Do you want to partake in the empowerment of young people aged 12-18 through education and play a part in helping each individual student in your classroom achieve their potential?
Our Master in Post Primary Education is developed by teachers for teachers to help you become a professional educator, positioned to be a leader in the field of post primary teaching. Hibernia College has a reputation for pioneering new teaching methodologies and embracing change in the ever-evolving world of education.
On this programme, you will specialise in two post primary level subjects and your enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, these subjects is what will enable you to foster a love of learning in your future students.
It is not a requirement to have prior teaching experience to be eligible to apply for this course.
The Post Primary teaching course is for those who want to effect change in a meaningful way, by realising the talents and passions of their students and encouraging young people to utilise and get the most out of their abilities.
You understand that the role of the teacher is to facilitate the academic and personal growth of your students, allowing them to develop appropriate skills and social abilities.
You are passionate about your two teaching subjects and it is this passion and subject mastery that will motivate and foster a love of the subject material in your students, thereby ensuring that they bring as much learning as possible with them in to their future endeavours.
You believe in the importance of engaging with students beyond the classroom. Extracurricular activities allow you to build rapport with your students and staff alike.
The Master in Post Primary Education is a 120-credit award at level 9 and the duration of the programme is two years. It is a blended learning programme, combining online content, virtual learning environments and face-to-face delivery to develop professionals and experts who are positioned to be leaders in the field of post-primary education.
The PME in Post Primary Education at Hibernia College consists of a sequence of modules that reflect the contemporary issues faced by post primary teachers today and the skills and knowledge required of them in order to be expert teachers who enable effective student learning. In particular, it recognises the importance of ensuring that student teachers consider that teaching itself is understood and practised as a form of self-critical learning by them; learning that is driven by inquiry, reflection and improvements based on evidence (Teaching Council 2011).
The content, learning and assessment processes of the programme aim to provide skills and knowledge such that student teachers understand the role of the teacher as a professional, reflective and reflexive practitioner.
There is a highly favourable employment outlook for our post primary school teaching graduates due to the demographic explosion in Ireland, the short term shortage in the number of newly qualified teachers resulting from new Teaching Council requirements, and the increasing international demand for Irish trained teachers.
Application Fee: €95
Course tuition fees: €15,000
Fees are payable as follows:
Year 1: €7,500
Year 2: €7,500
A deposit payment of €1,000 is required to secure your place. The balance of Year 1 fees, €6,500 are payable by the applicable due date.
Hibernia College is an approved college for the purposes of s.473 A of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997, enabling eligible students to avail of tax relief on tuition fees paid. More details are available on the Irish Revenue website.
Garda Vetting Fees: €50
Graduation: current fee is €100
Payment of tuition fees are to be made by bank transfer. Application fees are paid online, and must be paid in full before application will be processed.
Loan Facility for Students
The TUI Credit Union have introduced a loan facility for students of post primary teacher education. Please click here for more information.
The Hibernia College Post Primary Schools Partnership Programme (PPSPP)
The PPSPP is a partnership between Irish post primary schools and Hibernia College. It aims to create a positive, supportive and progressive learning and practice environment for graduate student teachers (GSTs) on teaching placements in schools. Hibernia College students must complete three blocks of school experience/professional practice of seven, seven and ten weeks’ duration as part of their Professional Master of Education programme. School Experience is the cornerstone of the programme when students are afforded an opportunity to engage in classroom practice in two subject areas and acquire the teaching skills and competencies required to fully participate in all aspects of post primary school life.
Benefit to Schools
There is strong evidence that schools which partner in Initial Teacher Education benefit in many ways. This is a powerful professional development opportunity for co-operating teachers, mentors and the wider school community. Mentoring requires the development of leadership skills, invites a re-evaluation of the mentor’s own practice, exposes the school to new resources and fresh approaches, and offers mentors access to a mentor network, where best practice can be shared and research and other career-focused networks can be forged.
Programme Director, PME Post Primary
Louise holds a B.A. (Hons.) in English Studies, a Higher Diploma in Education and a Ph.D in Education from Trinity College. Louise has extensive experience working at both second and third level. She taught English for 13 years and also held the post of School Principal. She has worked as a teaching practice/school placement supervisor and lectured in English Teaching Methodologies in the School of Education in Trinity College, Dublin for 10 years. She also held the post of Head of School Placement, placing student teachers in schools throughout the country and has been involved in the supervision and examination of M.Ed theses. She has worked as a tutor for English Teaching Methodologies, Research Methods and School Placement in Hibernia College for a number of years.
Louise’s research interests include language, educational disadvantage, the use of active and creative teaching methods, most specifically Drama in Education (D.I.E.), in the classroom and Initial Teacher Education. Louise’s Ph.D explores the concept of linguistic disadvantage in the broader context of disadvantage and educational disadvantage. It is a study of the nature of the linguistic discontinuity that can exist for disadvantaged pupils between their home language and the formal language used in schools. It seeks to ascertain if Drama in Education (D.I.E.), a creative approach to teaching and learning, can be used in a designated disadvantaged school to address linguistic differences and to facilitate pupils’ exploration of formal language, in order to increase their access to the curriculum and its formal linguistic requirements. Louise has presented at a number of conferences both nationally and internationally.
Head of Research and Assessment. PME Post Primary
Karen holds an MA in Sociology and Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. Karen is a qualified teacher and has delivered QQI accredited programmes to adults returning to education. Most recently, Karen was responsible for programme design, management, delivery and assessment of educational programmes for a variety of commercial and state bodies across Ireland. Prior to joining the team at Hibernia College, Karen lead a research project commissioned by Higher Education Authority (HEA) and ACE Consortium based in Dublin City University.
Programme Manager, PME Post Primary
Nicola holds an MA in Economics, Policy, Evaluation and Planning from the National University of Ireland, Galway. Most recently, Nicola was responsible for the management of assessments and awards at Hibernia College. Prior to joining the team at Hibernia College, Nicola worked as a Business Advisor with Mayo County Enterprise Board, and as a Project Development Manager leading to the establishment of a third level outreach centre in Co. Roscommon. As Programme Manager for the Post Primary education programmes, Nicola acts as a central contact for all departments involved in the development and delivery of programmes, ensuring all logistical aspects run smoothly.
Professional Practice Manager, PME Post Primary
Sinead holds a Certificate in Chemistry from IT Tallaght and a BSc in Physics and Instrumentation from GMIT. Sinead worked as an engineer in Intel before joining the Hibernia College team. She worked for a number of years as a Programme Administrator for both the Primary and Post Primary programmes before moving into her role as Professional Practice Coordinator.
All applicants must satisfy the following requirements:
Level 8 degree
English qualification
Applicants are required to have a Level 8 degree, which satisfies the curricular subject criteria which are set and regulated by the Department of Education and Skills in association with the Teaching Council of Ireland, and which must be satisfied independently of Hibernia College’s entry requirements.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to ascertain whether their specific qualifications are in accord with the Teaching Council requirements, satisfying the general and specific criteria for post primary registration purposes. As part of your PME Post Primary application, you are required to complete a subject declaration form for all subjects you are qualified to teach and which you are seeking to have recorded on the Teaching Council’s Register of Teachers. Teaching Council regulations stipulate that, in addition to holding a Level 8 degree (or equivalent) on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications, you must meet the requirements for at least one post primary curricular subject. The requirements for all qualifying subjects are set by the Teaching Council.
Applicants must follow the Teaching Council guidelines:
In addition to the above, Hibernia College requires all applicants to possess:
A minimum grade C / O5 (Ordinary Level) or grade D / H6 (Higher Level) in Leaving Certificate English.
Or
A minimum grade C in GCSE English or minimum grade C in GCSE English Literature
Or
An equivalent qualification and standard in English
Note 1: Applicants who are unsure of the level of their primary degree should contact the conferring college or university or contact QQI.
Note 2: Hibernia College is in no way responsible for the assessment of qualifications for the purpose of registration. While we will make every effort at the time of application to notify applicants if we believe there may be a concern with their qualification, the fact that they are accepted on to the Professional Master of Education programme does not mean their degree will be recognised for entry on to the Register of Teachers by the Teaching Council. Hibernia College will not be held responsible if a graduate of the Professional Master of Education is refused admission to the Register of Teachers on the basis of an erroneous declaration at the point of application and admission to the programme.
Note 3: There are no concessions for mature students. All applicants must meet the same minimum entry requirements to be considered for admission to the programme, and all applicants who meet those requirements will be called for interview.
Note 4: All students entering the programme will be subject to Garda vetting. Students successful in securing an offer of a place on the programme will be advised that all offers are subject to a satisfactory Garda vetting.
All applicants who are deemed to have met the entry requirements and who have submitted a fully completed application form, with supporting documentation and payment of the application fee, will be interviewed.
We strongly encourage applicants to submit their completed application form as early as possible.
Acceptance and entry to the course is by interview. The process is as follows:
Once an interview has been scheduled, in the unlikely event that an applicant has no choice but to cancel, the Admissions Team will endeavour to re-schedule the interview. However, during busy periods or nearing the start date of the programme, this may not be possible. Please note that if you are not in a position to attend the interview on the date offered, it is important that this is communicated to the Admissions Team at the earliest opportunity.
The interview is approximately 35 minutes long and is before a panel of two subject experts.
The interview will have general and subject specific questions.
Applicants will be asked question on both of their subjects and should prepare accordingly.
All candidates will complete a 15 minute reflective task prior to interview. The reflective task will provide candidates with an opportunity to demonstrate their subject competence in their elected subject areas.
The interview will focus on four key elements:
Candidates will be given the opportunity to show they possess skills, interest and enthusiasm for both of their subject areas and the profession.
Candidates will be provided with an opportunity to show that they have investigated both of their subjects and have given some thought to teaching at different levels to different class groups. The reflective task which candidates will complete prior to interview will also be used to ascertain the candidate’s subject knowledge.
Candidates should be able to display knowledge of Hibernia College and the programme for which they have applied.
Candidates will have the opportunity to demonstrate competencies which will be pertinent to teaching e.g. effective planning, responsiveness and interpersonal and reflective skills.
Please note that this list is given as a guide only.
The subject-specific questions aim to assess knowledge and awareness of both your chosen subjects’ curricula.
The programme is taught over approximately two calendar years and it involves a workload of approximately 37 hours a week.
The College does not provide verification that the programme is defined as full-time or part-time for the purposes of third parties, as those third parties have different definitions of these terms. For example, under academic rules 60 ECTs of study is deemed to be one year’s full-time study, but some Government departments define all blended study as part-time irrespective of student workload. The College will provide full information on how the programme is provided, but cannot categorise this into full or part times for the purposes of a third party.
Hibernia College is a blended learning institution dedicated to improving access to higher education through the delivery of accessible programmes. Hibernia College is the most accessible and flexible initial teacher education provider in Ireland and this PME in Post Primary Education is the only such programme that is available to graduate student teachers wherever they live.
This PME programme does require a considerable commitment of the student for self-study, online tutorials, onsite workshops and blocks of school experience. Please be aware that students will be required to travel to attend onsite sessions on Saturdays. All practical components of the course are taught during face-to-face classes. Online tutorials take place after 6pm on weekday evenings and on-demand programme content is available for students to study at a time that suits them.
No. It is not a requirement to have prior teaching experience to be eligible to apply for this course.
There are two intakes per year, in the spring and autumn, normally April and September.
No. All applicants must meet the same minimum entry requirements to be considered for admission to the programme and all applicants who meet those requirements will be called for interview.
Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an email from the Admissions team confirming receipt and outlining further information about the interview format and other practical details. This email will contain a likely timeframe for interview. In general, depending on how busy the period is, this can be 1-4 weeks. We endeavour to provide candidates with a minimum of 5 days’ notice of their interview time and date. Applicants should be prepared to accept an interview within this timeframe. Interviews normally take place at the Hibernia College Dublin office.
If you are unsure of the level of your primary degree, you should contact the conferring college or university, or contact the awarding body or QQI.
No, not for application to this programme. However, prior learning and significant experience may be taken into account when assessing suitability for the second subject methodology.
The live online tutorials generally take place on weekdays from 6-9.30 pm.
No. There is no upper age limit.
Yes, there is a limit. In the interest of fairness to applicants who are unsuccessful, the College will accept one repeat application following the initial application.
Following which, they must take a break in applying for two calendar years. This is intended as a means of affording applicants the time required to address any shortcomings identified in their application.
Eligible applicants will be required to complete an interview process that will comprise a reflective task in your elected teaching subjects accompanied by a formal interview that will consist of general and subject specific questions. The subject-specific part of the interview will provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate your subject competence in your elected subject areas. The general interview questions will provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your suitability for post primary school teaching. The interview will take place at Hibernia College.
Ultimately, your level 8 degree will determine your choice of these two subjects when applying for the programme. It is the Teaching Council, not Hibernia College, who will determine what subject(s) your degree will allow you to teach.
Once you complete the PME in Post Primary Education course with Hibernia College you will register as a teacher with the Teaching Council of Ireland. In order to do this, you need to meet their requirements in at least ONE of your two subjects. You must ascertain whether you meet these requirements BEFORE applying to Hibernia College. To do this you must fill out a declaration form for all of your registrable subjects.
The declaration form outlines what credits and modules you need to register in a subject. There is then space for you to fill in your course modules and credits awarded. It will be clear once you have completed the form if you meet the criteria or not. You should have your degree transcripts or list of modules to hand when filling out the forms to speed up the process.
You will need to submit either one or two declaration forms when applying to Hibernia College depending on whether you have one or two registrable subjects. The College will then pass this information to the Teaching Council for review. Each student must ensure that they hold the requisite credits when completing the declaration form(s). Failure to meet the criteria, as set out by the Teaching Council, will result in you not gaining Teacher registration status, down the line.
The Professional Diploma of Education is no longer running and has been replaced by the PME in Post Primary Education. Information on the PDE course can be found here.
If you have any additional questions, please email us at info@hiberniacollege.net.
