These three pathways have been designed for qualified teachers and other educational and care professionals working in a range of national and international settings. Our MA/Postgraduate Diploma sensory impairment programme aims to meet the needs of the wide range of people working with children and young people with sensory impairment.
Awards
The three pathways are re-developed versions of our existing provision to meet the new DfE standards starting in 2023 and are part of an overarching sensory programme. Our ‘mandatory qualifications’ are recognised by the DfE (England) to fulfil the requirements to be a specialist teacher: qualified teacher of the Deaf (QToD); qualified teacher of children and young people with multisensory impairment/deafblind (QTMSI); qualified teacher of children and young people with vision impairment (QTVI). They are offered at different levels reflecting the different career stages of students and their variable professions and experience.
PGDip mandatory qualification
The PGDip (Deaf Education, Multi-sensory Impairment (Deafblindness), Vision Impairments) is a two years programme, consists of a total of 120 credits, and is available for those who have an honours degree (or equivalent) and hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or Qualified Teaching and Learning Skills (QTLS) status.
The programme is split into six 20 credit modules. During the first year of the programme, you will study two specialist modules for the pathway you wish to study (Deaf Education, Multi-sensory Impairment (Deafblindness), or Vision impairments) in the autumn and summer terms. In the spring term you will also study a core sensory module: Policy and SEND professional identity.
During the second year you will study two specialist modules from the pathway you have chosen and one core module which focuses on applied professional practice, including an assessed teaching placement.
MA mandatory qualification
The MA (Deaf Education, Multi-sensory Impairment (Deafblindness), Vision Impairments) is a three years programme, consists of a total of 180 credits, and it is available for those who have an honours degree (or equivalent) and hold a Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or a Qualified Teaching and Learning Skills (QTLS) status. The first two years of the MA are the same as the two years of the PGDip mandatory programme. During the third year you will bring your learning to bear on a problem of practice in your local context through a 60-credit dissertation related to your chosen specialist pathway.
MA
The MA (Deaf Education, Education of learners with Multisensory Impairment (deafblindess), Education of Learners with Vision Impairment) is a three year programme, consists of a total of 180 credits, and it is available for those who have an honours degree but are not qualified teachers, do not hold a QTS or QTLS or are based in a non-UK country. You will study the same modules as in the MA mandatory qualification programme, but you will not undertake the module which includes an assessed teaching placement. Instead, in the summer term of the second year you will take a general module from the MA inclusion programme. During the third year you will bring your learning to bear on a problem of practice in your local context through a 60-credit dissertation related to your chosen specialist pathway.