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Advanced Educational Practice Grad Dip

This Graduate Diploma has been developed to enable participants to reflect on their own educational practice, taking a professional academic approach. The programme's presentation is either fully online for individual students or mixed mode for those joining a school-based cohort group (minimum of 20 participants for the whole programme which includes MA participants).

Covid-19 programme updates

Due to COVID-19, there may have been updates to this programme for the 2020 academic year. Where there has been an update, these are indicated with a red alert and a link which will provide further information.

Key information

Programme starts

January 2020, September 2020

Modes and duration

Full time: 1 year
Part time: 2 years
Flexible: up to 5 years
Distance learning: available

All students usually study the Graduate Diploma online where attendance is recorded through responses to Keep In Touch (KIT) tasks.

Application dates

January 2020 entry
Open: 4 February 2019
Close: 22 November 2019

Tuition fees (2020/21)

UK/EU:
£5,960 (FT)
£2,980 (PT)
Overseas:
£13,410 (FT)
£6,705 (PT)


Note on fees: The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website. The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website. Please note: students starting study in January 2021 will pay fees at the 2020/21 rate. Modular fees are pro-rated based on the credit value undertaken each year.

Location: Distance learning programme

Entry requirements

An ordinary degree or level 5 equivalent qualification (e.g. Cambridge International Education Professional Development Qualification studied in English) as this is an Honours level award (i.e. level 6).

English language requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

The English language level for this programme is: Good

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

International students

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below.

Select your country:

About this degree

This programme has been developed to respond to educational practitioner needs in both UK and international settings.  Students will reflect on learning, curriculum and practitioner inquiry within their educational settings.  It is also designed as pre-masters level teaching so enabling those whose undergraduate qualifications do not meet master's level entry the opportunity to gain a qualification which will prepare them for master's level.

Students undertake modules to the value of 120 credits.

The programme consists of four optional 30-credit modules.

Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded a Grad Dip in Advanced Educational Practice.

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.

Compulsory modules

There is no compulsory module in the Advanced Educational Practice Graduate Diploma programme.  Students may study up to four optional modules in any order.

Optional modules

Students choose four of the following:

  • Developing Mentoring Practices
  • Independent Study
  • Supporting Learners and Learning
  • Teacher as Author: Curriculum Design and Development
  • The Action Researcher: Exploring Contexts and Issues
  • Developing the Role of the Higher or Further Education Tutor
  • Assessing Colleagues' Learning
Covid-19 module updates
Due to COVID-19, there may be updates to the modules for your chosen programme of study this year. Some modules may not be available or may need to be moved to a later term or year of study. These updates are relevant for 2020-21 academic year only.  The full list of modules will be available in the module catalogue from late August.  From the first week of September, you will be invited to complete module selection from Portico, our student record system. There may need to be additional updates or changes to modules during the academic year to allow for new guidance from the UK Government and Public Health England. Your department shall keep you updated of these changes as they become available.

Dissertation/report

Not applicable.

Fieldwork

Students are expected to be working in educational settings, or have access to educational settings as a volunteer. Some modules have an expectation that participants will carry out an inquiry or project in their educational setting.  This can be as a volunteer but the team do not make placements or arrange field opportunities.


Covid-19 field trip updates
Due to COVID-19 updates, there may need to be changes to planned field trips for this programme. This will depend on travel restrictions, social distancing measures, and the availability of the relevant venues. Your department will keep you updated if field trips are able to occur and/or any alternative options available.
Covid-19 placement updates
Due to COVID-19 updates, there may need to be changes to planned placements for this programme. This will depend on social distancing measures, the availability of the relevant placements, and the relative risk of completing the placement. Your department will keep you updated if placements are able to occur and/or any alternative options available.

Teaching and learning

This programme is delivered through a combination of workshops and tutorials to school-based cohort groups or fully online through our virtual learning environment (VLE) Moodle, to individuals. All participants are assessed by coursework (which may be an essay, portfolio or presentation) on completion of each module and receive both formative written assessment on a draft and summative written assessment following final submission.

Each module studied will have taught elements online which will include engagement with tutors through forums.  This will take up to 25% of their time.  A further 10% of time may include individual tutorial through digital software (e.g. Skype, FaceTime etc.).  The remainder of a student's time is in independent study.

Covid-19 contact hours on campus
In Term One, while campus will be open, all the learning activity for the core content of your modules will take place online – including lectures, tutorials, seminars and assessments. By “core content” we mean everything you need to learn to complete the module successfully. In addition to these online contact hours, we will be offering some face-to-face educational activities for students on campus, and we will provide alternative online activities for those students unable to join us on campus. These activities, which will include contact with academic staff, will be relevant to your programme of study may include seminars, academic and employability skills workshops, small-group or individual tutorials, lab and practice-based teaching. UK Government safety guidelines will limit the amount of ‘in person’ activity we can offer and while it will vary from programme to programme, is likely to be no more than 1-2 hours per week. This will vary across departments, particularly if your programme includes laboratory/practical/studio/workshop sessions. You will be updated with more specific details as they are available and your timetable will indicate which sessions will be on campus and which will be available online.
Covid-19 assessment updates
There may be changes to the format of assessments for modules in this programme due to COVID-19. These will be summarised for each module on the module catalogue from 17 August 2020.   If any changes to assessments need to be made during the academic year due to updates in government guidance, these will be communicated to you as soon as possible from your department.    
Communicating further Covid-19 mitigation plans
We are continuing to follow UK Government guidance, as well as the expertise of our researchers, including specialists in health, education, human behaviour and infection prevention, to make sure UCL is as safe as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. If it becomes necessary to make further changes to your programme as a result of new guidance/regulations, UCL and your department will communicate these as soon as this becomes clear. We will keep you up-to-date with our plans throughout term one, so you have the information you need to be able to take decisions that are right for your circumstances. Please ensure that you keep in touch with your department by regularly checking your UCL emails, Moodle courses, the Coronavirus FAQs for Students page and any UCL online groups or social media you follow.

Additional costs

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.

Funding

Scholarships relevant to this department are displayed below.

IOE-Clarke Scholarships

Note:
Deadline Monday 25 May 2020 (5pm London time).
Value:
Tuition fees, stipend, flights (1 year)
Eligibility:
Overseas
Criteria:
Based on both academic merit and financial need

IOE-ISH Centenary Masters Scholarships

Note:
Deadline: Monday 18 May 2020 (5pm London time).
Value:
Full tuition fees and accommodation (1 year)
Eligibility:
Overseas
Criteria:
Based on both academic merit and financial need

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

Careers

The majority of students on this programme are currently working as teaching assistants in the UK and others as teachers in international settings.  It is expected that study on the programme will support promotion in their roles as well as application for master's level awards.

Employability

The programme is designed to empower students as education practitioners through development of transferable academic skills in practitioner research and engagement with literature.

Why study this degree at UCL?

Through an established virtual learning environment, students follow directed tasks including reading, video and audio clips and full lectures presented by IOE academics. Responses are then shared with the online community and students are encouraged to respond to each other.

Students are supported in exploring their practice through engagement with research including academic and professional literature, so examining updated knowledge about theories and practices in education.

The study is expected to support the everyday educational practices students are involved in through engagement in reflection and critical analysis of those practices.

Department: Curriculum, Pedagogy & Assessment

Application and next steps

Applications

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

Who can apply?

This award has been developed alongside master's awards for teachers, teaching assistants, educational administrators, lecturers, tutors, educational psychologists and other professionals such as those in medicine, the police force, librarians and support staff working in educational settings.  It is particularly focused on professional development in practice.

Application deadlines

January 2020 entry
22 November 2019

For more information see our Applications page.

Apply now

What are we looking for?

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Advanced Educational Practice at graduate level
  • why you want to study Advanced Educational Practice at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to the chosen programme
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

Normally applicants for the Graduate Diploma in Advanced Educational Practice are working in educational settings.  This may be full-time, part-time or as a volunteer.

Most applicants are teachers, tutors or teaching assistants, but we welcome applicants from other professions who support learning in their settings.

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.

Page last modified on 13 August 2020