Course Providers
The full list of courses available is as follows:
Part-time courses only:
Mary Hare courses in partnership with our new university partner to be announced in 2025
Read on for further details about each course provider.
Part-time courses only:
The University of Birmingham
The School of Education offers a part time two year (120 credit) programme of study, via online learning, leading to a Post Graduate Diploma (PGDip) in Deaf Education for teachers who want to make a difference in the lives of deaf children and young people.
Successful applicants will have DfE Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or Qualified Teaching and Learning Skills (QTLS) status or equivalent and normally have at least one year’s teaching experience.
This blended learning course, designed with busy teachers in mind, consists of 6 modules over the two years:
- Communication and Language Development
- Policy and SEND Professional Identity
- Audiological Management
- The Development of Deaf Children
- Curriculum Access for Deaf Learners
- Effective Teaching of Learners with Sensory Impairment
The course includes online learning, online tutorials and lectures. Students are required to attend two face-to-face Study Weekends each year.
The final module includes a 15 day teaching practice in a provision which is not the student’s usual workplace.
Assessment is via a range of assignments, both formative and summative, finishing with a portfolio of work demonstrating a range of skills crucial for working with deaf children and young people.
Applications are welcome from deaf and hearing teachers.
Students who are successful in gaining their PGDip may continue into a third year of study, engage in a research study linked to an aspect of deaf education, complete a dissertation (60 credits), and finally achieve the MA (Deaf Education).
(Please note that there is an alternative route for practitioners who do not wish to become teachers of deaf children, but who wish to make a difference in the lives of deaf learners. This is the MA Deaf Education. For two years, the same first five modules are studied as outlined above, with an alternative sixth module. Research study of the student’s choosing plus a dissertation complete the MA.)
Enquiries to Dr Emmanouela Terlektsi: [email protected]
The University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh offers a part-time modular programme leading to the award of Postgraduate Diploma in Inclusive Education (Deaf learners) or Masters (MSc). The Diploma programme normally takes 2.5 years and consists of six courses.
- Sources of Knowledge (10 credits) a generic course introducing students to Masters level study.
- Deaf Studies (10 credits) a course about the range of deaf children’s identities.
- Collaborative Working in Children’s Services (20 credits) a generic course about working together in multi agency teams. There are alternatives to this course, e.g. Inclusive Pedagogy, Education for All.
- Language and Communication (20 credits) about deaf children’s language acquisition and development
- Promoting Achievement and Curriculum Access (20 credits) which is about supporting deaf children’s achievement across the age range and the curriculum with a focus on pluriliteracies.
- Audiology and Audiometry (20 credits) about supporting the deaf child audiologically in school and at home.
- Placement (20 credits) which is 20 days in the student’s own workplace with a QToD mentor and 15 days in a contrasting deaf education setting, again with a QToD mentor.
Those who successfully complete the Diploma can progress to the MSc, which can take an additional year. Further details are here. Dr Audrey Cameron and Dr Imran Mulla are both available to supervise Masters dissertations.
The Edinburgh course offers students close support and liaison with deaf education services, a research-active environment in relation to deaf children’s school achievements, social backgrounds and plurilingual identities, and a strong track record of supporting deaf as well as hearing students to become QToDs.
We work closely with the Scottish Sensory Centre: http://www.ssc.education.ed.ac.uk/ Students from the rest of the UK are also welcome and we work towards the Scottish as well as the English competencies. Please contact the course director, Rachel O’Neill, for further details and more about how to apply. Tel: 0131 651 6429 or [email protected] website: https://edin.ac/2zn5A7H
The University of Leeds
The School of Education offers two routes to becoming a Qualified Teacher of the Deaf (QToD) – the Deaf Education (Teacher of the Deaf Qualification) MA or the PGDip Deaf Education (Teacher of the Deaf).
Both routes follow a two-year programme leading to the Mandatory Qualification for Teacher of the Deaf for England and Wales, accredited by the Department for Education (DfE). For MA students, the dissertation (not required for QToDs) may be undertaken in the second or third year and provides an opportunity to explore in depth an aspect of deaf education which you are particularly interested in.
Learning and Teaching
The programme provides teachers with the essential and specialist knowledge, skills and experience needed to work across the full range of educational settings that a ToD is likely to encounter. 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 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 whilst support their development as an individual who is deaf. Through consideration of the roles of spoken and signed languages and increasingly sophisticated hearing technologies, you will develop a broad knowledge base and the skills to respond flexibly to deaf children’s dynamic and changing communication academic, social and emotional needs.
The course is taught using blended learning, providing the opportunity to study both online and face-to-face. Each semester comprises a study day or a short residential in Leeds, followed by online sessions, two live online tutorials and a live regional tutorial. Bespoke online meetings, phone, email and Teams support is also available from tutors. This provides the flexibility for you to balance your studies alongside your existing work and other commitments.
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 the UK with a variety of experiences and knowledge, which you can also benefit from as part of our community. The programme is led by national and international leaders as well as senior practitioners in the field. You will 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. You will also work closely with peers to build a strong network of colleagues from across the UK, across a wide range of settings.
You will become a reflective and critical thinker equipped with the competencies to work with deaf children, their parents/carers and other professionals to prepare deaf learners for life as a deaf adult.
Assessment
Our assessments are varied and designed to develop the skills you need in the field and have been recently updated in response to student feedback. From September 2023 assessed presentations may be delivered in British Sign Language (BSL).
We welcome suitably qualified deaf and hearing applicants and provide appropriate access and support arrangements for all students. All University-based sessions are supported by BSL interpreters and note-takers.
Deaf Education (Teacher of the Deaf) Study Bursaries at the University of Leeds
Bursaries are available for UK Deaf Education schools/services funding more than one student per school/service in a single year to the part-time MA Deaf Education (TOD) programme. Further information can be found here.
Further information can be found via the website or you can contact us directly:
Dr Jackie Salter, Programme Lead (SFHEA, PhD, MA (QToD), PGCE, BSc)
Associate Professor in Inclusive Education (SEND) and Deaf Education, Director of Student Education
School of Education, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT
Tel: 0113 343 4601 (direct line, voice and text)
Email: [email protected]
Mary Hare courses in partnership with our new university partner to be announced in 2025.
Mary Hare Courses, in partnership with the University of Hertfordshire, offer a PG Dip/MA Teaching Deaf Learners. This leads to the mandatory qualification for Teachers of the Deaf, approved by the Department for Education (DfE); and delivers the linked competencies to enable candidates to work with children and young people who are deaf from 0-25 years. Students who continue after PGDip to complete a dissertation qualify for an MA which delivers extension competencies. The PGDip has an eight module structure taught over two years of study, with residential study weekends (five in year 1 and four in year 2) and access to substantial online resources, learning activities and regular contact with tutors. Students uniquely have access to observation opportunities within Mary Hare Schools during their period of study. The course is staffed by experienced practitioners in the fields of education of the deaf and related disciplines.
Year 1
- Language Development and the Impact of Deafness – 15 credits
- Introduction to Audiology – 15 credits
- Teaching and Learning 1 – 15 credits
- Developing Audiological Understanding – 15 credit
Year 2
- Holistic Development and the Impact of Deafness – 15 credit
- Language Development Assessment and Facilitation – 15 credits
- Policy and Practice – 15 credits
- Evidencing Outcomes – 15 credits
Year 3 (for MA): Research Methods and Dissertation – 60 credits (To be confirmed subject to validation
To satisfy the requirements for the mandatory qualification as a Teacher of the Deaf, all students undertake an assessed practical experience component in Year 1 and Year 2 of the course of study. In year 1, students undertake a 4-week placement in a provision with pupils from a different age range to their current experience. In Year 2 students undertake an unasssessed 4-week placement in their current place of work, provided they currently work with children and young people who are deaf. In addition, students undertake additional visits to experience the range of educational provision for children and young people who are deaf. Students are fully supported during their placement by a supervisor appointed by Mary Hare Courses.
For further information about this course and the MSC/PGDip in Deaf Education Studies (Educational Audiology) see https://www.maryhare.org.uk/professional-courses/postgraduate-courses
The University of Manchester
The University of Manchester (UoM) awards the Post Graduate Diploma in Deaf Education as well as the MSc Deaf Education. Both qualifications enable learners to qualify as Teachers of Deaf Children and Young People (0-25 years). This requires study over two years either on campus or as an E-blended learner.
The University of Manchester offers flexibility and access to research-led practice with state-of-the-art audiology facilities which ensure graduates are highly skilled and knowledgeable to practice in the field. The course is driven by action research with schools and services. Unit leads have expertise in all aspects of deaf education as well as areas of specialist expertise such as the development of Theory of Mind, pragmatic language and family centred early intervention. On Teaching Placement learners work alongside highly skilled UoM supervisors who support the translation of theory to practice.
We have high expectations of our learners to ensure that D/deaf children and young people get access to the highest quality QToDs to ensure that they can reach their full potential.
Units of Study for Postgraduate Diploma
Learners will study 3 units per year (15 credits per unit) plus an additional teaching placement in year 1 and year 2. We believe at Manchester in providing practice opportunities for our learners to ensure that graduates have experience in meeting the demands of working across the 0-25 caseload with D/deaf children and young people in schools for the deaf, resource-based provision and in peripatetic services. Our learners are supported to work with children and young people from the point of identification up to those in further and higher education. Learners are supported to carry out teaching placements with D/deaf children and young people who use a range of communication modalities including speech, sign or a combination of both.
Year 1
Language Acquisition
Curricular Access
Developing Deaf Child
Teaching and learning 1
Year 2
Language assessment
Policy and Practice
Audiological Management
Teaching and learning 2
Students who choose to continue to complete the MSc will also complete a 60-credit dissertation. This can be completed as either a 2-year route or as an additional year of study.
Flexible Routes to Completion
UoM can support bespoke training that meets individual learning and employer needs by offering both on campus and e-blended routes to completion.
You can study:
Part time on campus (1 day per week over 2 years) or as an e-blended learner (part time over 2 years).
We welcome applicants from D/deaf and hearing applicants who hold QTS/QTLS. The University of Manchester has extensive support for learners including BSL interpreters and note-takers for all face-to-face learning. You can learn more about support for students on the support services webpage.
If you would like to learn more about our course, you can look at our website for more information or you can email the team to arrange a chat:
Dr Helen Chilton [email protected]
Dr Lindsey Jones [email protected]
Bursaries and Financing your Studies: Our Commitment to Supporting the Next Generation of Teachers of the Deaf
We are more than happy to talk to you about the opportunities there might be for financing your studies. As well as the national training bursary there are three bursaries specifically open to UoM students.
Please view our bursary webpage to understand more about eligibility Deaf Education bursaries | Biology, Medicine, Health | University of Manchester or email: [email protected]
