How to Apply to the UCC PME

This page provides information on the PME application process. It’s important to read through carefully to ensure you provide the correct information and documentation to support your application. We also recommend referring to the PME Prospectus Page for further details about the programme. 

By following the steps here, you will learn: 

• How to submit your application 

• The specific entry requirements 

• What documentation is needed 

• How the assessment process works 

Where to Apply

All applications are submitted through UCC Apply, UCC’s Application Portal. 

Application/Documentation Deadlines and Application Fees for Autumn 2025 

• Application Fee - €100
• Application Opening Date  - Monday 14 October 2024 
• Application Closing Date - Friday 24 January 2025
• Documentation Closing Date  - Friday 31 January 2025
• Application Decisions - Last week of March 2025

*No late applications will be accepted 

PME Entry Requirements

The entry requirements for the PME are as follows:

• Academic Requirement: 
  You must hold at least a primary degree at a minimum level of 2H2 or equivalent (e.g. primary degree and Masters) in a subject recognised by the Teaching Council of Ireland for post-primary level teaching. If your degree classification is not clearly stated on your transcript, you will need to provide evidence of its qualification status.  

• Teaching Council Subject Requirements: 
  You must also meet the Teaching Council's requirements to teach at least one subject to Leaving Certificate higher level. Please ensure that your degree meets the Curricular Subject Requirements for your chosen teaching subject(s).

• More detailed information can be found on the Curricular Subject Requirements and UCC’s PME Prospectus Page.  

• Please note that Politics and Society cannot be presented as a stand-alone teaching subject; it must be taken with another teaching subject from the list of subjects supported on the programme.

For Applicants with International Qualifications: 

If you completed your studies outside Ireland, your qualifications must meet the equivalent academic grade requirements. Further details are available on our Qualification Comparison page. 

Supporting Documentation

Once you submit an application and pay the application fee, the following documents will need to be submitted in the supplemental item section:

• Fully Completed Teaching Council Subject Self-Declaration Form(s) 
• Paid Work Experience Reference Form(s) (if applicable)  
• PME Additional Questions 
• Academic Transcripts  
• Proof of Identity 

Teaching Council Subject Declaration Form(s)

Complete & sign a Teaching Council Subject Declaration form for each proposed teaching subject on UCC Apply. Please note, UCC does not assess these forms; they are evaluated by the Teaching Council. It is very important to ensure that these forms are correctly completed and signed.  

PME Additional Questions

The application includes a section with questions about your skills and experience. You will need to provide evidence to support your answers, as this information will be reviewed during the assessment process. Be aware that unsupported or inaccurate claims may affect the outcome of your application.

Paid Work Experience Reference Form(s) (if applicable) 

To ensure your relevant work experience is considered in the evaluation process, please note the following: 

1. Relevance of Work Experience 

It is essential that your work experience is directly relevant to your proposed teaching subjects or involves professional experience working with young people. To determine what constitutes relevant work experience, please refer to the list of acceptable types in the Points for Relevant Paid Work Experience section. Only work experience that aligns with these criteria will be considered, so please ensure you enter only relevant experience. Any work experience that does not align with these criteria will not be considered.   

2. Inputting Work Experience in the PME Questionnaire 

Your work experience must be entered in the PME Additional Questions form on UCC Apply, which can be accessed in the supporting documentation section after you have submitted your application. This is a critical step, as your work experience will be evaluated and scored based on the information you provide. It is your responsibility to ensure that all details are accurately and thoroughly entered. 

3. Supporting Evidence Requirement 

If you enter work experience in the PME Additional Questions form, you are required to upload supporting documentation using the PME - Paid Employment Reference Form for each relevant role by the documentation closing date. Without this form, your work experience will not be considered for scoring purposes. You will be able to download the form from the supplemental items section once you have submitted your application. 

If applicable, please have your employers complete and stamp the form. If this is not possible, tax documents may be submitted as an alternative. Please note that only paid work experience up until December 1st of the application year will be considered for points. 

For further details on how your work experience will be assessed and scored, please refer to the Assessment of Applications section below. 

Academic Transcripts

• If you are a Final-year undergraduate applicants, you must provide a statement of results of your eligible Level 8 degree for each year of study completed to date. An original or certified photocopy of the complete transcript of results for EACH year of study to date should be uploaded to UCC Apply. (Excluding ERASMUS or equivalent).  
• If you are a Graduate applicant, you must provide your results as an overall percentage mark. An original or certified photocopy of the full transcript or statement of results for EACH year of study to date should be uploaded to UCC Apply.  
• Please ensure all submitted information is clear and accurate. Results provided for assessment must be in the percentage, GPA or QCA format only.   
• If your transcripts do not clearly indicate your ECTS credits, please submit a statement from your university confirming them.  
• If you are a UCC student or graduate you are not required to upload transcripts of UCC results if you provide your student number on the UCC application form. If you have forgotten your UCC student number, please use the Graduate Enquiry Form to contact us.

Proof of Identity

A clear copy of one of the following documents must be uploaded: 

• Passport photo page 
• Irish NDLS Driving License 
• Birth Certificate 
• If you are a UCC student or graduate you are not required to upload Proof of Identity if you provide your student number on the UCC application form. 

English Language Requirements

If you are a non-native speaker of the English language you will need to meet the university-approved English language requirements. Visit our PG English Language Requirements page for more information.

Assessment

The PME Application Assessment and Scoring Process  

• Applicants must have a primary degree at a minimum level of 2H2 or equivalent (e.g. primary degree or Masters) that is recognised by the Teaching Council of Ireland for the teaching of at least one subject in a post-primary school to Leaving Certificate Higer Level. 
• Applicants who have not yet completed their degree at the time of applying are assessed on the examination results of the most recently completed academic year (Erasmus or equivalent are not accepted).
• If an applicant is offered a place based on their most recently completed academic year result and does not receive the necessary 2H2 grade in their final year, the offer will be rescinded.
• The offer of a place is made based on the applicant declaring that they have a level 8 eligible degree which is compliant with the Teaching Council's overall ECTS requirements. The Teaching Council will carry out a detailed examination once the PME commences and if shortfalls are identified applicants may be required to address these or in extreme circumstances have the offer of a place withdrawn.

The PME Assessment Process is a points-based application system.  

Points will be awarded, as detailed below, for: 

• Undergraduate Level 8-degree result 
• Additional relevant academic qualifications 
• Relevant paid work experience
  (where applicable) 

You can find more information on the assessment process in the Assessment of Application section below. 

Offers

• Offers will be made in March for the Autumn intake.
• Please ensure that the email address provided in the online application is active and correct.
• Offer holders will receive an email asking them to check their application status and outlining details of the offer.
• Offers will be issued online through the UCC Apply portal. Please check your spam/junk mail regularly to ensure notifications aren't missed. We also recommend frequently checking the UCC website and your UCC Apply account for programme and application updates.
• Should you receive an offer, please log on to UCC Apply to confirm acceptance of your offer by the specified date to secure your place. 
• Offers may continue to be issued until all places are filled.

Acceptance Deposit 

If you accept an offer, you must pay a non-refundable and non-transferable deposit of €750, regardless of any grant funding eligibility. This deposit will be credited to your fee account. 

Deferrals 

Please note, deferrals are not permitted due to the competitive nature of the application process and the school placement allocation system. 

Commencement of Programme 

The programme will commence in the third week of August with the beginning of the required PME1 School Placement, in line with the opening of local partner post-primary schools. Dates will be communicated to successful applicants and will depend on your individual school’s first day of term. PME lectures and tutorials will commence in UCC the first week of September. 

Points for Undergraduate Degrees

Points for Undergraduate and Primary degrees are awarded as follows:

Points for Additional Relevant Qualifications

Points for additional relevant academic qualifications are awarded as follows:

Points for Relevant Paid Work Experience

Points for relevant paid work experience, if applicable, are awarded as follows:

Applicants for the PME may have professional experience related to their proposed teaching subject(s), or professional work experience in working with young people. In recognition of the value of these experiences, some additional points can be awarded. However, to ensure verifiability, points can only be awarded for paid employment which can be verified through appropriate documentation. To claim additional points, you will normally need to provide a letter from your employer showing the start and end dates, confirmation that it was a paid role and the description of the role, and you should be prepared to provide tax records to support this if required.

Points are only awarded for paid work experience which is deemed relevant. The two main categories of experience which are considered relevant are:

(i) experience of relevant paid work experience (normally at graduate level) related to the teaching subject

(ii) experience of relevant paid work experience with young people in a role sufficiently related to teaching

In each case the experience must be over a sustained period and must be of a sufficiently high level to merit the allocation of additional points.

Points are awarded in two categories:

• Full-time relevant paid work experience. If the experience is deemed relevant, one point is awarded per year of employment, up to a maximum of 5 points.

• Part-time relevant paid work experience. If the experience is deemed relevant, one point is awarded per year of employment, up to a maximum of 2 points.

Students may make a claim for points in either or both categories and may be awarded up to a maximum of 7 points in total.

Please note that:

• Points cannot be awarded where the information provided is ambiguous or incomplete.
• Points awarded for relevant paid work experience are entirely at the discretion of the UCC Graduate Studies Office

Please Note:

Full time employment is taken to mean full time hours. Continuous employment for at least 9 months is required to claim points for one year.

UCC Points - Round 1 2024 (Cut off per subject)

The 2024 points for each subject were as follows:

* not all students offered a place

Please note that random selection is used where it is necessary to distinguish between applicants with equal points.

Important Information

• Accuracy of Information: UCC reserves the right to disregard applications or cancel offers where the information provided is incomplete, incorrect, or misleading. Please ensure all details are fully correct and complete, as UCC is not responsible for any loss or hardship resulting from inaccurate information. 
• Degree Compliance: Offers are made based on applicants declaring they hold an eligible Level 8 degree (or equivalent) that meets the Teaching Council's ECTS requirements. After the PME begins, the Teaching Council will conduct a detailed examination. If any shortfalls are found, applicants may need to address them. In extreme cases, registration may be deferred or discontinued until requirements are met. 

• Online Application: By completing the online application form and submitting the required documents, you are agreeing to all terms and conditions outlined in the application and on the UCC website. The Professional Master of Education (Post-Primary Teaching) is a two-year full-time programme. 

• Canvassing: Any form of canvassing will result in automatic disqualification of your application.  

• Applications Fee: The UCC Apply Application Fee is strictly non-refundable. 

• Offers: Offers will be issued online through the UCC Apply portal. Please check your spam/junk mail regularly to ensure notifications aren't missed. We also recommend frequently checking the UCC website and your UCC Apply account for programme and application updates. Offers may continue to be issued until all places are filled.

• Acceptance Deposit: If you accept an offer, you must pay a non-refundable and non-transferable deposit of €750, regardless of any grant funding eligibility. This deposit will be credited to your fee account. 

• Deferrals: Please note, deferrals are not permitted due to the competitive nature of the application process and the school placement allocation system. 

• Queries on completed applications. Please contact Mary Ahern in the School of Education at pm.education@ucc.ie