Rhodes University Education Degree Structure
Education Degree Structure
The Faculty of Education has dynamically positioned itself at the forefront of education transformation in the country. This is not a place for the faint-hearted, and demands ‘sinesibindi’ (literally in isiXhosa that we have a liver, but figuratively meaning that we must have courage)! The phrase ‘caring quality’ accurately sums up the reputation that the Faculty has gained for its commitment to students and to work in the education field. The Faculty concerns itself with education in the broadest sense, including the professional preparation of teachers, further in-service qualifications, as well as non-formal education. While operating predominantly in the Eastern Cape, the Faculty also serves the country and the SADC region. Apart from teaching and supervision, it is deeply involved in research, national policy development, and professional and community work.
The Faculty is centred around the Department of Education which works in close partnership with CHERTL (Centre for Higher Education Research Teaching & Learning), RUMEP (Rhodes University Mathematics Education Project), the CSD (Centre for Social Development), and the ISEA (Institute for the Study of Englishes in Africa). The Faculty offers a range of qualifications in education, ranging from undergraduate Bachelor of Education degrees to doctoral degree.
Professional qualification as a teacher
Rhodes University offers two ways to qualify as a professional teacher. The first option is to complete a four-year Bachelor of Education (Foundation Phase Teaching) degree. The second option is to complete a Bachelor’s degree in another Faculty and then cap it with the one year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). If you are planning to do a PGCE please check your undergraduate curriculum with the Dean of Education, you can also refer to the admission requirements listed on the Education Departmental website. This is to ensure you have the appropriate subjects required for teaching in your Undergraduate degree.
Bachelor of Education Foundation Phase Teaching Curriculum
| Bachelor of Education (Foundation Phase) | ||
| First Year | ||
| Modules | ||
| Course Title | NQF | Credits |
| Foundation Phase Studies 1 (Children’s Literature) | 5 | 10 |
| Education & Professional Studies 1A (The Whole Child in Context) | 5 | 25 |
| Education & Professional Studies 1B (Holistic Development of the Teacher) | 5 | 25 |
| Teaching Practice 1A | 6 | 10 |
| Two of the following language courses in the Faculty of Humanities: | ||
| English 1/English Language & Linguistics 1 | 5 | 30 |
| isiXhosa (Mother-Tongue)/isiXhosa (Additional Language) 1* | 5 | 30 |
| Afrikaans 1/1P | 5 | 30 |
| * Students who do not have conversational competence in an African Language, must register for isiXhosa (Additional Language) 1 in their first year | ||
| Second Year | ||
| Modules | ||
| Course Title | NQF | Credits |
| Performance and Multimodalities 1 | 6 | 15 |
| Understanding the Social & Physical World 2 | 6 | 15 |
| Education & Professional Studies 2 | 6 | 10 |
| Teaching Practice 1B | 6 | 10 |
| Continue with one of the following languages from the Faculty of Humanities: | ||
| English 1/English Language & Linguistics 2 | 6 | 30 |
| isiXhosa (Mother-Tongue)/isiXhosa (Additional Language) 2 | 6 | 30 |
| Afrikaans 2 | 6 | 30 |
| Foundation Phase Studies Year 2* | ||
| FP 1: First Additional Language English | 6 | 7 |
| FP 1: Mathematics | 6 | 10 |
| FP 1: Life Skills | 6 | 10 |
| One of the following: | ||
| Foundation Phase Studies 1: Home Language English OR | 6 | 10 |
| Foundation Phase Studies 1: Home Language isiXhosa | 6 | 10 |
| One of the following: | ||
| Foundation Phase Studies 1: First Additional Language Afrikaans OR | 6 | 8 |
| Foundation Phase Studies 1: First Additional Language isiXhosa | 6 | 8 |
|
* Pre-requisites for the selection of options in Foundation Phase Studies in second year: |
||
| 1) Students intending to select isiXhosa Home Language Teaching in Foundation Phase Studies must normally EITHER have obtained credit for isiXhosa Home or First Additional Language in their NSC, OR have obtained credit for isiXhosa (Mother Tongue) 1. | ||
| 2) Students intending to select English Home Language Teaching in Foundation Phase Studies must normally EITHER have obtained credit for English Home or First Additional Language in their NSC, OR have obtained credit for English 1, OR have obtained credit for English Language and Linguistics 1. | ||
| 3) Students intending to select isiXhosa First Additional Language in Foundation Phase Studies must normally EITHER have obtained credit for isiXhosa Home Language or First Additional Language in their NSC, OR must register concurrently for isiXhosa (Additional Language) 2. | ||
| 4) Students intending to select Afrikaans First Additional Language in Foundation Phase Studies must normally have obtained credit for EITHER Afrikaans Home Language or First Additional Language in their NSC, OR Afrikaans 1/1P. | ||
| Third Year | ||
| Modules | ||
| Course Title | NQF | Credits |
| Education & Professional Studies 3 | 7 | 30 |
| Performance & Multimodalities 2 | 6 | 15 |
| Understanding the Social & Physical World 3 | 6 | 15 |
| Teaching Practice 2 | 6 | 25 |
| Foundation Phase Studies Year 3* | ||
| FP 2: First Additional Language English | 6 | 9 |
| FP 2: Mathematics | 6 | 9 |
| FP 2: Life Skills | 6 | 9 |
| Continue with one of the following: | ||
| Foundation Phase Studies 2: Home Language English OR | 6 | 9 |
| Foundation Phase Studies 2: Home Language isiXhosa | 6 | 9 |
| Continue with one of the following: | ||
| Foundation Phase Studies 2: First Additional Language Afrikaans OR | 6 | 9 |
| Foundation Phase Studies 2: First Additional Language isiXhosa | 6 | 9 |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Modules | ||
| Course Title | NQF | Credits |
| Education & Professional Studies 4 | 7 | 30 |
| Teaching Practice 3 | 7 | 24 |
| Foundation Phase Studies Year 4* | ||
| FP 3: First Additional Language English | 6 | 9 |
| FP 3: Mathematics | 6 | 9 |
| FP 3: Life Skills | 6 | 9 |
| Continue with one of the following: | ||
| Foundation Phase Studies 3: Home Language English OR | 6 | 9 |
| Foundation Phase Studies 3: Home Language isiXhosa | 6 | 9 |
| Continue with one of the following: | ||
| Foundation Phase Studies 3: First Additional Language Afrikaans OR | 6 | 9 |
| Foundation Phase Studies 3: First Additional Language isiXhosa | 6 | 9 |
Postgraduate Certificates in Education
| Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Foundation Phase) PGCEF | ||
| Compulsory modules | ||
| Course Title | NQF | Credits |
| Literacy And Numeracy (PGCEF) | 7 | 8 |
| Education Studies (PGCEF) (M) | 7 | 24 |
| Education Environment (PGCEF) | 7 | 6 |
| Found. Of Learning (PGCEF) | 7 | 12 |
| Mathematics Education (PGCEF) | 7 | 12 |
| Life Skills Education (PGCEF) | 7 | 9 |
| Teaching Practice (PGCEF) | 7 | 28 |
| Education Technologies (PGCEF) | 7 | 4 |
| First Add. Lang Eng (PGCEF) | 7 | 9 |
| One of the following: | ||
| Home Language (English) | 7 | 12 |
| Home Language (isiXhosa) | 7 | 12 |
| One of the following: | ||
| First Add. Lang (Afrikaans) (PGCEF) | 7 | 9 |
| First Add. Lang (isiXhosa) (PGCEF) | 7 | 9 |
| Compulsory Endorsements | ||
| Computer Literacy (PGCEF) | 0 | |
| Lang Endorsement (ENG) (PGCEF) | 0 | |
| Lang Endorsement (XHO) (PGCEF) | 0 | |
| Additional Endorsements | ||
| Lang Endorsement (AFR) (PGCEF) | 0 | |
| Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Intermediate Phase) PGCIP | ||
| Compulsory modules | ||
| Course Title | NQF | Credits |
| Education Studies (PGCEIP) (M) | 7 | 26 |
| General Professional & Pedagogical Practices (GPP) (PGCEIP) | 7 | 12 |
| Teaching Practice (PGCEIP) | 7 | 26 |
| Education Technologies (PGCEIP) | 7 | 4 |
| First Add. Lang Eng (PGCEIP) | 7 | 14 |
| One of the following (see note below): | ||
| Home Language (Afrikaans) (PGCEIP) | ||
| Home Language (English) (PGCEIP) | 7 | 14 |
| Home Language (isiXhosa) (PGCEIP) | 7 | 14 |
| Two of the following (see note below): | ||
| Social Sciences (PGCEIP) | 7 | 14 |
| Mathematics Education (PGCEIP) | 7 | 14 |
| Natural Sciences and Technology (PGCEIP) | 7 | 14 |
| Life Skills Education (PGCEIP) | 7 | 14 |
| Mathematics in Society * | 5 | 8 |
| * Mathematics in Society must be taken if a student does not take the Mathematics Education Elective | ||
| Optional Modules | ||
| isiXhosa First Additional Language (PGCEIP) | 7 | 14 |
| Afrikaans First Additional Language (PGCEIP) | 7 | 14 |
| Compulsory Endorsements | ||
| Education Technology (PGCEIP) | 5 | 1 |
| Computer Literacy (PGCEIP) | 5 | 1 |
| Lang Endorsement (ENG) (PGCEIP) | 5 | 1 |
| Lang Endorsement Conversational (XHO) (PGCEIP) | 5 | 1 |
| Optional Endorsements | ||
| Lang Endorsement Conversational AFR) (PGCEIP) | 5 | 1 |
All Intermediate Phase students must specialize in Home Language teaching in one of the official languages, together with English First Additional Language teaching.
· If a student selects Afrikaans as Home Language, and English as a First Additional Language, then the student must also study an African Language at a basic conversational level in order to meet the language requirements relating to conversational competence.
· If a student selects English as a Home Language, and English as a First Additional Language the student must study an additional official language (other than English) at the level of Home Language or First Additional Language. If the additional language is Afrikaans, the student must also study an African Language at a basic conversational level.
· If a student selects to study an African Language at Home Language level, the student must study English at First Additional Level, and could study Afrikaans at basic conversational level.
Apart from the requirement of competence to teach at least two official languages, the student must also specialise in the teaching of at least two other Intermediate Phase subjects chosen from Intermediate Phase Mathematics, Science and Technology, Life Skills, and Social Science.
| Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Senior Phase & FET)/(FET) PGCES | ||
| Compulsory modules | ||
| Course Title | NQF | Credits |
| Community Engagement (PGCES) | 7 | 4 |
| Education Studies (PGCES) (M) | 7 | 24 |
| Education Technologies (PGCES) | 7 | 6 |
| Teaching Method 1 (PGCES) FET | 7 | 24 |
| Teaching Prac 1 (PGCES) FET | 7 | 13 |
| Teaching Method 2 (PGCES) SP/FET | 7 | 24 |
| Teaching Prac 2 (PGCES) SP/FET | 7 | 13 |
| At least one/two teaching subject from the following FET range: Accounting, Afrikaans First Additional Language, Afrikaans Home Language, Business Studies, Computer Applications Technology, Computer Studies, Design, Dramatic Arts, Economics, English First Additional Language, English Home Language, French (Foreign Language Teaching), Geography, German (Foreign Language Teaching), History, IsiXhosa First Additional Language, IsiXhosa Home Language, Life Orientation, Life Science, Mathematics, Mathematics Literacy, Music, Physical Science, Visual Arts; | ||
| and/or another teaching subject from the following Senior Phase range: Afrikaans First Additional Language, Afrikaans Home Language , Creative Arts, Economic Management Sciences, English First Additional Language, English Home Language, French (Foreign Language Teaching), German (Foreign Language Teaching), IsiXhosa First Additional Language, IsiXhosa Home Language, Life Orientation, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Technology. (Entry requirements for these Teaching Methods are according to guidelines spelled out in Gov Gazette No 34467) | ||
| Compulsory Endorsements | ||
| Computer Literacy (PGCES) | 0 | |
| Lang Endorsement (ENG) (PGCES) | 0 | |
| Lang Endorsement (XHO) (PGCES) | 0 | |
| Optional Endorsements | ||
| Lang Endorsement (AFR) (PGCES) | 0 | |