About

Course overview

Our Secondary PGCE course will support you in your ambition to become a confident, engaging and research-informed teacher, who, in turn, enables pupils to reach their full potential in the classroom and beyond.

Due to our strong, long-standing partnership with 150+ local schools serving diverse local communities, you will benefit from significant school-based teaching experience in a range of different contexts. Not only will you learn from experienced school-based colleagues, you will also learn from the pupils you will teach. Your placements also provide a useful networking opportunity, helping you to decide what kind of school you want to work in once you qualify.

Personalised support for our beginning teachers is important to us. We offer this in many ways through personal tutors, school-based mentors and coordinators, student network groups, and our wellbeing team. On top of this, you can access all the university’s support services.

Additional enrichment opportunities including time in an alternative provision, immersive practice days, special interest groups and School of Education seminars and events, ensure you have a range of rich, exciting learning experiences throughout the course.

Key features of the Secondary PGCE

Qualified to teach Key Stage 3 to 5 (11-18 years) in your chosen subject
Rated 'Outstanding' by Ofsted in 2022
PGCE qualification (60 masters-level credits) with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
Working across school and university settings from the first full teaching week
Two main placements
Immersive practice days focussing on key aspects of teaching
Excellent support from academic tutors and school-based mentors
Benefit of a large and strong schools partnership
Access to a wide range of enrichment activities
60 PGCE credits can be used towards an MA Education and 30 credits can be used towards other masters courses
A commitment to equality and diversity

Subjects offered

Alumni profiles

View our Secondary PGCE alumni profiles.

Attend an information session

We hold monthly events from October through to July to give you the opportunity to find out more about starting your teaching career with the University of Nottingham.

Attend an event

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Undergraduate degreeUK undergraduate degree/equivalent – in all cases we will be looking at the relevance of your degree alongside other qualifications in your proposed teaching subject, plus GCSE/equivalent – English (language or literature) and mathematics, 4 (C) or above

International and EU equivalentsWe accept a wide range of qualifications from all over the world.

For information on entry requirements from your country, see our country pages.

IELTS6.5 (no less than 6.0 in any element)

English language requirementsAs well as IELTS (listed above), we also accept other English language qualifications. This includes TOEFL iBT, Pearson PTE, GCSE, IB and O level English.

Meeting our English language requirements

If you need support to meet the required level, you may be able to attend a presessional English course. Presessional courses teach you academic skills in addition to English language. Our Centre for English Language Education is accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English in the UK.

If you successfully complete your presessional course to the required level, you can then progress to your degree course. This means that you won't need to retake IELTS or equivalent.

For on-campus presessional English courses, you must take IELTS for UKVI to meet visa regulations. For online presessional courses, see our CELE webpages for guidance

Visa restrictions

International students must have valid UK immigration permissions for any courses or study period where teaching takes place in the UK. Student route visas can be issued for eligible students studying full-time courses. The University of Nottingham does not sponsor a student visa for students studying part-time courses. The Standard Visitor visa route is not appropriate in all cases. Please contact the university’s Visa and Immigration team if you need advice about your visa options.

English Requirements

PTEMin 65
IELTSMin 6
TOEFLMin 79

English Program Requirements

We accept a variety of English language tests and qualifications. The;International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic test is one of the most common. The IELTS test includes grades in listening, reading, writing and speaking, plus an overall grade. IELTS requirements for each of our courses are listed in our;course listings.

We also accept Pearson Test of English (PTE) and TOEFL (IBT) test certificates. Check the table below against the IELTS requirement listed in our course listings to see what grade you will need. You can also;meet our entry requirements through a;presessional English course;with our Centre for English Language Education (CELE).

Career

Careers

We offer individual careers support for all postgraduate students.

Expert staff can help you research career options and job vacancies, build your CV or résumé, develop your interview skills and meet employers.

Each year 1,100 employers advertise graduate jobs and internships through our online vacancy service. We host regular careers fairs, including specialist fairs for different sectors.

International students who complete an eligible degree programme in the UK on a student visa can apply to stay and work in the UK after their course under the Graduate immigration route. Eligible courses at the University of Nottingham include bachelors, masters and research degrees, and PGCE courses.

Graduate destinations

Our students are very successful at gaining employment after graduation. Many secure positions in local partnership schools. Some graduates go overseas to work as a teacher

Other graduates have gone on to work as counsellors, education advisers and vocational/industrial trainers and instructors.

Successful completion of your PGCE will give you 60-masters level credits which can be used towards a masters degree in education at the University of Nottingham. Or you can use 30 credits against a selection of other MA courses. Find out more about using PGCE credits.

Career progression

97.4% of PGCE graduates secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average starting salary was £31,261.*

* HESA Graduate Outcomes 2022/23.

You complete two school placements over the duration of this course and will spend time in your first placement school from week one. The second school placement will start in January.

University tutors and school ITE leads work closely with you, and each other, throughout the year to support and challenge you to develop into the best teacher you can be.

We have a very strong, collaborative partnership with the schools we work with.

Fee Information

Tuition Fee

34,217 / year(s)