PGCert in Academic Practice (last chance to apply)
The University’s Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) is a free 60-credit professional practice programme open to all staff at St Andrews who are engaged in teaching or supporting student learning. The deadline to enrol for academic year 2025-26 is 12th December.
The aim is to give colleagues a supportive space in which they can develop as reflective practitioners in a collegiate, interdisciplinary community, exploring and developing different aspects of their practice in dialogue with peers. The first core module runs in semester 2, allowing staff new to the university to join the programme the year they arrive.
To achieve the PGCAP you must successfully complete four 15-credit modules over two to four years (maximum of one module per semester). This delivery mode of four semesters of study over a period of up to four years recognises that programme participants will often be working full-time and engaging with the modules on top of existing commitments.
It allows you to “pause” your engagement with the programme according to your circumstances; modules do not need to be completed in consecutive semesters. The aim is to provide flexibility to support the needs of a diverse cohort while still ensuring a logical developmental pathway. You must be teaching concurrently to enrol on the first two core modules.
To find out more and get the enrolment link, please go to the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice web page or email [email protected].
What previous graduates have had to say about the programme:
- “Whilst my knowledge, understanding and skills have improved, I feel it is my confidence and sense of self-worth as an academic that has increased the most. Whilst I know there will always be more to learn and develop, I feel able to move forward positively. The PGCAP overall has been invaluable.”
- “Both the PGCAP and STARS have allowed me to reflect on my own experiences, build my confidence in my own practices and have also given me time to look into other pedagogical methods and take an evidence based teaching approach to the design of new assessments and modules.”