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Candidates may qualify for admission into the Master of Teaching and Learning (MTchLn) programme in any one of the three ways described in 1.1 - 1.3 below.
Candidates who are not admitted to the degree may be admitted to individual courses as described in 1.4 below.
Candidates from a non-English speaking background must demonstrate effective communication in English. International students must gain an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 7.5 or equivalent.
Verifiable documentation will be required in support of all applications for admission to the degree programme.
1.1 Direct admission. Direct admission will be approved for teachers with a Bachelor degree or its equivalent as specified by the regulations relating to admission to current teacher education programmes, and a teaching qualification equivalent to the Diploma in Teaching. Each personal programme of study shall contain a required praxis component which can be met either by completing a minimum of two years practical full-time teaching experience (or the part time equivalent), or by successful completion of a minimum of three praxis courses as approved by the Academic Board.
1.2 Equivalent Status admission. Equivalent status admission will be approved when the applicant has other qualifications or level of professional experience acceptable to the Academic Board as meeting entry requirements.
Unless special circumstances prevail application for equivalent status admission must be made by 1 September in the year preceding entry to the programme.
1.3 Provisional admission. Provisional admission may be approved by special permission of the Academic Board for those who do not meet requirements as specified in 1.1 or 1.2.
In such circumstances the Academic Board will require a sample of the applicant's academic work, supporting statements of professional competence, and any other supporting documentary evidence which the applicant is advancing in order to meet the entry requirements.
Candidates who are granted provisional admission to the degree shall be granted full admission on successful completion, within a specified time, of the core research methods course or, in unusual circumstances, another course approved by the Academic Board.
Unless special circumstances prevail application for provisional admission shall be made by 1st September in the year preceding entry into the MTchLn programme.
Note: A 'sample of the candidate's academic work' shall include one or more of the following:
- a portfolio of relevant professional writing such as professional publications, resource material, workshop resources or other verifiable evidence of professional presentations
- a relevant review of professional literature
- the completion of a special project or assignment.
1.4 Certificate of Proficiency admission. A candidate who is not admitted to the degree may be admitted to a course within the degree and granted a certificate of proficiency for the course on successful completion.
2.1 The maximum total course credit a candidate may receive through the provisions of regulations 2.2, 2.3, and 2.5 towards the degree shall be 90 credits at level 8.
2.2 University of Canterbury College of Education's policy on Credit for Prior Learning will apply.
2.3 A candidate may be exempted up to a maximum of 60 credits on the grounds of equivalent recent, significant and documented involvement in teaching and learning through a combination of leadership, research, scholarship and/or reflective, innovative professional practice. [1]
2.4 A candidate may transfer a maximum of 90 credits at level 8 or above on the basis of other postgraduate courses in Education or closely related field's
3.1 All courses of study are subject to the approval of the Academic Board
3.2 Prerequisites and co-requisites
Except where exempted by the Academic Board
3.3 Normal progress through the degree and requirements for the award of the qualification
- Students must pass the compulsory course in educational research methods within their first two years of study for the degree.
- Students must pass the course in educational research methods before they begin their research project(s) dissertation or thesis.
- Each course with the exception of the dissertation and thesis, is worth 30 credits positioned at Level 8 of the National Qualifications Framework.
- There are two thesis options:
- the dissertation is worth 90 credits and is positioned at level 9 of the National Qualifications Framework.
- the thesis is worth 120 credits and is positioned at level 9 of the National Qualifications Framework.
- Each student must complete a minimum of 30 credits research, however no one individual programme of study may include more than two research courses. These could be made up of two research projects or a research project and a disserttion/thesis.
- A student's programme of study may not include more than two Special Topics or Independent Studies (60 credits).
- The Master of Teaching and Learning degree will be awarded when a student has successfully completed all the assessment requirements for 240 credits (8 courses or course equivalents).
4.1 General Principles
- Assessment will be standards based, incorporating both competence-based and achievement-based approaches.
- The objectives of assessment are to provide students with feedback on their progress and achievement, and to protect the validity of the qualification by establishing appropriate standards.
- Students will be informed of all course requirements at the beginning of the course, and of any particular criteria required for individual assignments at the time they are set.
- If a particular assignment is deemed unsatisfactory in that it has not met the criteria, the student will be informed fully of what is required and given the opportunity to submit the work for reassessment. A time limit will be set for re-submission of the work. If the criteria have still not been met, or if the time limit is exceeded, the student will be deemed to have failed the assignment.
- Students shall not normally be granted a time extension for the re-submission of unsatisfactory work beyond three months after the published end date of the course.
- College policies related to assessment shall apply. This includes policies related to assessment in Te Reo Māori, and to appeals regarding the marking of course assignments.
- The College does not accept responsibility for any academic failure attributable to a student's lack of competence in written or spoken English.
4.2 Grades
The grade awarded for a course or thesis shall be: Distinction, Merit Pass, Pass, Incomplete or Fail.
5.1 On the recommendation of the Academic Standards Committee the Academic Board may award the degree with Distinction.
5.2 A Master of Teaching and Learning with Distinction may be granted when a candidate is judged to have met the criteria set for a distinction grade in at least five courses or course equivalents.
6.1 Where a student is unable to meet the requirements for a course he or she may, under special circumstances, be granted an extension of time to complete the course requirements.
6.2 Unless special circumstances apply, application for a time extension must be made in writing to the course coordinator in advance of advertised deadlines.
6.3 Any application for a time extension for the submission of incomplete work beyond three months after the published end date of the course must be made to the Academic Board.
7.1 Under normal circumstances the minimum duration of study for the degree shall be two years.
7.2 Unless special circumstances apply, students must complete the degree within eight years of entry into the degree programme.
View the Professional Development Handbook (PDF, 314KB) for more information.
For more information email masters@educ.canterbury.ac.nz or Freephone in NZ 0800 VARSITY (827 748).