Become a secondary school teacher

Start by choosing your subject to find out about secondary teaching in Scotland. You’ll learn more about what’s involved in teaching that subject, your training options, the qualifications you’ll need, and where you can study.

To teach in a state secondary school in Scotland, you must have completed:

• A four-year undergraduate course in education
  Or
• An undergraduate course then a one-year PGDE
  Or
• Achieved the equivalent qualification outside Scotland
  

If you don’t have the English or Maths qualifications

No need to worry – there are access courses in English (SCQF Level 6) and Maths (SCQF Level 5) that you can complete online. You can work towards them flexibly, in your own time.

Routes into secondary teaching

There are a number of paths you can take into teaching a secondary school.

Four-year degree courses in Scotland:

• The University of Edinburgh
• University of Glasgow
• University of Stirling
• University of the Highlands and Islands
• Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Music teaching qualification only)
• The University of the West of Scotland

One-year PGDE courses in Scotland:

• Edinburgh Napier University
• Queen Margaret University
• The University of Dundee
• The University of Edinburgh (also includes MSc Transformative Learning and Teaching)
• The University of Glasgow
• The University of the Highlands and Islands
• The University of Strathclyde
• The University of the West of Scotland
• University of Aberdeen

Flexible routes

There are different teacher education programmes available.

Select your subject from the drop-down above to find out more.

You’ll find the most up-to-date information on courses available by searching on UCAS.