university of cape town education

university of cape town education

The School of Education


The School of Education is a member of the International Network of Educational Institutions (INEI).  The School offers the following qualifications and specialization:

  • Advanced Certificate in Education (Adult Education)
  • Advanced Certificate in Education (Education Management and Leadership Development)
  • Advanced Certificate in Education (Literacy, Numeracy and Curriculum Leadership – Foundation Phase)
  • Advanced Certificate in Education (Language, Mathematics and Curriculum Leadership – Intermediate Phase)
  • Advanced Certificate in Senior Phase Teaching specialising in Mathematics
  • Advanced Certificate in Senior Phase Teaching specialising in Natural Sciences
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Foundation Phase Teaching)
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Intermediate Phase Teaching)
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Senior Phase and FET Teaching)
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Education (FET Teaching)
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Education specialising in Higher Education Studies
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Technology
  • Bachelor of Education (Honours)
  • MEd specialising in Adult Education
  • MEd specialising in Applied Language and Literacy Studies
  • MEd specialising in Curriculum Studies
  • MEd specialising in Education Policy, Leadership & Change
  • MEd specialising in Educational Technology
  • MEd specialising in Higher Education Studies
  • MEd specialising in Mathematics Education
  • MEd specialising in Primary Education
  • MEd specialising in Science Education
  • Research Master’s
  • Doctorate
Qualifications offered

Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE)

Contact: Ms Wadeeah Fisher. Email: wadeeah.fisher@uct.ac.za

Continuing teacher professional development

The following qualifications for in-service teachers who hold at least a three year teachers’ qualification or PGCE are offered in response to demand by the Western Cape and/or national departments of education only. They are offered part-time by contact tuition, not by distance education.
Bursary applicants must normally be selected by the WCED in order to register for one of these programmes. Application information for students who pay their own fees.

  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Foundation Phase Literacy, numeracy and curriculum leadership
  • Intermediate Phase Language, mathematics and curriculum leadership
  • Education Management and Leadership Development

Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)

For admission queries & inquiries, please contact:
Mr Roger Mackay, Neville Alexander Building, Office 5.03.4. Tel: 021 650 5622; email: roger.mackay@uct.ac.za
The PGCE is a one-year qualification to train graduates who wish to become school teachers. It is the ONLY qualification that provides professional registration with the South African Council for Educators (SACE) for graduates with degrees other than the BEd.

Please note that PGCE is NOT offered by distance-learning or by correspondence.

Admission to the PGCE is based on what subjects have been studied for the undergraduate degree, according to guidelines issued by the Department of Higher Education and Training. Teacher training is in accordance with appropriate prior degree courses in the subjects to be taught, as explained in the Admissions information leaflet for 2024. READ THIS FIRST.  [The leaflet is updated as new information becomes available.]
You may view or download the 2024 year planner. 
There are four PGCEs, all of which are by full-time contact study (February to November) only. Applications are considered in order of receipt and admission to any PGCE will be closed when the available places have been filled. Early application is advised. Online applications for admission for the following year usually opens in April.
The closing date for PGCE Foundation Phase is 31 July, and 31 October for all other PGCE programmes.
Programme Coordinator: Prof. Karin Murris
Foundation Phase [HG019]
For prospective primary school teachers, Grades R to 3. [Grade R = 5 years].

Intermediate Phase [HG018]

Programme Coordinator: Shaheeda Jaffer
For prospective primary school teachers, Grades 4 to 7. [Grade 4 = 9 years].

Senior Phase and Further Education [HG020]

Programme Coordinator: A/Prof Rudi Laugksch
For prospective high school teachers, Grades 7 to 12 [Grade 7 = 12 years].

Further Education [HG021]

Programme Coordinator: A/Prof Rudi Laugksch
This is an alternative to the PGCE specialising in Senior Phase and Further Education only for prospective teachers who have specialised in one FET school subject alone. A limited number of subjects is offered. For prospective Grades 10 to 12 teachers [Grade 10 = 15 years].

PGDip in Educational Technology

Overview

Most questions about Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education have shifted from how to use technologies to understanding how to teach and learn with technologies. While there is an increasing recognition of the role of ICT in transforming both the teaching and learning practices, the lack of pedagogical knowledge among educators and practitioners is the foremost reason why emerging technologies remain unexplored in education or under utilised. The other challenge is the inadequate theorisation of the phenomenon of teaching with ICT as opposed to teaching ICT. This is particularly pronounced in the education systems in developing nations where much focus of ICT in education has tended to emphasise technologies that institutions provide (e.g. computers) which student do not often personally own. Thus, this postgraduate programme, jointly offered by the School of Education and the Centre for Educational Technology, and facilitated by some the leading experts in the field is one of the programmes of its kind in Africa aimed at addressing the said educational conundrum.

Objectives

The primary objective of the Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Technology is to provide potential and practicing educators, corporate trainers, and anyone responsible to e-Learning with an opportunity to understand the effects that any use of emerging technologies have on the practice of learning, and how pedagogies need to be aligned to ensure positive learning outcomes. Thus, the programme responds to the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century education in developing nations through the lens of global trends.
The programme comprises four courses, each of which must be completed.

  • Emerging Technologies in Education
  • Learning Teaching & Emerging Technologies
  • Online Learning Design
  • Research & Evaluation of Emerging Technologies

These course are offered in block release mode i.e. pre-contact online activities, 1-week contact session, and post-contact independent task.

2024  Dates

Date Course Description
6 – 11 February EDN4500W: Emerging Technologies in Education
24 – 28 April EDN4503W: Learning Teaching & Emerging Technologies
26 June  – 1 July EDN4501W: Online Learning Design
04 – 09 September EDN4502W: Research & Evaluation of Emerging Technologies

For detailed descriptions, please see the Faculty of Humanities Postgraduate Studies handbook, pages 172-173.

Scholarships

Competitive scholarships, courtesy of the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) through generous support of the Carnegie and Mellon foundations, are available to students who are citizens of an African nation (Terms & Conditions apply). Please contact Ms Wilma Adams (email: wilma.adams@uct.ac.za) for application forms/procedure.
(PLEASE note that you apply to UCT and for the Carnegie/Mellon Scholarship separately. The Scholarship is a departmental initiative and is dependent on UCT admission granting us your application qualification.

Application Procedure

To make a formal application you need to complete the UCT application for postgraduate admission on or before the 31 October. Please follow the links below and complete the forms with the greatest care to detail.
Please find online application information and links below:

For any queries with your online application, please contact the Admissions Office on (021) 650 2128 or Admissions-pg@uct.ac.za- one of the staff members will be able to talk you through the process.
Other links:

When you have completed these forms, and submitted the forms with supporting documents online, please ensure that hard-copies of your certified qualifications are timeously submitted to the Admissions Office as they need to conduct thorough verification of qualification procedures. Please do not hesitate to contact the Admissions Office  (021) 650 2128 or Admissions-pg@uct.ac.za timeously should you experience any problems with your application procedure.
Please ensure that your formal application to the postgraduate programme at UCT is as complete, clear and unambiguous as possible as your application will be judged on this to determine if it is added to the short-list or not. Short-listed candidates will be asked to complete a pre-admission task and contacted for Skype interviews in November 2024. The grading committee will make recommendations to the postgraduate office who will notify applicants regarding the outcome of their application.
Closing Date: 31 October every year.