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PGCE Geography with Humanities (QTS)

Geography and humanities teachers are in high demand. This course will give you the skills to become an expert at teaching your subject at secondary level
Code
38ZF
Start
September 2024
Duration
1 year full-time
Attendance
Full-time
Fees
£9,250 (UK) *
£12,600 (INT) *
Course leader
Tremaine Baker

Why choose PGCE Geography with Humanities (QTS) at Middlesex?

To study geography is to study the world and the humans who live on it. It can help make sense of the world in which we live and give us a deeper knowledge of contemporary local, national and international affairs, such as those relating to climate change, sustainability or migration.

This course will develop your subject knowledge for teaching geography while also developing the skills and knowledge required to teach other humanities-based subjects. It will explore the common pedagogies of these subjects and provide opportunities for you to develop a strong subject specialism in geography so that you can become an outstanding geography teacher.

Geography is a subject that can fascinate and inspire children. It feeds their natural curiosity and supports them in developing a sense of space and place. As such, geography teachers are in great demand and this course will appeal to graduates who are passionate about geography but want to develop the skills and understanding to also teach outside their specialism.

Through this PGCE, you will gain the understanding and skills necessary to operate as a critically reflective geography with humanities teacher in a secondary school setting. You will also develop the awareness and ability to transfer these skills and teach in subject areas across the humanities spectrum (such as history, citizenship or religious education).

Our ambitious Geography PGCE curriculum has fully embedded the Core Content Framework for Initial Teacher Training and emphasises the importance of developing strong subject knowledge and an understanding of associated theory and pedagogy for teaching.

What you will gain

Our course gives you Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and a strong understanding of how and why to teach geography in secondary schools while helping you appreciate the unique aspects of other subject specialisms. This will help you develop your confidence in teaching across a range of humanities subjects.

Middlesex University also has dedicated subject tutors who have established strong relations with external specialists and partnership schools who will deliver contemporary and subject-specific training sessions.

The course integrates on-campus training at Middlesex University with school-based training at partner schools. You will be supported by mentors, university tutors and expert colleagues throughout your training to acquire the knowledge and skills required to meet QTS standards.

The wider course focus on the humanities will help you to develop a common pedagogical approach to teaching across all subject areas so you can teach humanities subjects at KS3 and geography up to and beyond KS4.

3 great reasons to pick this course

  • 100% employment rates
    In 2022, 100% of our Geography with Humanities PGCE graduates gained employment in an Early Career Teaching post – Exit Survey Data, September 2022
  • Local school placements
    Put study into practice at one of our local secondary school placements. We work with schools across Greater London, including Avanti House, AMSI, Heartlands, SMSJ and The Warren School
  • Personalised support
    Our dedicated staff team will be on hand to help you develop to your full potential and support you in coping with the demands of teacher training

Find out more

Sign up now to receive more information about studying at Middlesex University London.

About your course

The PGCE Geography with Humanities (QTS) curriculum has been structured to support you on the teacher training journey from novice to expert. Prior to the start of the course, you'll be shown how to audit your geography with humanities subject and pedagogical knowledge, and you'll develop an action plan to address knowledge gaps.

The course begins by developing your understanding of the purpose and rationale for teaching geography in schools and engages you with research and literature about the pedagogy of geography teaching and how to teach your subject effectively.

The curriculum will give you a thorough grounding in teaching key geographical skills and concepts, such as those relating to space and place or environmental interaction, while also supporting you in identifying areas of commonality between humanities subject specialisms, such as those relating to the use of enquiry or outdoor learning, and the skills to teach sensitive and controversial topics.

You'll have many opportunities — both individually and in groups — to apply general principles regarding humanities learning to your specialist subject, and for part of the course, you'll work in parallel with history students. There will also be breakout sessions where you'll be working in your specialist subject, and subject specialists will deliver sessions such as those covering teaching geography at KS4.

Modules

  • Modules

    • Secondary Professional Development 1 (30 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to introduce the professional secondary school environment. You will demonstrate your progress in developing your understanding and skills necessary to operate as an effective teacher in a secondary school. As such, it supports you to progress towards the achievement of current requirements for the award of Qualified Teacher Status.

    • Secondary Professional Development 2 (30 Credits) – Compulsory

      This module aims to consolidate your professional practice in a second secondary school environment. It aims to ensure you can demonstrate the understanding and skills necessary to operate as an effective teacher in a secondary school. As such, it supports you in the achievement of statutory requirements for the award of Qualified Teacher Status.

    • Professional Knowledge and Pedagogy (30 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to develop your understanding and skills necessary to operate as a critically reflective teacher in a secondary school. You will be assessed by undertaking a small scale research assignment that compares theoretical perspectives in education with the reality found in school.

    • Specialism Education (30 credits)- Compulsory

To find out more about this course, please download the PGCE Geography with Humanities (QTS) specification (PDF).

How we'll teach you

The course is designed to provide 120 days in schools, with two school experiences (Secondary Professional Development 1 and Secondary Professional Development 2). Each placement provides a sustained teaching experience over the complete teaching week.

The remaining 60 days of the course are university-based, where you'll be taught through online and face-to-face lectures, seminars and practical workshops. The course will also include a range of presentations, discussions and practical workshops where exemplar material can be selected from a specialised subject context.

Where will you study?

You will be based at our north London campus in Hendon and on placements at nearby partner schools.

Timetable

Whether you are studying full or part-time – your course timetable will balance your study commitments on campus with time for work, life commitments and independent study.

We aim to make timetables available to students at least 2 weeks before the start of term. Some weeks are different due to how we schedule classes and arrange on-campus sessions.

Teaching vs independent study

In a typical year, you’ll spend about 1200 hours on your course.

Outside of teaching hours, you’ll learn independently through reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, and preparing for assessments including coursework and presentations.

Typical weekly breakdown

A typical week looks like this:

Learning

Hours per week

On-campus

6

Work placement

28

Independent study

10-15

For placement, there may be additional hours.

Learning terms

On-campus: This includes tutor-led sessions such as seminars, lab sessions and demonstrations as well as student-led sessions for work in small groups.

Placement: This takes place in a partnership school, where you will be supported to apply the knowledge, understanding and skills of the ITE curriculum to your teaching practice.

Independent study: This is the work you do in your own time including reading and research.

Academic support

We have a strong support network online and on campus to help you develop your academic skills. We offer one-to-one and group sessions to develop your learning skills together with academic support from our library, IT teams and learning experts.

Pastoral support

You will have access to an individual subject tutor who will support you and guide you across the course, including undertaking visits to your placement schools. In each school placement, training is overseen by a Professional Coordinating Mentor and you will also be given a subject mentor to support you.

Coursework and assessments

The two school practice modules assess your ability to apply the knowledge, understanding and skills of the ITE curriculum to your teaching practice, and fully meet the Teachers' Standards by the end of your training course. You will also be assessed through the following two academic modules:

  • Professional Knowledge and Pedagogy is assessed through coursework by undertaking a small-scale research assignment
  • Geography with Humanities Education is assessed through coursework, by undertaking an assignment about Monitoring and Assessment.

Feedback

You'll evaluate your work, skills and knowledge and identify areas for improvement. Sometimes you'll work in groups and assess each other's progress.

Each term, you'll get regular feedback on your learning.

The Sheppard Library

Our library is open 24 hours a day during the term and includes:

  • Over 1,000 study areas with rooms for group study and over 600 computer spaces
  • 350,000 books and e-books and more than 24,000 online journals
  • Free laptop loans, Wi-Fi and printing.

Student Support

We offer lots of support to help you while you're studying including financial advice, wellbeing, mental health and disability support.

Additional needs

We'll support you if you have additional needs such as sensory impairment or dyslexia. And if you want to find out whether Middlesex is the right place for you before you apply, get in touch with our Disability and Dyslexia team.

Wellness

Our specialist teams will support your mental health. We have free individual counselling sessions, workshops, support groups and useful guides.

Work while you study

Our Middlesex Unitemps branch will help you find work that fits around uni and your other commitments. We have hundreds of student jobs on campus that pay the London Living Wage and above. Visit the Middlesex Unitemps page.

Your welfare

Our teams will support your emotional and mental health. We offer free counselling sessions, workshops and support groups.

How can the PGCE Geography with Humanities (QTS) support your career?

Our course gives you Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Teaching is a profession with excellent progression and benefits and our graduates have an excellent reputation within the profession.

Our employment rates are extremely high. Typically, virtually all of our Geography with Humanities PGCE graduates are in employment or further study six months after graduation. The starting salary of a qualified teacher in inner London is £30,480.

For more information on salary and career progression, visit the Department for Education's website.

Career paths

Teachers can find career progression in both the classroom and the school's management structure. You might aspire to become the head of a department, age group or curriculum. And through developing your leadership skills and experience, you could progress to a senior management position, such as deputy head or head teacher.

Some of the roles our graduates have gone on to work in include becoming a head of department or lead practitioner, and previous students have worked for a range of mainstream and special educational needs schools.

MDXworks

MDXworks, our employability service, will help you make the most of your experience and connections to achieve your career goals. You'll have unlimited access to one-to-one advice and support from specialists in your sector plus 24/7 online support. You can also make the most of events and networking opportunities, on and off campus.

Our dedicated lifetime career support, like our business start-up support programme and funding for entrepreneurs, has been recognised with the following awards:

  • The top 20 UK universities for business leaders and entrepreneurs – Business Money, 2023
  • A top 10 university for producing CEOs – Novuana, 2023.

Global alumni network

Our London location helps us connect with over 1,000 industry partners to develop our students’ future employment prospects.

And we have unique work and study opportunities at our campuses in Dubai and Mauritius.

At Middlesex, you’ll study with students from 122 countries who’ll hopefully become part of your global network.  After you graduate, we'll support you through our alumni network to help you progress in your chosen career.

  1. UK Entry
  2. International entry
  3. How to apply

The fees below refer to the 2024/25 academic year unless otherwise stated.

UK students*

Full-time students: £9,250

*Course fees are subject to annual inflation.

For more information and to answer your frequently asked questions, please visit our postgraduate funding page.

Loans and Bursaries

UK students can apply for a tuition fee loan which covers your fees and is only repayable after your graduate. In addition, UK students may be eligible for additional grants and loans including those from:

  • The Department for Education - on the Department for Education website you will find a full list of designated ITT subjects and funding offers
  • The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) - visiting the Royal Geographical Society website you will find further information on scholarships they have to offer

The fees below refer to the 2024/25 academic year unless otherwise stated.

International students*

Full-time students: £12,600

*Course fees are subject to annual inflation.

For more information and to answer your frequently asked questions, please visit our postgraduate funding page.

Additional costs

We cover your costs for the day-to-day things that you need to do well in your studies.

  • Free – laptop loans, Wi-Fi and printing
  • Free specialist software for your course
  • Free online training with LinkedIn Learning.

The following course-related costs are not included in the fees, and you will need to budget for these:

  • Travel fees for attending centre-based and school-based training.

Financial support

We offer lots of support to help you with fees and living costs. Check out our guide to student life on a budget and find out more about postgraduate funding.

Postgraduate scholarships

You may be eligible for one of our scholarships including:

  • The Alumni Postgraduate Award – for all UK/EU Middlesex alumni a 20% fee reduction
  • The Commonwealth Scholarship – full course fees, airfares and a living allowance
  • The Chevening Scholarship – full course fees
  • The European Academic Awards – £1000 to £7000 for students showing academic excellence
  • Regional or International Merit Award –up to £2,000 towards course fees.

You may also be eligible to apply for these bursaries:

  • The Department for Education - on the Department for Education website you will find a full list of designated ITT subjects and funding offers
  • The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) - visiting the Royal Geographical Society website you will find further information on scholarships they have to offer.

For international students, we also have a limited number of other awards specific to certain regions, and work in partnership with funding providers in your country to help support you financially with your study.

Find out more about our postgraduate scholarships.

Fees disclaimers

1. UK fees: The university reserves the right to increase postgraduate tuition fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions. The tuition fees for part-time UK study are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.

2. International fees: Tuition fees are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.

Any annual increase in tuition fees as provided for above will be notified to students at the earliest opportunity in advance of the academic year to which any applicable inflationary rise may apply.

Tremaine Baker
Senior Lecturer (Practice) in Secondary Teacher Education

Tremaine has engaged in a range of teacher training roles including both History PGCE and School Direct. He is the author of Targeted Teaching: Strategies for secondary teaching (Baker, Brock and Evers, 2017) which is aimed at trainee teachers.


We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.

Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.

Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.

At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.

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Duration: 1 year full-time

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Start: September 2024

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Code: Q3X1

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