Institute of Education

Graduate Diploma in Inclusive and Special Education

Course Code:
DC983
Course Type:
Postgraduate
NFQ Level:
9
Delivery Mode:
Part-time
Duration:
1 yr
call programme contact
+353 (0) 1
700 9062
Applications open from the 14th of March

In 2024-2025, the course will be offered in a blended approach, with a mix of online and on campus days in St Patricks College, DCU, totalling eight weeks of block release from school. Full substitution is provided by the DE.

This programme has been offered by the Institute of Education, DCU since September 2016. It combines two well-established graduate diploma courses that were offered previously at St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra and the Church of Ireland College of Education, Rathmines.

The programme is open to primary and post-primary teachers who are employed in a position that is funded by the Department of Education and who provide Special Education Teaching in recognised primary schools, post-primary schools, and in other recognised educational services. Teachers serving in special schools and special classes are also eligible to apply.

The programme provides a qualification that is recognised by the Department of Education for teachers working in the areas of inclusive education, special education and learning support who work in the following roles: Special Education Teacher, Teacher in a Special School, Teacher in a Special Class.

Funding for the course is provided by the DE. This means that for teachers who are eligible:

  • No fees or registration charges will apply to participants.
  • They will continue to receive their salary in the usual way during their participation.
  • Substitution will be provided by the DE to the schools in which they work, to cover their attendance at lectures and seminars during school hours.

There are no formal written examinations involved in the course. Participants will be assessed on the basis of full attendance at the programme venue, engagement with course content and activities, successful completion of selected tasks and written assignments and supervision of work in schools/centres, including final evaluation of this.

Participants who successfully complete the course, and who meet the relevant entry requirements, will be eligible to seek admission to the Masters in Special Educational Needs (MSEN) programme run at the School of Inclusive and Special Education. Credit for completion of the postgraduate diploma will be given to those who progress to the MSEN programme.

This is a one-year, part-time postgraduate diploma programme that aims to provide substantial theoretical and practical continuing professional development to teachers who work with learners deemed to have special educational needs and/or who require learning support in primary, post-primary and special schools and other recognised educational settings.

This course is offered in a blended format, with on campus learning in DCU, St Patrick's Campus, Drumcondra, combined with some online learning days. Please note, on campus learning days are not offered in a hybrid format, therefore in person attendance is required. This involves attending lectures, seminars and workshops during eight weeks of block-release that is spread out over the course of one academic year. It also includes on-line learning, and attendance at a maximum of ten on-line evening classes during the year and supervised work in teachers’ own schools/centres. Learning also occurs during visits by course tutors to schools, in dedicated on-line sessions and through engagement with resources made available on DCU learning platforms. In order to participate in the programme, teachers will need access to a computer and broadband internet access.

Indicative Modules

  • Principles and concepts of inclusive and special education
  • Identity, holistic profiling and responses
  • Planning, teaching and learning for all 1
  • Planning, teaching and learning for all 2
  • Collaboration and leadership
  • Elective modules

The course will begin with a joint session for Principals & Participants in early September.

Thereafter participants are required to attend three blocks of lectures (in their entirety). DE-funded substitution is available to the schools/centres of all those who are offered a place on the programme to allow this to occur.

Indicative Course Dates

Please note these dates may be subject to change at the discretion of the University - full details of dates will be provided to successful candidates

  • Block release 1 - 9th Sept - 18th Oct 2024
  • Block release 2 - 13th - 17th Jan 2025
  • Block release 3 - 3rd - 7th March 2025

Lectures are normally held continuously from 9.00am to 3.45pm daily

View the current course structure

The Institute of Education, DCU is set within the only faculty of education on the island of Ireland. It runs the largest postgraduate programme of this kind in the country. This means that you will have the opportunity to come in contact with course participants from a wide variety of settings and benefit from input provided by lecturers who have developed expertise in a very broad range of (often specialist) areas and sectors. For example, particular expertise has been developed within the programme team around the inclusion of students in primary, post-primary and special schools and other education centres, including settings that respond to highly complex learner profiles, such learners deemed to have severe or profound learning disability.

Life on Campus

We have three academic campuses close to Dublin City centre - they are located in Glasnevin and Drumcondra, and can be reached by public transport (Dublin Bus).

Each campus has libraries, study spaces, restaurants, and on-campus residencies. Sports facilities are located on two of the academic campuses. We also have a dedicated sports campus in the form of St Claire’s. 

DCU student facilities boast a fully equipped sports complex with a 25-metre pool, three libraries and The Helix, our renowned performing arts centre.

Our purpose built, state-of-the-art new student centre known as 'The U' serves the needs of a rapidly growing student body of 18,500. It is home to the Student Leadership and Lifeskills Centre, performing arts and cultural spaces for students and the wider community, and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Hub.

There are more than 140 clubs and societies for students in DCU, with ‘Clubs & Socs’ days taking place on both the Glasnevin and Drumcondra campuses at the start of the academic year.

Exceptional facilities

DCU students have access to exceptional teaching and learning facilities across our three academic campuses. 

These include modern learning theatres, research centres, new media and TV studio, radio/podcast studios, classrooms, computer suites and advanced labs in the areas of languages, engineering, physics, chemistry and biotechnology, as well as a sports performance centre and training hospital ward. In 2021, we opened our first virtual reality ‘Leadership Lab’, which is located in our Business School.

Construction on our FutureTech building on the Glasnevin campus will get underway in 2022. Once completed, this facility will advance DCU’s international reputation for excellence in science and health, computing and engineering disciplines. It will have the capacity to accommodate an additional 3,000 STEM students on the university’s Glasnevin campus.

Student Supports

We have a number of academic, professional and social supports for students.

Student Advice Centre: Offers a wide range of supports and services to students and advice.

The Writing Centre - drop-in writing workshops for students through the academic year.

Maths Learning Centre - provides maths support for students of all ability levels with maths modules.

Student Learning: facilitate the transition from passive to active learning for students at DCU, by teaching study skills, nurturing critical thinking and building student confidence. 

Careers work with students to help them on their professional journey into graduate employment.

Our student support team offers a comprehensive support programme, helping students make that all important transition into university life and focusing on building confidence and skills which are key to success at third level.

 

Requirements

Please review the Department of Education Circular for 2024 here in English and here in Irish.

The programme is open to primary and post-primary teachers who are employed in a position that is funded by the Department of Education and who provide Special Education Teaching in recognised primary schools, post-primary schools, and in other recognised educational services. Teachers serving in special schools and special classes are also eligible to apply. The programme provides a qualification that is recognised by the Department of Education for teachers working in the areas of inclusive education, special education and learning support who work in the following roles: Special Education Teacher, Teacher in a Special School, Teacher in a Special Class. Teachers must meet the criteria set out in the relevant DE Circular.

Fees

Part time

EU Status Fee Part-time
DES Funded

Next Steps

Applications will open on Thursday, 14th March 2024.

All Applicants must apply through DCU's Student Application Portal which is available here.  Here's a quick step by step guide if you need help with your application.

Applicants must provide the following:

  • Additional Questions Form - submitted within the Application Portal
  • An up-to-date Teaching Council Registration Certificate - upload to the portal
  • A Principal Declaration Form - This form must be signed by the Principal (not the Deputy Principal or any other school representative) - submitted within the Application Portal

 *Please note that only teachers who have been fully probated (completed induction) are eligible to apply for this course

Registry issue first round offers after the closing date has passed. Throughout the summer, Registry continue to make additional offers. It is the applicant's responsibility to monitor their email (checking junk/spam/promotions folder) and accept their place within the deadlines provided.

 

Queries

Closing Date: 15th April 2024

Queries on applications may be emailed to pgedapplications@dcu.ie. Please include the programme code (DC983) in the subject line of your email.