MSc/PGDip Deaf Education / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course description

I have extremely high regard for all my tutors, who support me and challenge me so I can become the ToD that every deaf child deserves.

Their devotion to deaf education is inspiring and infectious, and I only wished I had done the course much sooner

Yann Cadieu / MSc Deaf Education

Successful completion of our MSc/PGDip Deaf Education course will give you the mandatory qualification to work as a Specialist Teacher of deaf children and young people.

The MSc route, which encompasses all the mandatory components of the PGDip with the addition of a dissertation, supports the development of research skills that can be applied to this field.

Rapid developments in audiology and our understanding of language, communication and educational practice make Deaf Education an exciting area of study.

The course uses an evidence-based approach to meeting the diverse needs of deaf children and young people and places a strong emphasis on the translation of research to practice.

Our course has Department for Education (DfE) accrediation, meeting the requirements of the mandatory qualification.

Most graduating students go on to teach and support deaf children in specialist teaching roles both in the UK and overseas, although there are also opportunities to continue academic research in this area.

Both MSc and PGDip options are available. There is a range of full-time, part time, e-blended and on campus learning routes. If you already have the PGDip from The University of Manchester you return to us to complete the dissertation element to gain the MSc award.

If you are an international student, we also have a part-time international PGCert pathway. This is for international students who wish to study in their home nation and may not have QTS/QTLS. This course does not qualify students as specialist teachers of deaf children and young people.

Aims

This course aims to qualify you as a Teacher of the Deaf, providing you with the skills, knowledge and understanding to teach deaf children and  young people.

Special features

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Deaf Education: Teaching placements overview

High-quality teaching

You will learn from a multi-professional team within a highly specialised and internationally recognised department. Deaf Education at Manchester works alongside the associated disciplines of Speech and Language Therapy and Audiology, giving you a unique experience that fully equips you with the skills needed to teach deaf children and young people aged 0-25 years.

We have well-established, close links with services and service users. We ensure that our teaching is reflective of the range of perspectives and philosophies that are represented in the field.

Watch our video to find out about teaching placements on the course. Click through to YouTube to watch the video with subtitles.

Teaching and learning

We have a range of ways to complete the programme up to Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) level.

For example, the full-time option is two days a week and taught on campus.

The two years part-time on-campus option is taught on campus for one day a week.

The e-blended learning route is two years, part-time and provides the opportunity for you to learn at your own rate, at a time and place that suits you. The course is set within a framework of online support and workshops to ensure you have the chance to meet and share ideas. The e-blended course is an established and popular option for those at a distance and offers online and written materials with two face to face learning blocks on campus in the first year and two blocks on campus in the second year.

All students undertake two 20-day placements over the course of study. We have plans in place to ensure that learning takes place even if distancing rules prevent travel.

We recognise that some students are employed as Teachers of the Deaf and require the training to be able to continue in the role. For other learners working mainstream and trying to enter the field of deaf education we understand that flexible learning routes (on campus or e-blended) are important to transition into deaf education as a new profession.

In addition, all first-year students are required to attend an additional e-conference. This provides an opportunity to meet a range of professionals, to extend knowledge and understanding, to exchange ideas and to establish a strong group identity.

For the MSc module, the online research methods unit prepares you to undertake your dissertation. We also deliver online research and dissertation writing workshops as well as one-to-one tutorials and dissertation supervision. Your dissertation supervision will have research interest and experience in your topic of research.

You will be taught by academics who are an award-winning team for teaching excellence and who hold Honorary Fellowships in The University of Manchester’s Institution of Teaching and Learning.

Coursework and assessment

A variety of assessment methods are used within the PGDip, including written assignments, case reports, practical work, and presentations. We incoproprate, as part of our teaching and learning, opportunities for formative assessments that help to shape individual studies but do not contribute to the final marks.

The MSc dissertation may be in the form of a:

  • systematic review
  • educational policy review
  • data collection study (qualitative or quantitative)
  • grant proposal

Course unit details

Detailed unit information can be found by clicking on the links in the course unit list below.

PGDip students will study all units except the dissertation. Those who wish to top up to an MSc can take the additional 60-credit dissertation unit.

For the full MSc, the course consists of relevant theoretical and practical teaching experience and a dissertation. There are two placements over the duration of the course.

These are arranged in consultation with you and are fully supervised.

All PGDip students must attain BSL Level 1 as a minimum by the end of their course of study. This is completed independently and is not part of the course. Learners cannot qualify as a Teacher of the Deaf without evidence of Level 1 BSL.

Watch our unit overview videos

You can watch brief introductions to some of our units plus the teaching placements on YouTube.

Course unit list

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Language Acquisition PCHN60240 15 Mandatory
Language Assessment PCHN60250 15 Mandatory
Developing Deaf Child PCHN60260 15 Mandatory
Policy and Practice PCHN60270 15 Mandatory
Curricular Access PCHN60280 15 Mandatory
Teaching and Learning 2 PCHN60310 15 Mandatory
Dissertation PCHN60311 60 Mandatory
Audiological Management PCHN61230 15 Mandatory
Teaching and Learning 1 PCHN63020 15 Mandatory

What our students say

Read about our students' experiences of the MSc/PGDip Deaf Education course and our graduates' subsequent careers by reading their posts on the Biology, Medicine and Health Student blog.

Facilities

The group I was with were amazing, and supported each other through the ups and downs that are inevitable in any training that stretches and challenges.

It was also great to be able to hear of their experiences of deaf education in different areas and settings, which reflected the diversity of the role of Teacher of the Deaf.

Moira / Deaf Education graduate

You will be able to access a dedicated lab for audiology work, a student resource room, and the largest e-library and specialist deaf education resource in the UK.

You will also be able to access a range of facilities throughout the University.

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk