Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education

The Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) is a masters level teaching qualification for staff at the University of Nottingham.

It is designed to support staff with teaching responsibilities to be effective teachers. The course provides a practical and theoretical grounding in learning and teaching in higher education and emphasises the links between conceptual frameworks and teaching practice. The PGCHE aims to encourage you to develop a scholarly, reflective inquiry base to inform your teaching and its development.

If you are not a current member of teaching staff at the University of Nottingham but are interested in completing a PGCHE then please go to our PGCHE Global information.

PGCHE Global

University requirement

As part of its commitment to maintaining the highest academic standards in teaching and learning, the University of Nottingham expects all newly appointed or promoted teaching-related staff to complete a required number of credits of the PGCHE.

If you already have a relevant postgraduate qualification or hold nationally recognised status for HE teaching, you may be exempt. View further information about the requirement and exemption criteria.

If you are unsure whether you are required to do the PGCHE, please contact your HR adviser.

Eligibility

Due to the large number of staff required to do the PGCHE, access to the course is limited to teaching-related staff who are required to do the course (or staff in similar roles). However Professional Development run another programme aimed at those who teach as part of another role, for example research staff and postgraduate research students.

For further information, please refer to the Professional Development Learning and Teaching website.

PGCHE structure

Throughout the PGCHE you will be encouraged to relate your study to your own teaching practice and your students' learning. We are fortunate to have a number of experienced academics from around the university who are involved in supporting and assessing you during the PGCHE.

The PGCHE course is a 60-credit qualification and comprises three 20-credit modules.

Module 1: Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (20 credits)
Module 2: Curriculum Design and Assessment in Higher Education
(20 credits)

Successful completion of module 1 and 2 leads to the choice of a third module to complete the PGCHE qualification:

Module 3a: Educational Inquiry Project (20 credits) OR
Module 3b: Developing Blended Learning Environments (20 credits)

Accreditation

The PGCHE programme has been accredited by Advance HE (formerly the Higher Education Academy, HEA), which means the programme is recognised within and outside the university. It also means that you have the opportunity to become an Associate Fellow and Fellow depending on how many credits you complete as explained below.

If you complete 20 PGCHE credits you will gain automatic recognition as an Associate Fellow of the HEA
If you complete 40 credits, you will gain automatic recognition as a Fellow of the HEA