Course overview
Do you want to improve your teaching skills? If so, this 8-month PG Cert will provide you with an understanding of learning, philosophy and education theories. This will help you to effectively tailor your educational resources, assessments and teaching and learning methods to meet a range of student needs.
Through this online short course, you will examine professional practice in education. It will assist with your ongoing professional development, including research and enquiry, critical reflection and participation in discourse with relevant communities of practice.
This PG Cert Education (Educational Practice) is a great stand-alone qualification and it can also be used as a stepping stone towards the PG Dip Education or full Master of Education (M.Ed.).
Study method
- Online
- Blended
- In-class
Awards

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Duration study load
- 8 months – Part-time
Entry requirements
At University of Essex Online, we believe that everyone should be able to access education. That is why we offer two different entry routes onto our PG Cert Education (Educational Practice), which considers academic or work-based experience.
Academic entry route
You must have the following qualifications as a minimum:
- an undergraduate degree from an approved institution, equivalent to a UK Honours degree, or a relevant professional qualification
Work experience entry route
You must meet the following criteria:
- at least two years’ teaching experience in a post-compulsory educational setting
English language requirement
Our courses are taught in English so to study with us you must have an IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 or equivalent. If you don’t hold an IELTS or equivalent qualification, you will be required to pass a free online English test to assess your proficiency.
Pathways
- PG Dip Education
- Master of Education (M.Ed.)
Course features
We believe you get the most out of your time spent studying when you are kept informed of your performance, and we achieve this by:
- assessing you throughout modules rather than waiting for end of year assessments
- showing your marks in your grade book which can be viewed whenever you log onto the virtual learning environment (VLE)
- rapid turnaround on work assessed to ensure your grade book is always up to date
- ensuring you have regular contact with your Student Support team
Assessment
All assessments are delivered through our virtual learning environment (VLE). There is no requirement to travel to external test centres or to sit exams! Instead, you will submit assignments through the VLE, such as written reports, discussion forum participation or reflective journal entries.
We also have a policy of ensuring that the work submitted by students is authentic – we use a well-established electronic monitoring system to check for plagiarism.
Career prospects
This online short course will help education professionals to improve their practice as teachers, lecturers, training advisers and administrators, policy developers, and researchers, as well as other related professions. Additionally, this qualification could help to open doors to more senior roles or leadership positions. On successful completion of this course, you will also be able to progress onto our PG Dip Education or Master of Education (M.Ed.) programmes.
Delivery
We’re a 100% online education provider, so we use a state-of-the-art virtual learning environment (VLE) to deliver our teaching, resources and assessments. Our system tracks and manages the learning process in real-time and provides you with immediate access to your learning materials. The VLE is accessible 24/7 and allows both students and tutors to actively take part in real-time conversations and live Q&As.
Subjects
You can study the following modules on the PG Cert Education (Educational Practice):
* These modules are core and must be passed in order to achieve the award.
About University of Essex Online
University of Essex Online delivers 100% online part-time courses in business, computing, education, health, law, criminology and psychology. The qualifications we offer include CertHEs and Bachelors degrees at undergraduate level, and PG Certs, PG Dips and Masters degrees at postgraduate level, with study durations ranging from 8 months to 4 years.
We are one of the longest-running providers of 100% online degrees in the UK. All our courses are specifically designed for online delivery, combining silver-standard teaching with the latest technology and enabling you to gain a top-class education from anywhere in the world.
All our qualifications are awarded and validated by the University of Essex, an award-winning university with a 50-year heritage of teaching and research excellence. On completion of your studies, you’ll be invited to graduate at the University of Essex’s Colchester campus. You will receive the same certificate as campus-based students – your mode of study is only mentioned on your academic transcript.
Gaining an undergraduate qualification with the University of Essex Online also puts you in good stead for your career prospects. Results from their 2021 student survey showed:
- 92% of students said their course helped develop their research skills
- 89% of students say their studies fit with their future plans
- 25% of students saw their salaries increase by up to 10%