PROFESSIONAL MASTER OF EDUCATION (SECONDARY)

Applications for the PME Secondary 2025 are now closed. The Professional Master of Education Post-Primary (PME) at Maynooth University is a two-year, level 9, full-time initial teacher education programme. This 120-credit programme is designed to allow students to meet the registration requirements for the Teaching Council of Ireland.

Students undertake study of the principles of teaching and learning, and develop practical teaching skills informed by the foundation disciplines of educational theory. They engage in a supervised teaching placement in at least two different post-primary (age 12-18yrs) schools, and specialise through subject-specific methodology modules. Details of the subject methodologies offered previously on the Professional Master of Education Programme are available here. The Maynooth University PME is fully recognised and accredited by the Teaching Council of Ireland.

The course commences in late August for preparatory webinars and school placement observation, with school placement and lectures commencing in September and running until the end of May.

Applications for the PME Secondary 2025 are now closed.

Entry to the PME is dependent in the first instance by your undergraduate degree (min 2'2" at level 8 or equivalent). As a prospective candidate to the PME, you must have gained or be in the final year of an undergraduate degree in at least one curricular subject area taught at post-primary level.

Your undergraduate qualification must be recognised as relevant and of an appropriate standard by the Teaching Council. This document sets out the 'Curricular Subject Requirements' that must be met for the purposes of registration with the Teaching Council as a post-primary teacher. These requirements have been revised and we recommend this document be read carefully to determine whether your degree qualifies you to teach at second level. The onus is on the applicant to ensure the requirements as set out by the Teaching Council to teach their chosen subject have been met.

Entry to the PME programme is competitive. Applicants are required to complete an additional PME-specific online form providing information on subject specialism, degree results, additional qualifications, and professional experience. In line with the government's current initiative to increase the supply of teachers in nationally prioritised subjects, additional places will be allocated to applicants who meet the criteria for the following priority subjects: Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science and Modern Languages including Irish, German, French, Italian, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.

Please ensure that your responses are accurate and provided to the best of your knowledge. Supporting evidence for your answers will be requested and verified during the application review process. Failure to provide such evidence will result in your application failing to progress to the next stage of selection. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the full guidance notes on answering these questions before submitting their responses.

International Students:

Admission to the Professional Master of Education [PME] and/or completion of said programme does not guarantee registration as a teacher in Ireland, or in any other country. Maynooth University bears no responsibility for ensuring that PME graduates meet requirements for teacher registration. It is the responsibility of the international applicant to ensure that the Maynooth University PME is recognised as a teacher education qualification by the country in which they plan to teach.

IELTS : 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in each band

Duolingo English Test (DET) : The minimum requirement will be a DET score of 120 - with at least 110 in each individual subscore. 

Pearson Test of English : 63 with no less than 59 for each item in the Communicative Skills section

TOEFL internet-based test  : iBT: 90 with no less than 21 in writing and at least 19 in every other section

The Professional Master of Education is the main qualification recognised by the Department of Education and Skills for teaching at second-level in Ireland. It is also recognised under the EU directives on mutual recognition of professional qualifications.