Pre-Service BA - Teaching Qualification in Further Education (TQFE)

We’re accredited by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), which means you can register with them when you graduate.

Our modules require you to attend on-campus lectures, seminars and workshops. There’s also a placement at a Scottish further education college which gives you excellent teaching practice.

We make all our teaching materials available to you online, including: recordings of all lectures; e-journals and e-books. Additional resources are provided by various organisations in the FE sector, including:

• College Development Network
• Education Scotland
• General Teaching Council Scotland

As a pre-service student you’ll undertake an unpaid college placement. You’ll be observed teaching on your placement on two separate occasions. Each observation involves a written reflective exercise based on professional dialogue with your observer. These are usually carried out by core staff on the TQFE course. We also employ FE college-based Teacher Fellows who complement the core team who undertake teaching observations.

This full-time course consists of 20 on-campus taught days, in addition to 120 hours of teaching practice on placement at a local college.  

Our course is practice-focused, so you’ll go on an unpaid teaching placement at a local college (120 hours of teaching). This involves 2 to 3 days per week of teaching practice in a college. Your placement will be supported by tutor visits and college mentors. It gives you the opportunity to develop and enhance your teaching practice in the further education environment.

Not available on this course.

Dr Kevin Brosnan, Course Director

+44 (0)1786 467681
tqfe@stir.ac.uk

See what funding opportunities and loans are available to help you with tuition and living costs.

Students domiciled in Scotland and the EU

The University of Stirling offers undergraduate funding opportunities for students domiciled in Scotland or the EU. To find out if you’re eligible to apply for an award, use our scholarship finder.

EU students

For EU students starting studies in academic year 2021/22, we will award an automatic scholarship of up to £30k over the duration of your course. This is subject to eligibility criteria.

Students domiciled in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (RUK)

The Undergraduate Choice Scholarship provides a £1,000 cash award to all students from England, Wales or Northern Ireland who meet the conditions of their offer and select the University of Stirling as their Firm or Insurance choice on UCAS.

The University also offers the Undergraduate Merit Scholarship, which is awarded to selected students and provides a £1,000 cash award per year for years 1-3 of study. To be considered for the Merit Scholarship, students require a minimum of AAB at A-level or equivalent.

In addition, students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland who enter in year 1 and progress successfully through years 2 and 3 will receive our Honours Year Scholarship, which covers the cost of undergraduate tuition fees in the Honours year of study.

You don’t need to apply for the awards listed above - we'll automatically identify your eligibility as part of the admissions process.

To explore other scholarships and learn more about funding opportunities, use our scholarship finder.

Students domiciled overseas

The University of Stirling offers generous undergraduate funding opportunities for overseas students. To find out if you're eligible to apply for an award, use our scholarship finder.

If you’re domiciled in the UK, you can typically apply to your relevant funding body for help with living costs. This usually takes the form of student loans, grants or bursaries, and the amount awarded depends upon your personal circumstances and household income.

EU and overseas students won’t normally be able to claim living support through SAAS or other UK public funding bodies. You should contact the relevant authority in your country to find out if you’re eligible to receive support.

Find out about the cost of living for students at Stirling.

We aim to be as flexible as possible, and offer a wide range of payment methods - including the option to pay fees by instalments. Learn more about how to pay.

This course gives you the skills you need to be successful as a Further Education lecturer or Adult Learning tutor for a variety of training providers. The placement we provide gives you invaluable teaching practice in the sector before you graduate. This allows you to highlight your experience in applications and interviews.

We have strong links with colleges throughout Scotland, enabling us to provide practical placements as part of this course.