Postgraduate Certificate Secondary Education (QTS) - Geography

The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Geography) leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Our specialist programme, which offers high quality training and support, will prepare you to teach in the 11-18 age range and is run in close partnership with schools.

Our Postgraduate Certificate Secondary Education (QTS) geography course is recognised as one of the strongest in the country. It benefits from its supportive partnerships with geography mentors in a variety of schools in the West Midlands. It offers opportunities to learn in a range of settings and includes a week of residential fieldwork with children. The course will encourage you to combine the theory and practice of geographical education, whilst also developing your professional understanding and competence as a geography teacher.

The School of Education benefits from our unique collaboration with the University of Birmingham School as well as a wide range of partner schools, including mixed comprehensive, single sex, religious and selective schools and sixth form colleges. The diverse communities we serve will enrich your experience on the geography teaching programme.

On our PGCE Secondary Education (QTS) geography programme you will be challenged to develop informed and justified decisions about how you approach your teaching, in order to enable you to continue to develop over your career. On successful completion of your PGCE, you may return to study with us on a part-time basis to complete your Masters in Teaching Studies.

You may be eligible for a bursary of up to £25,000 for 2024entry (depending on qualifications) in line with the government’s priority to attract more well qualified Geography teachers.

The School of Education at the University of Birmingham has a long tradition of delivering teacher training courses. Its teaching has been graded as 'outstanding' three times by Ofsted inspectors which affirms the University’s status as one of the UK’s leading institutions for excellence in teacher training.

Employability

The schools in the West Midlands have a high regard for the quality of Birmingham ITE Geography students and we have an impressive record of gaining jobs at the end of the course.

Many of our ex-students are now mentors and Heads of Departments in our partnership schools or in schools further afield. Below, former student Ruth Till talks about her time at the University of Birmingham studying for her degree in Secondary Education followed by her MA Teaching Studies.

We expect candidates for the Secondary PGCE (QTS) to be able to demonstrate the academic quality to teach the subject that they will be training to teach. This will include a strong academic record at A level or equivalent in relevant subjects, along with a strong degree (usually a minimum of 2:2) relevant to the subject taught. In all cases we will be looking at the relevance of your degree, other qualifications and experiences related to your proposed teaching subject in assessing academic suitability. You must also have GCSE Maths and English (Grade 4/C or above) or equivalent qualifications which will be a condition of any offer, if not already achieved. Equivalency tests will be accepted but only from equivalency testing.