Course overview
The Postgraduate Diploma in Education is a unique modular and flexible programme designed to reflect the needs of individuals or organisational cohorts. While each module has its own particular focus, all are concerned with investigating contemporary educational issues in the light of economic and social contexts, appropriate literature and the shared experience of course members.
The overall purpose of the Postgraduate Diploma in Education is to deepen and refine your capacity for critical reflection on your practice as well as on the mental models which inform your work. Systematic inquiry is therefore an organising principle that underpins all modules on the programme, and you will be encouraged to identify issues that are significant to you and your organisation.
Course structure
The Postgraduate Diploma in Education requires candidates to complete four taught modules with a total value of 120 credits.
The 30-credit module Practice Based Inquiry is compulsory for this qualification. This is the only compulsory module. Starting from September 2024, Critical Perspective in Curriculum and Pedagogy will become a core module.
For the remainder of the credits, you can choose from any of the School of Education’s other postgraduate taught modules, including any Special and Inclusive Education (SIE) module and any TESOL module.
Each 30-credit module is assessed by a written assignment of 6,000 words (or equivalent).
To complete the programme successfully, a pass of 50 must be achieved on each assignment.
Career opportunities
This course can aid the development of educational careers across a range of institutions. It offers insights into key educational issues that are useful to leaders, managers, teachers and others with an interest in education. It offers broader insights than our other MA programmes, and allows students to tailor their studies to their own specific professional needs.
FAQ
What is a Postgraduate Diploma in Education?
The Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) programme is a postgraduate qualification for individuals who want to become professional educators. It is designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills and practical expertise to undertake and excel in teaching roles. This programme is recognised by the Ministry of Education in Malaysia.
How long does it take to complete the Postgraduate Diploma in Education at UNM?
At UNM, students can opt to do this course part-time, which will take between 2 to 4 years, or full-time, which will take 1 to 2 years.
What career opportunities are available after completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Education?
Upon successful completion, graduates can pursue careers as educators at public or private schools, international schools, and other educational institutions. You will be able to make a positive impact in your chosen specialisation and the field of education.
Who should consider doing a Postgraduate Diploma in Education?
The following individuals should consider a Postgraduate Diploma in Education:
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Individuals who have a bachelor’s degree and have a passion for education and teaching.
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Professionals from other fields who want to transition into a career in education.
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Aspiring teachers.
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Teaching assistants who want to enhance their qualifications and career prospects.
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Education professionals who want to develop pedagogical knowledge, teaching techniques and classroom management skills.
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Individuals who wish to teach in international schools or seek a recognised qualification to enhance their credentials and employability.
Will there be teaching practice opportunities during the Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme?
Yes, students will be exposed to teaching practice components that provide valuable opportunities to apply their skills in classroom settings. This helps with the gaining of practical teaching experience and the development of pedagogical abilities.
Can I pursue further studies after completing the PGDE programme?
Yes, you can. Graduates can continue their studies with a Master’s or PhD in Education or related fields. In fact, doing so will allow you to enhance your knowledge and qualifications, opening up additional career advancement opportunities in education. Suggested courses you can pursue at UNM after completing the Postgraduate Diploma in Education include
Is financial assistance available for the Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme?
Is a postgraduate diploma equivalent to a master’s degree?
While both are postgraduate qualifications, they are not equivalent to each other. They differ in duration, depth of study, and academic recognition.
A postgraduate diploma is usually a shorter programme that focuses on specialised knowledge and skills in a particular field (in this case, education) and often includes practical training components. They provide advanced knowledge and expertise in a specific area.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
A relevant second class honours degree (or international equivalent). Relevant experience may be required for some of the modules. Non-UK qualifications will be assessed against this standard.
Malaysians applying as a matured student without the standard entry requirements but with substantial and relevant work experience (and have successfully passed APEL’s assessment through Malaysian Qualifications Agency) may be considered for an entry at the Postgraduate Certificate Level. Admission is at the discretion of the School.
Applicants must have graduated from an approved university. Other equivalent qualifications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Entry requirements in the prospectus and website may not always apply and individual offers may vary.
English language requirements
IELTS (Academic): 6.5 (with no less than 6.0 in each element)
TOEFL (iBT): 87 (minimum 20 in Speaking and 19 in all other elements)
PTE (Academic): 71 (with no less than 65 in each element)
MUET: Band 4
IELTS, TOEFL and PTE (Academic) test results must be less than two years old and all IELTS must be the academic version of the test. MUET results are valid for five years from the date of the release of results.
Modules
Typical core module
The content will involve you in active critical consideration of participating in and leadership of practitioner inquiry in relation to professional context mapping and workplace learning.
These processes will be achieved through:
conceptualising different kinds of practitioner inquiry relevant to work-based understanding and development (purposes, processes, contexts, dilemmas, outcomes). examining a range of approaches to educational inquiry, with an emphasis on action research. developing an inquiry into your professional context.
Typical elective modules
Critical Perspective in Curriculum and Pedagogy
This module critically examines contemporary debates surrounding orthodoxies in curriculum, learning and assessment in schools, and how these relate to policy and practice.
In particular it considers the way different orthodoxies frame what children and young people learn in schools, how they learn and how assessment practices inform learning processes. The module will explore these orthodoxies in terms of their origins and purposes and it will consider alternative models from an international perspective.
The module starts by considering the history, politics and ideology of the curriculum as it currently exists. It then develops understanding through application of psychological, social and cultural theories of learning and assessment. These theorised views of schooling and classroom practices enable us to analyse and critique the wide-ranging policy and research discussions about curriculum, learning and assessment that are currently under way.
You will be engaged in considering how developments of, and alternatives to, current practices will impact learning and teaching in the future.
Starting from September 2024, this module will become a core module.
Social Contexts of Learning
This module focuses on how people learn together in pairs, teams, small groups, the classroom, or an informal community. It works through classical and modern theories of social learning, explaining the social aspects of almost any type of learning and mechanisms that boost the power of learning together.
Equipped with these theories, it explores the various technologies mediating and supporting social learning, such as social media, participation in the World Wide Web, online communities, online communication platforms and virtual reality.
Leading Learning
The module will address the essential features of effective learning, as relevant to your sector by examining:
- The process of learning.
- Supporting learning (for example, through adults, peers and technology) both within and beyond the educational organisation.
- An overview of approaches to improvement and raising achievement in educational organisations.
- Monitoring and evaluation of learning: the use of data, target-setting, monitoring.
Meet the tutor
Please note that we offer two to three modules at each teaching time point.
To maximise your study period, we highly encourage that you align your programme start date with the first module of your choice.
Please email the programme coordinator if you need help with module selection.
Programme coordinator: Dr Chai Xun Yu