Course Summary
The Professional Master of Education (PME) programme is designed to prepare high quality teachers for today’s second level schools. Students undertake a study of the principles of teaching and learning, develop practical teaching skills as well as the foundation disciplines of educational theory.
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Career Sectors
This course prepares you for working in the Career Sectors below. Follow the links to get a fuller understanding of the sectors you are preparing for.
Entry Requirements
Entry to the PME is dependent in the first instance by your undergraduate degree (level 8 or equivalent). As a prospective candidate to the PME, you must have gained or be in the final year of an undergraduate degree in at least one curricular subject area taught at post-primary level.
Your undergraduate qualification must be recognised as relevant and of an appropriate standard by the Teaching Council. This document sets out the 'Curricular Subject Requirements' that must be met for the purposes of registration with the Teaching Council as a post-primary teacher. These requirements have been revised and we recommend this document be read carefully to determine whether your degree qualifies you to teach at second level. The onus is on the applicant to ensure the requirements as set out by the Teaching Council to teach their chosen subject have been met.
Entry to the PME programme is competitive. Applicants are required to complete an additional PME-specific online form providing information on subject specialism, degree results, additional qualifications, and professional experience. In line with the government's current initiative to increase the supply of teachers in nationally prioritised subjects, additional places will be allocated to applicants who meet the criteria for the following priority subjects: Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science and Modern Languages including Irish, German, French, Italian, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.
Please ensure that your responses are accurate and provided to the best of your knowledge. Supporting evidence for your answers will be requested and verified during the application review process. Failure to provide such evidence will result in your application failing to progress to the next stage of selection. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the full guidance notes on answering these questions before submitting their responses.
International Students:
Admission to the Professional Master of Education [PME] and/or completion of said programme does not guarantee registration as a teacher in Ireland, or in any other country. Maynooth University bears no responsibility for ensuring that PME graduates meet requirements for teacher registration. It is the responsibility of the international applicant to ensure that the Maynooth University PME is recognised as a teacher education qualification by the country in which they plan to teach.
Application Details
Closing Date : 31 January 2025
Applications are open for the 2025/6 academic year. Visit our online application portal to start your application.
We are here to support you throughout the admissions process.
For queries on your postgraduate course options please contact [email protected]
For queries or support on your application process please contact [email protected]
If you are an international (Non-EU) applicant please contact [email protected]
The course commences in late August and lectures and school placement end in May.
Fees
The Student
Career Interests
This course is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests. If these interests do not describe you, this course may prepare you for work you may not find satisfying.
Social
The Social person's interests focus on interacting with the people in their environment. In all cases, the Social person enjoys the personal contact with other people in preference to the impersonal dealings with things, data and ideas found in other groups.
Many will seek out positions where there is direct contact with the public in some advisory role, whether a receptionist or a counsellor. Social people are motivated by an interest in different types of people and like diversity in their work environments. Many are drawn towards careers in the caring professions and social welfare area, whilst others prefer teaching and other 'informing' roles.