PGCE Health Professions Part-time

The PGCE Health Professions degree is designed for academic staff in Higher Education (HE) or those aiming to teach health professions education in university or clinical settings. The course develops your teaching skills and knowledge, with a focus on student-centred approaches that support diverse learners and promote student success and retention. You’ll explore core teaching and learning theories through the lens of your own academic practice, while building confidence in using technology-enhanced and active learning methods like problem-, case-, and team-based learning. Throughout the course, you’ll benefit from our state-of-the-art clinical and simulation facilities in the Living Lab and gain insights from guest speakers with real-world experience across the health professions. On successful completion of the PGCE, you’ll be qualified to teach in HE institutions or clinical settings in the public or private sector. Alternatively, you may choose to progress to Year 2 of the Master

You're expected to have a substantial teaching workload which should equate to more than 100 hours of direct student contact each year. You must undertake a full range of academic practice in line with the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) in order to complete the course. The majority of students undertaking the course will be academics on a teaching and research contract, although the course is open to research assistants and associates who also contribute to teaching, provided they're able to meet all the dimensions of the UKPSF.

University staff will apply via the HR staff qualifications policy, agreeing workload remission and support with their line manager.

We advise all potential applicants to have an informal phone call with the course leader before applying to ensure that the course learning outcomes can be achieved and that the route is suitable for you. Please email celt@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab) to arrange this.

IELTS 6.0 overall (minimum 5.5 in each component) — standard University of Sunderland requirement (source: sunderland.ac.uk/how-to-apply/english-language-requirements)

International students: £19,000 per year

UK students: £9,250 per year

UK/Home: £9,250 per year

International: £19,000 per year

September 2026 Part-time

No fixed deadline — apply at least 6 months before your start date via the University's direct application portal.

• On campus, United Kingdom