Overview
To view our Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education brochure please click here.
The only HE teaching qualification with a specific focus on financial services
The ifs School of Finance Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) is a unique qualification for those teaching banking and financial services subjects in Higher Education Institutions.
This qualification has been developed to support participants in the mastering of the knowledge and skills necessary to be a successful lecturer, tutor or faculty leader within banking and finance subjects in Higher Education.
The PGCHE is the first and only financial services specialist programme of its kind and builds directly upon the background of the ifs, with a strong focus on blending the academic with the vocational. It provides an internationally recognised learning and teaching qualification underpinned by the ifs’ unique linkage to, and understanding of, the financial services industry.
The PGCHE enables individual academics and faculties delivering financial services courses to enhance their professional practice without the need to develop their own specific programme.
Programme length
Applicants will be encouraged and supported to complete in twelve months, however the maximum study period is three years.
Duration and study time
The course requires an average of 600 hours of study commitment . Download the PGCHE Study Timetable 2012-2013 for more information.
Programme fees
The programme fee is £1,800 per student. This fee covers materials, assessment and tutor support.
Start date
10 September 2012. Applications open on 03 January 2012 and will close on Monday 16 July 2012.
Studying
The PGCHE is delivered via distance learning and consists of three compulsory 20-credit modules, with the inclusion of a module unique to the financial services industry, enabling participants to contextualise their learning and teaching strategies within the sector.
It will enable participants to:
- Develop a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the core elements of learning and teaching principles
- Develop and extend a repertoire of teaching skills in face-to-face, online and distance learning environments
- Investigate and analyse a range of issues relating to learning, teaching, assessment and student support within the provision of banking and finance education
- Critically analyse and evaluate learning and teaching theories and strategies for banking and finance
- Evaluate current research and scholarship in learning and teaching in banking and finance
- Undertake and apply academic research to critique and analyse their own strategies relating to teaching, assessment and evaluation of learning
- Work at the frontiers of current knowledge and understanding of how adults learn, applying this understanding to individual learning cohorts.
View the full PGCHE Programme Specification here.
Who is it for?
The PGCHE is designed for anyone teaching, or aspiring to teach, banking and financial services subjects in Higher Education.
The PGCHE is also beneficial for those with established teaching experience who wish to apply their existing skills and knowledge more specifically to the delivery of financial services related programmes.
The programme is also valuable to Faculty Heads or Deans who wish to put in place a development programme for their academic teams that ensures they have a common benchmark understanding of both teaching theory and practice and its application to the financial services industry.
Assessment
To support student engagement and reflect the academic/practitioner blend of the programme, assessments are designed to be as authentic as possible enabling participants to draw upon the reality of their learning and teaching contexts.
A range of assessment tools is used including online forums, essay-style assignments, reflective journals and an individual project.
Student support and resources
Each student is allocated a module leader for each module and a personal tutor throughout the programme. The module leader is able to advise on matters relating to curriculum. The personal tutor is able to advise on broader matters, such as if a personal or professional challenge might potentially interrupt a participant’s study. The ifs Admissions, Academic Management and Student Services Office is also on hand to provide broad advice relating to study skills and time management.
Virtual Learning Environment
The ifs Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) supports and guides students throughout their studies. Resources include:
- A study timetable
- Programme materials and activities
- Interactive forums and blogs with online communication between peers and tutors
- Academic journals
- Access to ifs KnowledgeBank
- Programme handbook
ifs KnowledgeBank
This online library is available exclusively to ifs students. It gives access to a wealth of valuable knowledge including:
- Recommended reading
- Databases
- Full-text journals
- E-books
- Subject gateways and other intelligence tools
Modules
Module 1 - Learning and Teaching in Higher Education
This module enables participants to gain an insight into the fundamentals of how learning takes place, teaching and support strategies that may be employed, and the use of effective assessment tools to demonstrate learning has taken place. The module also explores the specific characteristics of online and distance learning, and will introduce and encourage reflective learning.
Module 2 - Academic Practice in Banking and Finance
This module explores Higher Education learning and teaching with specific reference to banking and finance subjects. The module provides participants with an opportunity to explore the specific issues related to their teaching and students’ learning within the fast changing and demanding financial services environment.
Module 3 - Individual project
This module comprises a 4,000-word project on a topic of the participant’s choice (decided in consultation with their supervisor). The module offers the opportunity to develop an individual interest in greater detail, whether in the form of primary research or a review of research within a particular, defined field.
Entry criteria
Entry requirements for the PGCHE are normally:
- A first degree (normally 2:1 or above) or equivalent (eg a professional qualification recognised at being at degree level)
- A minimum of two years' teaching, training or learning support experience
- Industry experience is preferred, but not essential
Applicants may be interviewed and/or required to submit a piece of written work in addition to their application to enable an assessment to be made of their suitability for the programme.
Applicants for whom English is not their first language would be expected to demonstrate competence through achieving an IELTS score of normally 7.0 (with no element below 6.5).
Exceptional candidates not possessing these requirements may be considered if they can demonstrate their ability to achieve at this level and contribute to the debates, discussion and work of the learning set.
Testimonials
| "This is my first experience of VLE as a student, and I am finding it a very easy medium to use, I am learning, I can fit it in around everything else, feel part of it, and feel part of a wider group even though I may have only met a few in person. For me, therefore, it is a success." |
| "I found the online discussion forum most interesting; the interaction between participants and the tutor really makes you feel part of a community. It definitely helps you think about things from a different point of view. I like the diversity of our backgrounds and all input is welcomed." |
| "This PGCHE forum is indeed highly interactive and hardly one to worry about tumbleweed! If anything it is more of a fast growing jungle and one which is hard to keep on top of but amazingly interesting as we go along its path." |
| "I enjoyed the directed readings and discussion that followed." |
Register
To register for this programme please apply online at UKPASS.
The application period for September 2012 entry opens on 03 January 2012 and will close on Monday 16 July 2012.
For further information about this programme please contact the Admissions, Academic Management and Student Services Office on +44 (0)1227 829499 or at enquiries@ifslearning.ac.uk.