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Develop your professional practice skills and play an essential role in children’s development as a qualified early years teacher.

This Professional Graduate Certificate of Education (ProfGCE) teaches you how to provide high-quality early years education. We create an individual training plan that is unique to you and help you use your skills to ensure all children have access to high standards of learning.

As part of this course, you will develop professional practice with children from birth to five years, and support and lead reflective practice and quality provision. We provide local placements with dedicated mentors. This course is accredited by the DfE (Department for Education).

Your tuition fees may be covered by a DfE grant, and there are also bursaries of up to £5,000 for graduates with a First Class Honours degree, £4,000 for graduates with a 2:1, and £2,000 for graduates with a 2:2.

School

Education

Location

Greenwich Campus

Duration

Start month

September

Fees information

What you should know about this course

  • Our specialist facilities simulate an early year’s nursery for practical academic lessons that will prepare you for employment.
  • An ambitious programme which prepares trainees successfully as ‘inspiring’ early years teachers (Ofsted 2023).
  • You will learn in a wide range of placements with specialist provisions. These prepare you thoroughly for your first teaching role.

What you will study

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Course information is currently unavailable for this programme. Please contact course-info@gre.ac.uk for more information.

About the course team

Welcome to our Professional Graduate Certificate of Education (ProfGCE). Your teaching comes from an experienced team of lecturers. These include academics and practitioners with a wide range of experience. All of our teaching team holds a teaching qualification.

Come and meet us

We are offering virtual events so you can still experience how Greenwich could be the right university for you.

Next Open Days

Got a question?

To find out more about our Open Days and Campus Tours or if you need any assistance, please email opendays@gre.ac.uk.

Entry requirements

If you are

Applicants should have:

  • An undergraduate (honours) degree at 2.2 or above in a relevant subject
  • In addition, you will need: GCSE Mathematics, GCSE English Language and GCSE Science at grade 4/C. Equivalent qualifications may be considered.

Application and selection

  • Suitable applicants will be required to attend an interview/selection day.
  • Observation in an Early Years setting prior to interview is encouraged but not a requirement.

Applicants will also be required to:

  • Provide an academic or professional reference.
  • Complete a Suitability Declaration.
  • Pass an Occupational Health check.
  • Pass an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

For more information, use our contact form or call us on 020 8331 9000.

You can also read our admissions policy.

The University of Greenwich accepts a broad range of international qualifications for admission to our courses. If you cannot find your country on this list, please contact international@gre.ac.uk.

Choose your country:

Available to overseas students?

Yes

Can I use Prior Learning?

Find out more on our Recognition of Prior Learning pages.

Enhanced disclosure

Applicants for this course are required to complete a suitability declaration, an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check, and an occupational health check.

About these requirements

How you will learn

Teaching

Learning takes place through a combination of timetabled learning and independent study. You will be in university for two day per week and in placement for the rest of the week. Seminars and workshops enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups. You will also be able to meet your personal tutor. Timetabled learning may fall between 9am and 9pm depending on your courses and tutorials.

Class sizes

Information coming soon.

Overall workload

If you are studying full-time, you should expect the workload to be similar to a full-time job. For part-time students, this will reduce in proportion with the number of courses you are studying.

Each module you study towards this degree is worth 15 or 30 credits. These represent around 150 or 300 study hours respectively. If you receive 100 contact hours for a 30-credit module, you should expect to commit 200 hours to independent study to complete it successfully.

Assessment

Information coming soon.

Feedback summary

Information coming soon.

Dates and timetables

Full teaching timetables are not usually available until term has started. For any queries, please call 020 8331 9000.

Fees and funding

The tuition fee is covered by a grant and employers are compensated for their release.

Accommodation costs

Whether you choose to live in halls of residence or rent privately, we can help you find what you're looking for. University accommodation is available from £126.35 per person per week (bills included), depending on your location and preferences. If you require more space or facilities, these options are available at a slightly higher cost.

Accommodation pages

Scholarships and bursaries

We offer a wide range of financial help including scholarships and bursaries.

International Scholarship Award

International students who hold an offer to study at the University of Greenwich could receive a tuition fee discount worth up to £2,500 in their first year, for students from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria or Ghana.

International Scholarship Award

Greenwich Progression Bursary

£3,000 bursary for home fee paying University of Greenwich final year undergraduate students and Alumni.

Greenwich progression bursary

EU Bursary

Following the UK's departure from the European Union, we are supporting new EU students by offering a substantial fee-reduction for studying.

The EU bursary

Financial support

We want your time at university to be enjoyable, rewarding, and free of unnecessary stress, so planning your finances before you come to university can help to reduce financial concerns. We can offer advice on living costs and budgeting, as well as on awards, allowances and loans.

Funding your studies

  • Resources: you may need to purchase books for your studies or resources to support your study (estimate, £100 per year)
  • Field trips: you may need to contribute towards any trips required for your course (estimate, £50)
  • DBS: You will need a completed enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (current cost is £53) carried out through the University
  • Training: You may wish to complete the food handlers/food hygiene certificate (current cost is under £10)
  • Transport: You will need to pay for the cost of travel to placements. Placements are mandatory.

Careers and placements

Will I have a work placement?

You will be required to be in placement full-time in a range of settings over the course of your study.

What sort of careers do graduates pursue?

Our graduates pursue careers in early years settings including nurseries, children's centres, schools, health and social care, community settings, local authorities or government roles.

Do you provide employability services?

Our services are designed to help you achieve your potential and support your transition towards a rewarding graduate career.

The Employability and Careers Service provides support when you are preparing to apply for placements and graduate roles. It includes CV clinics, mock interviews and employability skills workshops.

Each School also has its own Employability Officer, who works closely with the industry and will provide specific opportunities relevant to your own course.

Accommodation

Greenwich

Living in halls of residence is a great way to make new friends and get into the social side of university life. With four great locations, all minutes away from the campus and the centre of historic Greenwich , you will be at the heart of one of the most beautiful university settings in the UK.

Rooms start at £146.30/wk and include Wi-Fi, utility bills, access to our on-campus gym and 24-hour security - and just a 10-minute train journey to central London. Students based at our Greenwich campus can also choose to live the Student Village at Avery Hill, which is only a short ride on our free shuttle bus.

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Support and advice

Academic skills and study support

We want you to make the most of your time with us. You can access study skills support through your tutor, our subject librarians, and our online academic skills centre.

Support from the department

Our friendly and supportive staff are committed to supporting you during your studies.

Not quite what you were looking for?

We've got plenty of other courses for you to choose from. Browse our postgraduate courses or check our related courses below.....

Early years studies at the University of Greenwich

Study how young children develop, learn and think, and find out how to give them the best start in education. You’ll gain an array of practical skills, both on placement and in the classroom.

Visit our early years studies degrees page.

Study Early Years at Greenwich


Our early years degree will give you an understanding of the core values of the early years workforce.

Mode of study

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Apply now

If you are a UK student or have settled/pre-settled status (EU) and you want to study full-time then you apply through the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS).

If you are a UK student or have settled/pre-settled status (EU) and you want to study part-time then you can apply directly via our online application form.

If you are a UK student or have settled/pre-settled status (EU) and you want to study full-time then you apply through the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS).

If you are from outside the UK, you can apply via UCAS, directly via our online application form or via one of our in-country representatives. If you require a student visa, you cannot study part-time at undergraduate level.