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"Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, examinations may be replaced by an alternative form of assessment during the academic year 2021/2022. Please refer to the Programme Specification on these pages for further details."

Why choose this course?

Do you want to make a difference?

You’re fascinated by education and its potential to improve lives. You may be undecided about becoming a teacher, but you know you want that door left open. If, when you graduate, you decide teaching is for you, you can study a 1-year Post Graduate Certificate in Education. In fact, this degree is a springboard to so many different careers. Education is all around us. Join us as we study the impact of education in a wide range of settings, including schools, community projects, workplaces, museums, and prisons. Take part in a unique opportunity to enrich a community of your choice. The Capstone Project is an exciting initiative, new for 2020, where you’ll receive £250 to invest in your own education project. You’ll become an effective communicator. You’ll inspire others. You believe that education has the power to transform lives, everywhere. So do we. This is your time to reflect. To experiment. To discover exactly what you want your contribution to be.

The best educators are excellent communicators

You believe teaching and communicating go hand in hand. You want to find engaging ways to explain things. To deliver powerful arguments. You know the way lessons are delivered is crucial to learning. We’ll teach you how to be an excellent public speaker. How to motivate and inspire your audience. We’ll explore digital communication. You’ll design engaging websites and PowerPoint presentations. You’ll learn the writing skills needed in the real world. How? Well, we’ll deliver scenario-based assignments, where every text you write is embedded in a fictional scenario. Enjoy writing in a new way. You’ll write with your audience and goal in mind. You’ll communicate with an appreciation for the environment you’re working in. This means you’ll master a range of writing styles. You’ll graduate with an impressive digital portfolio. You’ll prove yourself as an engaging and influential communicator. Most jobs need that right?

Find your direction

You’re eager to immerse yourself in the study of education. You want to be an outstanding communicator. You may not know exactly where your passion is guiding you and that’s ok. This is a journey of discovery and we’ll be with you every step of the way. When you graduate, you’ll know what you want to do. You’ll feel empowered. Plus, you’ll have the expertise to empower others.

We’re rated TEF Gold, making us one of the best universities for teaching and support.

What's the course about?

In the first year, you’ll reflect on your own learning. You’ll explore the current issues affecting education across the world. You’ll develop an inquisitive mind. Why does the 21st century need education? Question everything. Make no assumptions. You’ll approach education from a philosophical viewpoint. You’ll study issues of social mobility, unconscious bias, identity, culture, and class. You’ll examine how government policies impact education. We’ll teach you theoretical concepts around disability and inclusion. Together, we’ll bring educational theory to life. We’ll inspire you through work-based learning activities. You’ll start to analyse digital communication. Unlock the power of language. What will you create? You’ll have a unique chance to put your learning into practice when you join a department at the University of Hertfordshire. Observe the relationship between education and communication as we share our methods of delivering key messaging. This year, you’ll join a dynamic learning community. You’ll collaborate. You’ll enrich your life and that of others. You’ll feel part of something special because you are.

In the second year, you’ll further explore special educational needs and disabilities. You’ll discuss stereotypes, misconceptions, and prejudice. You’ll examine the human experience and its relationship with education. You’ll reflect upon your values and skills. We’ll teach you the evolution of education through the lens of history and culture. You’ll analyse classroom behaviour and expectations. Can tradition inform innovation? We’ll teach you education psychology. You’ll explore ideas and theories. You’ll focus your research on critical thinkers who inspire you. We’ll share our knowledge of curriculum and assessment. We’ll challenge you to distinguish between schooling and education. You’ll spend time in a work setting, which could be a SEND school, charity shop or museum. You’ll examine their communication styles and the role education plays. This is a chance to view education in a whole new light. Be curious. By the end of this year, you’ll have a good understanding of your own educational mission. You’ll feel energised by the impact you could make.

In the third year, you’ll specialise in your chosen area of education. You’ll immerse yourself in policy, educational frameworks, and concepts. Be a critical thinker. You’ll engage and educate audiences with your research. You’ll delve into different community projects. Gain valuable insights into the delivery of education. The pinnacle of your degree is the Capstone Project where you’ll collaborate with peers to engage and educate a community. This is your chance to fulfill an educational remit that matters to you. Where will your imagination take you? You could create an event to strengthen relationships in the community. Or a programme of educational activities. You could design a stimulating ‘pop up’ learning environment. We’ll even give you £250 to invest in your initiative. Make a difference. Empower. Communicate. Celebrate and showcase your work in our graduate event. By the end of this year, you’ll have a deep understanding of your educational philosophy. You’ll have a vision of how you can make a meaningful contribution. Create your own path. Your future career is waiting.

At the University of Hertfordshire, we see your potential, we hear your ambitions and we support your futures. From the moment we meet, we will set you on a path to achieving your goals. We will drive you forward, we will actively guide you every step of the way. You may not be confident or you may have questions – but we believe in you and we will help you find the answers. You may have a goal that you want to achieve – we can help focus you. You may want an experience – we can get you some. Here at Herts, there are many pathways to success, so let us empower your future, and take you all the way. This is your platform, your opportunity to succeed – so what are you waiting for?

Prepare to succeed

Show employers what you’re made of. We’re big on placements – and for good reason. Research tells us that over 70% of employers prefer students with work experience. That’s because placements aren’t just an excellent way to put what you’ve learnt into practice, they also show employers what you’re like as a person – with all those attributes like ambition, teamwork and a can-do attitude. To make sure our students get that work experience advantage, we’ve developed strong links with businesses and organisations here and internationally. These have allowed us to build valuable placement opportunities, from short-term experience to full-year paid placements, into many of our courses. What’s more, you won’t have to pay fees during the year you’re on placement.

Passport to success

Many students at Hertfordshire have the chance to study or work overseas – for a semester, a summer or even a whole year. Studying or working abroad is a great way to immerse yourself in a new culture, broaden your horizons and create many unforgettable memories. We have partnerships with many universities across the world, including in the USA, Canada, Latin America, Africa, China, Korea, Japan, Australia, and across Europe. The cost of living in many countries is lower than in the UK and you’ll still be eligible for any grants or loans you’d get if you were studying here. Most students also pay no tuition fees during the year away and may be eligible for one of our scholarships to help with living and travelling costs.

Learn from the best

We like to think our teaching is a little different. Not only are our academics experts in their respective fields, but everything they teach is shaped by businesses and industry, giving you the subject-specific and transferable skills for an exciting career. Alongside your core subject, you’ll also be able to pick up other qualifications to help you stand out to employers. From mentoring to Microsoft qualifications, City & Guilds awards to getting your pilot’s licence, there’s a tonne of ways to build an impressive CV.

Key Facts

• TEF Gold : Our teaching is among the best in the UK.
• 170 : Study abroad at one of over 170 universities in 40 countries around the world.
• National Rankings : 4th Economics 7th Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management 10th Engineering: Electronic and Electrical.
• Number 1 for Games : TIGA Games Industry Award 2019.
• 96.5% of students in employment or further study within 6 months.
• Award-winning : Employment mock assessment centre simulation (Institute of Student Employers).
• Career enhancing experience : Our students have undertaken placements at companies including KPMG, Tesla Motors (UK), Microsoft and GSK.

Learning and teaching

Whatever your background, wherever you are from, we believe that higher education can be a transformational experience.

We develop graduates who are capable, creative and enterprising. Through engaging with employers and professional bodies who contribute to the development of our curriculum and our status as one of only 20 University Enterprise Zones, we transform the lives of our students.

We offer the flexibility, opportunity and community students need to succeed. We achieve this by:

combining traditional teaching methods with digital resources including our online student network, StudyNet teaching courses that are designed with the input of business and professional bodies giving students the chance to learn about employability through listening to the experience of our alumni organising networking events where staff, students and graduates can meet offering a vibrant multicultural campus by increasing the proportion of international students on campus giving students the option of studying at one of our partner universities overseas supporting students in their learning and living offering students valuable work experience in research, business or industry before their final academic year.

Vision

Our vision is to transform lives. This means whatever your background, wherever you are from, we will drive your potential, powering you to succeed.

We are committed to having a positive transformational impact on every member of our university community, and to share our successes with the community around us.

Our strategy

We support a diverse range of students, staff, businesses, researchers and members of the community. What they all share is the desire to make the most of the opportunities in front of them. Our strategy will enable us to power their potential and achieve their goals.

Students, businesses and the local community are all motivated by the same thing. Finding ways to make the most of the opportunities in front of them, by tapping into their individual or collective potential. Powering Potential is embedded in our philosophy. This means – to transform lives, we not only find potential, but we also harness it and drive it.

Key strategic themes

Students, businesses and the local community are all motivated by the same thing. Finding ways to make the most of the opportunities in front of them, by tapping into their individual or collective potential. Powering Potential is embedded in our philosophy. This means – to transform lives, we not only find potential, but we also harness it and drive it.

Offering opportunity

We offer every student the opportunity to succeed, with varied and well-signposted routes into university and clear pathways through study. We support students to achieve to the best of their ability and will support them in preparing for global opportunities after graduation. We will use our links in business, our research expertise, and our global outlook, to transform lives.

Building community

We are a diverse and welcoming community with a global reach and a common purpose, to transform lives, which we will work together to achieve. Through communities of learning, exploration and knowledge, we celebrate diversity and share our passions. We want all our students and staff to find their communities here. We are engaged as a Civic University in our region, supporting schools, colleges and students. We will share our knowledge, culture, research and resources with businesses, the professions and the wider community.

Embracing flexibility

We will respond flexibly to the challenges and opportunities ahead. Flexible modes of study will support our students to succeed and allow them to engage with a greater range of opportunities in education, extra-curricular activities and work experience. We want our students to follow their interests and passions to transform their lives and to be empowered by a choice of pathways that take them to the next stage and open doors to the future.

Our values

We provide opportunities to attract, retain and develop individuals. We are building a diverse and inclusive community and we respond with flexibility to the challenges of the changing world. Our values underpin everything we do. We are friendly, ambitious, collegiate, enterprising and student-focussed.