Deaf Education (Teacher of the Deaf) University of Leeds

This Postgraduate Diploma provides a flexible opportunity for professional development in the area of deaf education. Less intensive than the Masters route (see MA Deaf Education) this course allows you to qualify as a teacher of the deaf without the need for a dissertation.

Designed for individuals in work, the course allows you to learn through distance learning materials, which are supported by tutorials and regular day schools as well as two short residential stays which will allow you to learn from fellow students.

Drawing on your own experiences with deaf children, the course allows you to reflect upon this critically and relate your knowledge to current theories and research regarding childhood deafness, development and learning.

Course content

Central to the programme is an understanding of the establishment of language fluency and effective communication as a basis for cognitive, social and emotional development. It recognises of the plural and diverse linguistic contexts of deaf children’s lives and that maximising engagement with curriculum must be the educational priority for all deaf learners.

Individual auditory potential must be carefully evaluated and regularly reappraised for all deaf children. Consideration is, therefore, given to the range of communicative and educational demands of the different contexts in which children learn so that advances in personal and assistive hearing technologies, combined with acoustic environment management, can be optimised for deaf learners.

Through consideration of the roles of spoken and signed languages and increasingly sophisticated hearing technologies in deaf children’s lives and education, you will develop a broad language base and the skills to respond flexibly to deaf children’s dynamic and changing communication needs.

Entry requirements for this course

Contact University of Leeds to find course entry requirements.

View foundation and pathway programmes to help you meet academic and language entry requirements.