Tertiary Education with Teaching Qualification (Further Education) - pre-service

• Enhance awareness of appropriate professional values, attributes and aspirations of the vocational educator.
• Encourage innovation and creativity in teaching/learning and wider professional practice.
• Support the development of a ‘practitioner enquiry’ approach throughout and beyond the programme.
• Develop digital practitioners who are confident in employing digital technologies where appropriate.
• Support the growth of a ‘leader of learning’ mindset in support of students, colleagues and self.

This course is accredited by the General Teaching Council for Scotland.

Completing a placement (unpaid) with one of our partner colleges is a requirement of the pre-service course. Placements are arranged by the university.

The course employs a range of teaching/learning approaches including on-campus teaching sessions, online synchronous and asynchronous interaction, small group workshops and large group sessions.

If you’re interested in studying a module from this course, the Postgraduate Certificate or the Postgraduate Diploma then please email Graduate Admissions to discuss your course of study.

In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, Educational research at the University of Stirling was ranked top 20 in the UK for impact and research environment, with 100% of our research impact and environment in Education classed as world-leading or internationally excellent. Our expert teaching team are on hand to introduce you to cutting-edge empirical and theoretical research in a multi-disciplinary and professional environment.

A minimum of a second class Honours degree (2:1 preferred) in a relevant subject or equivalent is required.

Literacy and numeracy requirements

You must have both literacy and numeracy skills which meet the demands of the course. The normal entry requirement will be:

• a National Qualification Course award in English at level 6 on the SCQF (or suitable evidence of being able to attain this standard) or SQA communication level III
• a National Qualification Course award in numeracy or Mathematics at level 4 on the SCQF (or suitable evidence of being able to attain this standard)
• completion of either of the PDAs for Initial Teacher Training (PDA Teaching Practice in Scotland’s Colleges’ or the ‘Developing Teaching Practice in Scotland’s Colleges’) satisfies the entry requirements in respect of literacy and numeracy skills

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills

You should have ICT skills equivalent to Intermediate 2 (level 5 on the SCQF). This level of skill in the use of ICT is required partly in order to be able to fully participate on the TQFE course and also to be able to function effectively in the working environment.

International entry requirements

View the entry requirements for your country.

All applicants should contact the Admissions and Accesss Office to request an application form.

Application Enquiries
Admissions and Access Office
University of Stirling
Stirling FK9 4LA
Scotland UK

+ 44 (0) 1786 467044
admissions@stir.ac.uk

If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:

• IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each sub-skill.
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) 60 overall with a minimum of 59 in each sub-skill.
• IBT TOEFL 78 overall with a minimum of 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing.

If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, our partner INTO University of Stirling offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to this degree.

Find out more about our pre-sessional English language courses.

See our information on English language requirements for more details on the language tests we accept and options to waive these requirements.

As a graduate from the TQFE postgraduate diploma you’ll confidently be able to seek employment as a further education lecturer. Previously some of our TQFE postgraduate diploma students have been offered employment by their placement college before completion of the course.

The work-based placement in one of our partner colleges within the FE sector in Scotland provides a rich, context sensitive, learning experience for you. Support is provided by university tutors and also by experienced college staff who act as mentors in introducing you to the complexities of the modern further education college.

As well as working with our partner colleges in the development and ongoing support of the programmes, the General Teaching Council is also involved on an ongoing basis.

Previous placement partners we’ve worked with include:

• Ayrshire College
• City of Glasgow College
• Edinburgh College
• Fife College
• Forth Valley College
• Glasgow Clyde College
• New College Lanarkshire
• South Lanarkshire College
• West College Scotland
• West Lothian College