PG Certificate in Learning & Teaching in the Arts
As a participant on this programme you will join a vibrant community sharing in a journey of professional enquiry and development designed to enhance your practice as an arts educator.
Page Navigation
Overview
Shape the Future of Arts Education – Wherever You Are
Join a dynamic, international network of arts educators through our part-time, hybrid PG Cert in Learning and Teaching in the Arts course – a flexible, master’s-level programme designed to fit around your professional life and arts education practice.
Whether you’re teaching in a studio, classroom, rehearsal space, or community setting, this two-year programme invites you to critically explore and enhance your approach to arts education. Through a blend of online and in-person sessions, one-to-one tutorials, and collaborative learning, you’ll engage with a diverse community of peers who share your passion for teaching and the arts.
During the course you’ll design a research project that reflects your unique interests, context, and learners – building a strong evidence base that connects your practice to educational theory, discipline-specific discourse, and professional standards.
Wherever you’re based, this programme is built to support your growth as an educator.
Ready to innovate, collaborate, and elevate your practice? We warmly invite you to join us.
The important details
UK Applicant Deadline:
14 January 2026
International (including EU) Applicant Deadline:
14 January 2026
Institution Code:
R58
Programme Code:
110P
Application Fee:
£28.95
Please note
This course is subject to revalidation
Welcome to Learning & Teaching in the Arts
Watch Head of Programme, Jamie Mackay, give a brief overview of our PG Certificate in Learning & Teaching in the Arts in this short introduction video.
Who is this course for?
Students on these programmes typically have an undergraduate arts qualification in one of the following discipline areas:
- Dance (e.g. contemporary, ballet, highland, jazz)
- Drama (e.g. acting, directing, dramaturgy, playwriting)
- Musical Theatre
- Contemporary Performance (e.g. devised theatre)
- Music (e.g. classical, jazz, traditional, contemporary, world, pop, rock, composition)
- Film (e.g. screenwriting, directing, cinematography)
- Production (e.g. set and costume design, scenic art, sound design, production management, costume making, stage management)
- Visual Art (e.g. painting, sculpture, design)
The PG Cert programme is designed to appeal to individuals anywhere in the world who have a role as an arts educator –
Within a formal education context such as:
- An early years nursery or kindergarten
- A state or private primary, secondary or ASN school
- An International School
- A Further Education College
- A Higher Education University, Art School, or Conservatoire
Or within a non-formal education context, such as a:
- Community Arts Centre
- Professional Arts Organisation
- Public Arts Organisation
- Participatory Arts Organisation
- Private practice
Why Study the PG Certificate in Learning & Teaching in the Arts at RCS?
Flexible and Part-Time
Whether you teach in a formal institution or a non-formal setting, this programme is designed to support your professional development while fitting around your existing commitments.
Study from Anywhere
Choose how you learn:
- Hybrid: Combine in-person and online sessions
- Fully Online: Participate remotely from anywhere in the world
Both options include personalised tutorials and peer learning sets to support your journey.
Learn Through Your Practice
Study in and through your current role as an educator in any arts discipline—music, drama, dance, film, production, visual art, design, and more. Your professional context becomes your place of learning.
A World-Leading Institution
Develop your practice at a World Top 10 institution for the arts (QS World Rankings 2025), supported by expert educators and personalised supervision.
Enhance Your Practice
Whether you aim to foster more creative, inclusive, engaging, or autonomy-supportive learning experiences, this programme equips you with the knowledge and skills to make meaningful change in your practice.
Advance Your Career
Build an evidence base that demonstrates your commitment to your professional development as an arts educator, whatever your context.
For those teaching at degree level the programme also leads to HEA Fellowship.
Arts Educator CPD Sessions
Calling all teachers, lecturers, workshop leaders, tutors, teaching artists and facilitators working in the arts! Fancy meeting up to think about what makes a brilliant arts educator?
We’d love for you to bring a coffee along to one of our regular online discovery sessions where we come together to shoot the breeze about all things to do with arts education. There’s no need for any prep as the sessions are led by members of the PGLT team who will set a theme to start off the conversation. You can choose to join in or just listen in.
We’ll also share information about how the part time PGLT programmes help us to think more deeply about the changes in arts education that we’d love to see happen.
So, if you’re interested in sharing your thinking and in finding out more about the part-time distance learning programmes at RCS – we’d love to see you at one of our monthly Discovery Sessions.
All sessions run twice on stated date, one in the morning and one in the evening (there is no need to be present for both).
- 4th November 2025, 10am
- 4th November 2025, 7pm
- 2nd December 2025, 10am
- 2nd December 2025, 7pm
- 13th January 2026, 10am
- 13th January 2026, 7pm
- 3rd February 2026, 10am
- 3rd February 2026, 7pm
- 3rd March 2026, 10am
- 3rd March 2026, 7pm
- 7th April 2026, 10am
- 7th April 2026, 7pm
- 5th May 2026, 10am
- 5th May 2026, 7pm
- 2nd June 2026, 10am
- 2nd June 2026, 7pm
Graduate Destinations
Successful completion of this qualification provides evidence of your commitment to professionalism to learning and teaching. We expect graduates to progress further in their careers, increase their employability and be able to work in a host of different arts settings.
Many students on the programme secure promoted roles within their own organisations or may move to different organisations whilst still studying on the programme.
Some graduates from the existing PG Cert programme have gone on to study our full MEd in Learning and Teaching in the Arts course. For applicants with our PG Cert (or equivalent), we offer advanced entry into Year 2 of our MEd programme.
“As a theatre practitioner in a more rural part of scotland, the course has been an absolute game-changer for me. I have gone from feeling stuck and isolated to feeling challenged and supported.” – Previous PGCert Student
“It has opened my eyes up to so much more information than I ever could have expected such as websites, organisations, research and also it changed my mind in what I want out of education. It has allowed me to network with experts and meet other like-minded people. I am a far better educator for being on this course.” – Previous PGCert Student
Professional Recognition
For all participants, the programme can be used to develop knowledge and skills as an arts educator and to build an evidence-base to demonstrate commitment their professional learning in designing and delivering learning activities.
Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy
For lecturers/tutors working in a further or higher education context with learners at SCQF Level 7 or above (or equivalent), this programme leads to HEA Fellowship with Advance HE.
GTCS Registered Teachers
GTCS registered teachers who have a remit for an arts subject within their school teaching context can use this programme to build evidence of their commitment to their professional learning as an arts educator. We include the following within our definition of an arts ‘subject’: music, dance, drama and art and design.
Programme Structure
Explore, Enhance, Advance: Dive into Arts Education
Our PG Cert in Learning and Teaching in the Arts course supports arts educators in a sustained journey of enquiry into their teaching practice.
You will delve into the art of teaching within an arts context. You’ll explore learning theories, design impactful learning experiences that meet quality standards, and develop the skills to critically evaluate and enhance your own teaching practice.
On the way, you’ll build confidence in academic writing, research, and scholarship – equipping you to share your insights with wider professional and academic communities.
Flexible, Blended Learning That Fits Your Life
Delivered part-time over two years, the programme combines hybrid sessions (with options to join in person or online), online seminars, one-to-one tutorials, and independent study. Whether you’re based in the UK or internationally, the structure is designed to support your professional commitments and local context.
Define Your Practice, Build an Evidence-Base
In your first year, you will focus on exploring what matters most to you as an artist and arts educator, discovering and defining your values, beliefs and the priorities for your own development.
Teaching the Arts – 30 credits
This module will help you to explore what is important to you about your practice as an arts educator. You will start by exploring the philosophies, principles and values that underpin your current teaching practice. You will then design a learning experience for your learners, drawing on learning theories and policies to justify your decisions. In the last section you will evaluate the learning experience, gathering and using feedback from peers and learners to evaluate your design and delivery of the session.
Deepen Your Practice, Expand Your Impact
In your second year, the focus shifts to exploring and enhancing your practice in ways that are personally meaningful and professionally transformative.
You’ll take ownership of your learning journey through:
The Teacher as Researcher – 30 credits
In this module, you’ll design and carry out a practice-based research project that responds to the needs of your learners and challenges you to innovate in your teaching. You’ll explore new approaches, gather and analyse research data, and critically reflect on the impact of your work – building a deeper understanding of your evolving identity as an arts educator.
The module is delivered through our flexible, blended learning model – combining online and hybrid sessions, one-to-one tutorials, and independent study- so you can continue to grow your practice while staying rooted in your professional context.
The programme is delivered on a part-time basis over two years through a blended learning model, which includes a mix of hybrid sessions (with some students accessing in person and some online), online sessions, one-to-one tutorials, and independent study. In academic year 2026/27, the weekend sessions will be delivered on the following dates:
- 19th and 20th September 2026
- 7th November 2026
- 6th and 7th February 2027
- 24th April 2027
There are 8 online sessions that run on specific Thursdays throughout the academic year. These are delivered in the morning between 10am and 12pm (UK time) and are repeated between 6.30 and 8.30pm (UK time) in the evening. All other tutorial support can be negotiated with personal supervisors and peers.
International students, or those who would prefer not to travel to the RCS can attend all weekend sessions remotely for the duration of their studies. Whether you are joining as an online learner or in-person learner, all sessions are interactive, discussion-based and designed to build a community of practice.
How to Apply
Apply via UCAS Conservatoires
Applications are made through UCAS Conservatoires website. The UCAS Conservatoires application system is separate from the main UCAS undergraduate application system. You can read our guidance about using UCAS Conservatoires on our dedicated How to Apply page.
Applicants will also be required to create an Acceptd account when they apply, which will be used for scheduling auditions. More information about this process will be available soon.
We do not offer deferred entry. If you wish to commence in 2027, you must apply next year.
You will need the following codes to apply:
- Institution code: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – R58
- Programme code: PG Cert Learning & Teaching in the Arts— 110P
Application/Audition fees
There is a UCAS application fee of £28.95 to register to use UCAS Conservatoires.
References
It is your responsibility to nominate a referee as part of your UCAS Conservatoires application form. We may contact this referee after your audition if the panel feels they need more information.
We will not accept references from family, other relatives or close friends. You can read guidance about nominating your referee on the UCAS Conservatoires website.
Policy
We have a number of policies and pages which you should read when applying to study at the Royal Conservatoire:
Interview process
There will be a 30-minute conversation about your application with the Head of Programme and a member of the delivery team. This will be used to explore your areas of interest, your arts education context, your current opportunities and challenges, and your aspirations for the development of your practice, and you will be invited to consider:
- What led you to apply for the programme
- What you hope to gain from studying on the programme
- Who your learners are and how you hope to enhance your practice in relation to their needs
Decision
The decision to offer you a place on the programme will be based on both your application and the interview. This will be normally be communicated to within two to three weeks of your interview.
Entry Requirements
Academic Requirements
Applicants for the programme normally have a degree, or international equivalent in a subject area relevant to the demands of the programme. It is recognised that some applicants may not have achieved a full degree in a relevant subject area and we will take account of relevant professional experience where it is deemed to be a suitable equivalency.
Applicants seeking Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) must have a remit for teaching in a Further or Higher Education context with learners working at SCQF Level 7 and/or above (or equivalent).
English Language Requirements
International English Language Testing System score (IELTS) (if applicable) Level 7.0 with a minimum score of 7.0 in speaking and no component below 6.5.
Full details of the English language tests and equivalencies we accept can be found on our English Language Requirements page.
Appropriate Prior Learning
In some cases, applicants to the programme may already have achieved academic credit on another programme/module of study and are seeking to reduce the number of modules they will need to study on the Programme. Applications for APL will normally be decided prior to the applicant’s admission to the Conservatoire.
The staff team will use the applicant’s previous transcript and module information to attempt to match the existing credit against modules in the programme. Staff must identify a match between the level, the learning outcomes and volume of credit associated with the unit/module passed by the applicant and the corresponding Conservatoire module.
APL will not normally be awarded for students who are seeking HEA Fellowship status, however, module credit from another AdvanceHE accredited programme may be considered if the content is deemed a suitable match.
Fees & Funding
Tuition Fees (over and above fully funded places)
For academic year 2025/26:
Per 30 credits:
- Home: £2,782
- International: £2,782
Please note these fees are subject to change.
Funding & Scholarships
You can find out about the funding and scholarships available for studying at RCS by visiting our dedicated page:
Cost of Living & Programme Costs
This course can be studied fully online if you live further afield and don’t wish to relocate. For any students who would like to move to Glasgow to pursue hybrid learning on the programme, it is estimated that you will need between £11,200 and £15,300 per year to live here, though much will depend on your lifestyle.
Why RCS?
We are the only place in Europe where you can study all of the performing arts on the one campus. There is a distinctive creative energy at RCS and you’ll be made to feel part of our inclusive and diverse environment from the very beginning of your studies.
Our graduates are resourceful, highly employable and members of a dynamic community of artists who make a significant impact across the globe.
At RCS, students develop not just their art but their power to use it.
World Top Ten
We were voted one of the world’s Top Ten destinations to study the performing arts (QS Rankings) in 2025, the ninth time we have been placed in the top ten since the ranking was established in 2016.
Perform & Collaborate
Our curriculum is built around performance and collaboration and we hold professional partnerships with all of Scotland’s National Companies. Join forces across artforms and be part of the 500+ performances we give each year.
Outstanding Alumni
Our graduates are employed across the world and we take pride in the impact they have on their art forms. We’ll equip you with the skills to thrive as a professional and join their ranks.
Learn from the Best
More than 1,000 lecturers, tutors, artists, technicians, co-ordinators and support staff work at RCS across all our art forms. Study with some of the finest educators and performing and production artists in the UK.
A Campus Built for You
Our facilities are world-class. From rehearsal rooms and recording studios to our five professional performance venues, we have a campus to showcase and develop emerging artists to the highest standards.