Deaf Education PGDip

This Postgraduate Diploma provides a flexible opportunity for professional development in the area of deaf education. Less intensive than the Masters route (see MA Deaf Education) this course allows you to qualify as a teacher of the deaf without the need for a dissertation.

Designed for individuals in work, the course allows you to learn through distance learning materials, which are supported by tutorials and regular day schools as well as two short residential stays which will allow you to learn from fellow students.

Drawing on your own experiences with deaf children, the course allows you to reflect upon this critically and relate your knowledge to current theories and research regarding childhood deafness, development and learning.

Expertise

The School of Education has a national reputation both in teaching and research in the field of deaf education and draws students from all over England and Northern Ireland with a variety of experiences and knowledge, which you can also benefit from as part of our community.

Accreditation

Approved by the Department for Education (DfE) to offer the Mandatory Qualification for Teachers of the Deaf, the programme integrates cutting-edge research knowledge with practitioner expertise to develop skilled, knowledgeable and critical practitioners.

Central to the programme is an understanding of the establishment of language fluency and effective communication as a basis for cognitive, social and emotional development. It recognises of the plural and diverse linguistic contexts of deaf children’s lives and that maximising engagement with curriculum must be the educational priority for all deaf learners.

Individual auditory potential must be carefully evaluated and regularly reappraised for all deaf children. Consideration is, therefore, given to the range of communicative and educational demands of the different contexts in which children learn so that advances in personal and assistive hearing technologies, combined with acoustic environment management, can be optimised for deaf learners.

Through consideration of the roles of spoken and signed languages and increasingly sophisticated hearing technologies in deaf children’s lives and education, you will develop a broad language base and the skills to respond flexibly to deaf children’s dynamic and changing communication needs.

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Deaf Education PGDip in the course catalogue

Modules

Year 1

Year 2

Learning and teaching

Each core module comprises a study day or a short residential in Leeds, followed by twelve online sessions, two live online tutorials and a live regional tutorial. Bespoke online meetings, phone, email and TEAMS support is also available from tutors.

On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

Assessment is through a combination of essays, critical reports and a practical skill portfolio that includes assessed teaching.

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree (hons) with a 2:1 or non-UK equivalent.

You will also need ...

• Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or Qualified Teacher Learning and skills (QTLS) (required for Teacher of the Deaf award)

• two years of teaching experience or experience of working with deaf children in educational settings

• access to a school or service's audiological resources and support

• British Sign Language CACDP/ Signature/ iBSL Level 1 or equivalent

• access to local sign language tuition

• access to internet facilities for e-learning.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read  Language for Education (6 weeks) and Language for Social Science and Arts: Education (10 weeks).

We are now offering online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals.  To find out more, read Online Academic English pre-sessional (10 weeks) and Online Academic English pre-sessional (6 weeks).

Read about differences between our online and on-campus summer pre-sessionals.

If you need to study for longer than 10 weeks, read more about our postgraduate pre-sessional English course.

How to apply

Application deadlines

International – Friday 1 July 2022

UK – Friday 19 August 2022

If you intend to apply for funding, you should submit an application for a place on your chosen course at least one month before any specific scholarship deadline.

Apply

This link takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.

If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Documents and information we will need include:

• Original or certified copies of your transcripts

• Original or certified copies of your degree certificate

• Original or certified copy of your IELTS/TOEFL results (if English is not your first language)

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy 2023

Fees

• UK: £7,750 (total)
• International: £7,750 (total)

Read more about paying fees and charges.

For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.

Part-time fees
Fees for part-time courses are normally calculated based on the number of credits you study in a year compared to the equivalent full-time course. For example, if you study half the course credits in a year, you will pay half the full-time course fees for that year.

Additional cost information

This fee includes the cost of the two programme residentials. It does not include the cover and travel costs associated with programme attendance and teaching placements.

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs.

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government.  Find out more at Masters funding overview.

Scholarships are available to UK/EU schools or services funding multiple students in a single year to the MA or PGDip Deaf Education (Teacher of the Deaf) programmes.

For further details see our scholarships page.

Graduates will use the knowledge and skills developed throughout this specialist teaching qualification to progress in their existing educational roles or pursue opportunities in schools, local authority support services or clinical programmes.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.

For the Teacher of the Deaf award, a minimum 20-day assessed teaching placement is required. Additional days may be required depending on experience.