Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)

If you want to become a high school teacher, you first need to obtain a degree from one of the other faculties and thereafter enrol for our one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). Choose a degree programme with subjects (one up to at least second-year level and one up to third-year level) that will enable you to teach at least two appropriate school subjects.

Find the requirements for the various teaching specialisations (school subjects) under PGCE in the Faculty of Education Calendar on page 22. The PGCE focuses on the training of high school teachers, specifically for the Further Education and Training Phase (FET).

The Faculty encourages you strongly to take at least two teaching modules; you will improve your career prospects significantly should you be able to teach two school subjects instead of one. However, if you meet the requirements of only one teaching module, this subject area has to be a major in your undergraduate or honours degree. In addition, you have to take the 20-credit Advanced Study module of your specific subject speciality. We cannot guarantee that all the Advanced Study modules will be offered in a particular year because that depends on the availability of staff.

All prospective students who apply for the PGCE, have to complete two weeks of observation at the beginning of the school year before they will be allowed to register for this programme. This observation concludes with handing in a report that constitutes 10% of your final Practical Learning mark. All relevant documents will be made available to prospective students before the end of the preceding year.