Hibernia College

Do you want to partake in the empowerment of young people aged 12-18 through education and play a part in helping each individual student in your classroom achieve their potential?

Our Master in Post Primary Education is developed by teachers for teachers to help you become a professional educator, positioned to be a leader in the field of post primary teaching. Hibernia College has a reputation for pioneering new teaching methodologies and embracing change in the ever-evolving world of education.

On this programme, you will specialise in two post primary level subjects and your enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, these subjects is what will enable you to foster a love of learning in your future students.

It is not a requirement to have prior teaching experience to be eligible to apply for this course.

Is this programme for me?
The Post Primary teaching course is for those who want to effect change in a meaningful way, by realising the talents and passions of their students and encouraging young people to utilise and get the most out of their abilities.

You understand that the role of the teacher is to facilitate the academic and personal growth of your students, allowing them to develop appropriate skills and social abilities.

You are passionate about your two teaching subjects and it is this passion and subject mastery that will motivate and foster a love of the subject material in your students, thereby ensuring that they bring as much learning as possible with them in to their future endeavours.

You believe in the importance of engaging with students beyond the classroom. Extracurricular activities allow you to build rapport with your students and staff alike.

Post Primary Teaching Course

The Master in Post Primary Education is a 120-credit award at level 9 and the duration of the programme is two years. It is a blended learning programme, combining online content, virtual learning environments and face-to-face delivery to develop professionals and experts who are positioned to be leaders in the field of post-primary education.

The PME in Post Primary Education at Hibernia College consists of a sequence of modules that reflect the contemporary issues faced by post primary teachers today and the skills and knowledge required of them in order to be expert teachers who enable effective student learning. In particular, it recognises the importance of ensuring that student teachers consider that teaching itself is understood and practised as a form of self-critical learning by them; learning that is driven by inquiry, reflection and improvements based on evidence (Teaching Council 2011).

The content, learning and assessment processes of the programme aim to provide skills and knowledge such that student teachers understand the role of the teacher as a professional, reflective and reflexive practitioner.

There is a highly favourable employment outlook for our post primary school teaching graduates due to the demographic explosion in Ireland, the short term shortage in the number of newly qualified teachers resulting from new Teaching Council requirements, and the increasing international demand for Irish trained teachers.

The Hibernia College Post Primary Schools Partnership Programme (PPSPP)

The PPSPP is a partnership between Irish post primary schools and Hibernia College. It aims to create a positive, supportive and progressive learning and practice environment for graduate student teachers (GSTs) on teaching placements in schools. Hibernia College students must complete three blocks of school experience/professional practice of seven, seven and ten weeks' duration as part of their Professional Master of Education programme. School Experience is the cornerstone of the programme when students are afforded an opportunity to engage in classroom practice in two subject areas and acquire the teaching skills and competencies required to fully participate in all aspects of post primary school life.

Benefit to Schools

There is strong evidence that schools which partner in Initial Teacher Education benefit in many ways. This is a powerful professional development opportunity for co-operating teachers, mentors and the wider school community. Mentoring requires the development of leadership skills, invites a re-evaluation of the mentor's own practice, exposes the school to new resources and fresh approaches, and offers mentors access to a mentor network, where best practice can be shared and research and other career-focused networks can be forged.