that applicants should show that they have the capacity to meet the Standard for Provisional Registration which specifies what is expected of a student teacher at the end of Initial Teacher Education.

Relevant experience with young people should also be noted with preference given to those with recent experience shadowing a high school class in the subject they wish to teach. Applicants may also discuss their interest in the subject they wish to teach.

Interview

Interviews will be held from December and invitations will be updated on UCAS track where applicants can accept, decline or request a reschedule. Reschedules are not guaranteed due to the number of suitable applicants available to attend. A communication will be sent out shortly after the UCAS invitation is received and will contain details of the interview structure. Please note that we will be unable to provide feedback to applicants who are unsuccessful at interview stage.

Catholic Teacher's Certificate

Working in partnership with the Scottish Government and the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, the School of Education has the mandate to provide teachers to teach in Catholic schools in Scotland. The Catholic Teacher’s Certificate pathway provides support for, and emphasis on, the initial teacher education of those who intend to teach in Catholic schools, reflecting the denominational sector requirements. The School welcomes applications from all qualified candidates. In the selection procedures for interview, priority is given to those who meet the entry requirements and who indicated in their personal statement, their intention to teach in Catholic schools and to seek the Catholic Teacher's Certificate in Religious Education.

You can find out more about eligibility from the Scottish Catholic Education Service

Subject specific requirements

The degree requirements for the PGDE Secondary Education are based on SCQF credits – this is because credits are standard across all Scottish universities. A credit point is a measure of the amount of learning you have done. You will find your completed modules and the number of credits awarded for each module on your degree transcript. Please assess this to check if you have the desired number of credits in the correct subjects and at the correct SCQF level before you apply for the PGDE Secondary Education programme.

It is worth noting that 10 SCQF credits = 5 ECTS credits

The degree should contain 80 SCQF credit points overall in the subject which you intend to teach, of which 40 must be at Year 2 level or above. Please note that due to the high demand for places there is no guarantee that meeting the minimum academic qualifications will ensure an invite to interview or an offer of a place.

Priority will be given to those with a 2:1 honours degree and the highest number of related credits.

Art & Design

A degree with 80 SCQF credit points, 40 of these credit points must be at Year 2 Level. The 80 SCQF credit points should cover a range of courses in both Fine (or contemporary) Art and Design and come from a range of the following practical subjects: Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking, Textiles, Photography or Environmental Art.

Biology

A degree with 80 SCQF credit points, 40 of these credit points must be at Year 2 Level. The 80 credit points should cover a range of courses from Animal Biology, Biochemistry, Human Biology or Biomolecular Sciences.

Business Education

A contemporary* Business related degree with 80 SCQF credit points, 40 of these SCQF credit points must be at Year 2 Level. Your degree must have at least 20 credits in each of the following subjects: Accounting, Economics and Business Management. For each area you need to have covered the following detailed content: Economics - macro and micro economics theory. Accounting – financial accounting, management accounting and double entry book-keeping. Business Management - Marketing, Human Resources, Management Theory.

Applicants must also provide evidence of Information Technology skills - Databases, Spreadsheets, Office IT. This can be from relevant degree/HNC/HND credits, Scottish Higher Administration and IT at grade B, a PDA Information Technology in Business or a completed ECDL qualification.

* graduated within the last 20 years

Chemistry

A degree with 80 SCQF credit points, 40 of these SCQF credit points must be at Year 2 Level. The 80 credit points should cover a range of courses from organic, physical and inorganic chemistry.

Computing

A degree with at least 80 SCQF credit points, 40 of these credit points must be at Year 2 Level. The 80 credit points should be from at least two of the following: Computer Systems, Software Development, Databases or Information Systems. You will also need 40 SCQF credits in a computing subject relevant to the Computing curriculum taught in Scottish schools.

English

A degree with at least 80 SCQF credit points, 40 of these credit points must be at Year 2 Level. At least 40 of these credit points must be in English or Scottish Literature. A maximum of 20 SCQF credit points in Media Studies will be accepted.

Geography

A degree with at least 80 SCQF credit points, 40 of these credit points must be at Year 2 Level. The 80 credit points should cover a range of courses from Physical Geography, Human Geography and Environmental Geography.

History

A 2.2 Honours degree or above with at least 80 SCQF credit points, 40 of these credit points must be at Year 2 Level. The 80 credit points should be in British History, Scottish History, European History and World History. A maximum of 40 SCQF credits points in Ancient History will be accepted.

Mathematics

A degree with at least 80 SCQF credit points, 40 of these credit points must be at Year 2 Level. The 80 credit points should be in maths related modules such as Algebra, Analysis, Calculus, Geometry, Statistics, Differential Equations or Probability.

Modern Foreign Languages

1. Entry requirements for first language

• a degree with at least 80 SCQF credit points in the first language you want to teach
• before starting the course, you must have lived for six months in a country where the language is spoken
• you will have to prove to the University that you are competent at speaking the language

The scope of your language degree must allow you to contribute to wider programmes of study in schools – such as literature, cultural studies, area studies or languages in work.

While you lived abroad, you must have taken full part in the language and culture of the country. You must normally have lived in the country for blocks of at least three months. So if you have spent one of your study years abroad, you will be fine.

2. Entry requirements for second languages

• a degree with at least 80 SCQF credit points in the second language you want to teach
• before starting the course, you must have lived for at least three months in a country where the language is spoken
• you will have to prove to the university that you are competent at speaking the language

Of course, you will also meet all the requirements for your first foreign language.

The scope of your language degree must allow you to contribute to wider programmes of study in schools – such as literature, cultural studies, area studies or languages in work.

While living abroad the applicant must have fully taken part in the language and culture of the relevant country. The period of three months must either be consecutive or in blocks of at least four weeks.

While you lived abroad you must have taken full part in the language and culture of the relevant country. The period of three months must either be consecutive or in block of at least four weeks.

If you have any questions about the registration and residency requirements for second languages, get in touch with the GTCS.

3. Native speakers of a modern foreign language

If you are a native speaker of a modern foreign language and you have a degree in your own language, you may be qualified to train to teach that language. Your degree must meet the requirements outlined above (entry requirements for first language).

If you are a native speaker and have a degree in an additional language which meets these requirements, you may train to teach that language as well as your mother tongue. For example, a French student with a degree in German can train to teach German and French.

Modern Studies

A 2.2 Honours degree or above with at least 80 SCQF credit points, 40 of these credit points must be at Year 2 Level. The 80 credit points should be from two separate subjects from the list below. At least 40 SCQF credit points must be from either Politics or Sociology.

• Criminology
• Economics
• Geography
• History or Economic History
• International Relations
• Law
• Politics
• Sociology
• Social Policy

Physics

A degree with at least 80 SCQF credit points, 40 of these credit points must be at Year 2 Level. The 80 credit points should be from a range of the following subjects: Electricity and Magnetism, Electronics, Optics, Mechanics, Dynamics, Nuclear and Atomic Physics.

Religious Education

A degree with at least 80 SCQF credit points, 40 of these credit points must be at Year 2 Level. The 80 credits points should come from two or more of the areas listed below:

• Religious Studies
• Philosophy
• Theology
• Divinity
• Sociology of Religion
• Anthropology of Religion
• Psychology of Religion

Applicants wishing specifically to teach Religious Education in Catholic schools must have an undergraduate degree with at least 80 SCQF credit points in:

• Religious Studies
• Theology
• Divinity

which may include a maximum of 20 credit points in Philosophy related to religion.

Disclosure Scotland

If you are accepted to the PGDE you must undertake a Criminal Conviction check prior to enrolment. It is your responsibility to pay for the check.

Fitness to practise

Where a programme of study requires the student to act in the course of practical training in a quasi-professional role in relation to patients, children, clients or service-users or where the qualification provides a direct licence to practise, the University has a duty to ensure that the student is fit to practise. Fitness to Practise is assessed not only in terms of academic attainment but also in accordance with relevant professional standards and expectations. Students registered to study on initial teacher education degrees are subject to separate Fitness to Practise procedures and will be expected to familiarise themselves with the appropriate procedures and information upon enrolment.

For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic and Academic Online (not General Training)

• 6.5 with no subtests under 6.0
• IELTS One Skill Retake Accepted
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Common equivalent English language qualifications for entry to this programme

TOEFL (ibt, mybest or athome)

• 90 overall with Reading 20; Listening 19; Speaking 19; Writing 21
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements, this includes TOEFL mybest.

Pearsons PTE Academic

• 59 with minimum 59 in all subtests
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Cambridge Proficiency in English (CPE) and Cambridge Advanced English (CAE)

• 176 overall, no subtest less than 169
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Oxford English Test

• 7 overall with no subtest less than 6
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

LanguageCert Academic SELT

• 70 overall with no subtest less than 60
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Password Skills Plus

• 6.5 overall with no subtest less than 6.0
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Trinity College Tests

• Integrated Skills in English II & III & IV: ISEII Distinction with Distinction in all sub-tests
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

University of Glasgow Pre-sessional courses

• Tests are accepted for 2 years following date of successful completion.

Alternatives to English Language qualification

• Degree from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)
  
  • students must have studied for a minimum of 2 years at Undergraduate level, or 9 months at Master's level, and must have completed their degree in that majority-English speaking country within the last 6 years.
• Undergraduate 2+2 degrees from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)
  
  • students must have completed their final two years study in that majority-English speaking country within the last 6 years.

For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use these tests to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level programmes. The University is also able to accept UKVI approved Secure English Language Tests (SELT) but we do not require a specific UKVI SELT for degree level programmes. We therefore still accept any of the English tests listed for admission to this programme.

Pre-sessional courses

The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We would strongly encourage you to consider the pre-sessional courses at the University of Glasgow's English for Academic Study (EAS) Unit. Our Pre-sessional courses are the best way to bring your English up to entry level for University study. Our courses give you:

• direct entry to your University programme for successful students (no need to take IELTS)
• essential academic skills to help you study effectively at University
• flexible entry dates so you can join the right course for your level.

For more detail on our pre-sessional courses please see:

• Pre-sessional courses

We can also consider the pre-sessional courses accredited by the below BALEAP approved institutions to meet the language requirements for admission to our postgraduate taught degrees:

• Heriot Watt
• Kingston Upon Thames
• Middlesex University
• Manchester University
• Reading University
• Edinburgh University
• ST Andrews University
• UCL
• Durham.

For further information about English language requirements, please contact the Recruitment and International Office using our enquiry form