Leadership & Learning PgCert: Online distance learning
Leadership is identified as a key component in delivering improvements in learning and teaching, and thus to enhancing educational outcomes for children and young people. This part-time online programme is designed for practitioners who are either in, or aspiring to, leadership roles in schools or wider contexts such as local, national and third sector organisations. Throughout the programme you will engage with a range of principles that underpin leadership and management and consider these in relation to your professional role and context.
- Online distance learning
- Academic contact: kathleen.kerrigan@glasgow.ac.uk
- Teaching start: September
- Glasgow: Gilmorehill campus and Online
- PgCert: 12 months part‑time
Why this programme
- This programme aims to develop your knowledge and skills in leadership through critical engagement with research and policy and reflection upon practice.
- The programme provides an online opportunity for practitioners to engage in high quality professional learning. There is a focus on collaborative, enquiry-orientated learning, drawing on your own experiences and those of your academic colleagues to bring about improvement.
- Practice-focused learning helps to facilitate a culture of professional enquiry where practitioners can collaborate with colleagues in developing innovative practice to meet the learning needs of pupils.
Programme structure
The programme adopts a research-informed, enquiry led approach to develop competence and confidence and leadership capacity. Each course includes live online teaching, collaborative seminars and guided, independent study. The programme is comprised of two courses:
Live online classes are available in the early evening or Saturdays.
Programme alteration or discontinuation
The University of Glasgow endeavours
to run all programmes as advertised. In exceptional circumstances, however, the University may withdraw
or alter a programme. For more information, please see: Student contract.
Career prospects
This programme is designed for practitioners who wish to develop their knowledge and understanding of leadership and develop their professional practice. You will benefit from a combination of academic and practice-focused learning to develop your capability to lead teaching and learning within your context.
Fees & funding
Tuition fees for 2025-26
PgCert
UK / EU / International:
- £5,000 (total cost)
- You can pay in instalments of £1,667 per 20 credits
Fees for Local Authority-funded students (after discount): £321 per 20 credits
Additional fees
- Fee for re-assessment of a dissertation (PGT programme): £370
- Submission of thesis after deadline lapsed: £350
- Registration/exam only fee: £170
Funding opportunities
Postgraduate Access Scholarship
The University of Glasgow is pleased to be offering Postgraduate Access Scholarships to support Home students who could face financial difficulties in taking up their place to study at the University. Applications are particularly welcomed from applicants who met any of our widening participation criteria, or equivalent, at undergraduate level. The value of each scholarship is £4,000 and they are for students undertaking a one or two year Taught Masters programme. For two year Taught Masters programmes, the scholarship is available in year one only.
Postgraduate Student Loan (NI)
If you are a Northern Irish student looking to study a taught Masters programme* in Glasgow then you can apply for a student loan in exactly the same way as you would for a University in Northern Ireland.
Northern Irish students are able to apply for non-means-tested tuition fee loans of up to £5,500, to help with the costs of funding.
For more information visit www.studentfinanceni.co.uk/types-of-finance/postgraduate .
* does not apply to Erasmus Mundus programmes
The scholarships above are specific to this programme. For more funding opportunities search the scholarships database
Entry requirements
2.1 Honours degree or non-UK equivalent in a relevant subject plus a qualification to teach in schools or other educational contexts.
At least two years of professional experience after full registration.
You also require full professional registration in teaching or another educational field. Please upload evidence of full professional registration with your application (e.g. from the General Teaching Council for Scotland).
How to apply
To apply for a postgraduate taught degree you must apply online. We cannot accept applications any other way.
Please check you meet the Entry requirements for this programme before you begin your application.
Documents
As part of your online application, you also need to submit the following supporting documents:
- A copy (or copies) of your official degree certificate(s) (if you have already completed your degree)
- A copy (or copies) of your official academic transcript(s), showing full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained
- Official English translations of the certificate(s) and transcript(s)
- One reference letter on headed paper
- Evidence of your English language ability (if your first language is not English)
- Any additional documents required for this programme (see Entry requirements for this programme)
- A copy of the photo page of your passport (Non-EU students only)
You have 42 days to submit your application once you begin the process.
You may save and return to your application as many times as you wish to update information, complete sections or upload supporting documents such as your final transcript or your language test.
For more information about submitting documents or other topics related to applying to a postgraduate taught programme, see how to apply for a postgraduate taught degree
Guidance notes for using the online application
These notes are intended to help you complete the online application form accurately; they are also available within the help section of the online application form.
If you experience any difficulties accessing the online application, see Application System Help.
- Name and Date of birth: must appear exactly as they do on your passport. Please take time to check the spelling and lay-out.
- Contact Details: Correspondence address. All contact relevant to your application will be sent to this address including the offer letter(s). If your address changes, please contact us as soon as possible.
- Choice of course: Please select carefully the course you want to study. As your application will be sent to the admissions committee for each course you select it is important to consider at this stage why you are interested in the course and that it is reflected in your application.
- Proposed date of entry: Please state your preferred start date including the month and the year. Taught masters degrees tend to begin in September. Research degrees may start in any month.
- Education and Qualifications: Please complete this section as fully as possible indicating any relevant Higher Education qualifications starting with the most recent. Complete the name of the Institution (s) as it appears on the degree certificate or transcript.
- English Language Proficiency: Please state the date of any English language test taken (or to be taken) and the award date (or expected award date if known).
- Employment and Experience: Please complete this section as fully as possible with all employments relevant to your course. Additional details may be attached in your personal statement/proposal where appropriate.
Reference: Please provide one reference. This should typically be an academic reference but in cases where this is not possible then a reference from a current employer may be accepted instead. Certain programmes, such as the MBA programme, may also accept an employer reference. If you already have a copy of a reference on letter headed paper then please upload this to your application. If you do not already have a reference to upload then please enter your referee’s name and contact details on the online application and we will contact your referee directly.
Related programmes
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