PGDE Àrd-sgoil (tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig) at University of the Highlands and Islands

Programme overview

A one-year secondary teacher education programme taught through the medium of Gaelic, preparing graduates to teach in secondary schools and to work in Gaelic-medium education. Students spend 18 weeks at university and 19 weeks on placement, with local authority partners (Argyll and Bute, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Highland and Perth and Kinross).

Duration: Full-time: 1 year (August to June) | Intake: August | Study mode: full-time | Location: Inverness, Scotland, United Kingdom

What you will study

Teaching modules: Collaborative Practice (20 credits), Enquiry and Practice (20 credits), Reflective Practice (20 credits) and Professional Practice (secondary) (60 credits, 19 weeks of school placement across broad general education S1-S3 and senior phase S4-S6). Secondary subjects offered include English, Gaelic, Mathematics, Computing, History, Music, Art and Design, Religious Education, Home Economics, Technology, Business Education, and Biology, Chemistry and Physics with Science.

Career pathways

Graduates register provisionally as secondary teachers with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) and can enter the Teacher Induction Scheme; most successful students are offered a probationary year in a local school. Progression to MEd Critical Enquiry or a UK masters programme.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

A degree appropriate to the teaching subject (honours preferred, ordinary degrees also considered). English: Higher grade C or above, or A level grade D or above, or GCSE English Language and English Literature grade C/4 or above, or equivalent. Mathematics or Applications of Mathematics: National 5 grade C or above, SQA Intermediate 2 grade C, Standard Grade Credit, or GCSE grade C/4 or above, or equivalent. Applicants must be fluent in Gaelic (read and write), with language skills assessed at interview. Entry must meet GTCS subject guidance for secondary teaching. Successful applicants must undergo PVG Disclosure and join the PVG Scheme; applicants resident outside the UK for six months or more in the last five years require overseas criminal record checks. Applications are made through UCAS (not UCAS Teacher Training) with degree and English and Maths qualifications declared.

Domestic applicants: GBP 1,820 a year (2026/27). Scotland-domiciled students (incl. EU with settled/pre-settled status); SAAS may pay fees Source

Intake: August

Duration: Full-time: 1 year (August to June)

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