Graduate Certificate / M Ed in Middle Leadership and Mentoring in Primary and Post-Primary Settings

Overview

The innovative Graduate Certificate in Middle Leadership and Mentoring in Primary and Post-Primary settings is a one-year, part-time blended programme providing an academic qualification for teachers in professional studies. Offered by Mary Immaculate College's Thurles campus, this programme supports teachers in their professional lives and has been endorsed by the Centre for School Leadership. Year 2 provides opportunities to progress to the Master's level.

Key Features

• The programme employs onsite and online lectures and tutorials.
• A strong practical dimension links teacher practice, theory, and policy.
• Prioritizes reflective practice and teacher research to enhance professional development in middle leadership.
• Led by Head of School, Dr. Finn Ó Murchú, along with Mr. Des Carswell and colleagues at MIC Thurles.
• Assessments are flexible and varied, including written assignments, online engagement, and in-class collaboration.
• Designed with the busy lives of teachers in mind, allowing for flexibility in assessments.

The programme is built around the insights from reports such as Looking At Our Schools (DES, 2016), emphasizing the importance of leadership in educational settings. The goal is to equip teachers with the necessary skills to evolve as middle leaders in their schools.

Career Outcomes & Further Study

This programme is relevant for:

• Aspiring and existing middle leaders from diverse educational contexts.
• Teachers seeking to enhance their leadership roles while remaining in the classroom.
• Those interested in advancing to deputy principal or principal roles.

Graduates of the Graduate Certificate will have the opportunity to progress to Master's degree level, contingent upon achieving a 2.2 in their Graduate Certificate. Further education pathways, including a PhD, are available for Master's graduates.

Programme Content

The aims and objectives of the programme include:

• Understanding policy developments associated with school leadership, especially middle leadership.
• Learning various leadership styles beyond personality-based attributes.
• Recognizing the role of school leadership in promoting learning for teachers and students.
• Exploring how teachers learn within the context of initial teacher education, professional development, and collaborative practices.
• Developing mentoring skills with emphasis on pedagogy and feedback.
• Enhancing research knowledge and skills relevant to leadership.
• Practicing leadership across a variety of contexts to build competence and confidence.

Typical Programme Outline

Graduate Certificate in Middle Leadership and Mentoring in Primary and Post-Primary Settings (Year 1)
Semester 1

• Policy: Leadership in the context of schools as organisations
• Leadership styles and perspectives on leadership
• Understanding Teachers' Professional Learning and Development

Semester 2

• Mentoring 1: Classroom mentoring and the teacher-mentor
• Applied Research 1: Collaborative research in the classroom

Masters of Education in Middle Leadership and Mentoring (Year 2)
Semester 1

• Curricular and Instructional Leadership
• Mentoring 2: Developing a collaborative school culture
• Applied Research 2: Curricular and instructional contexts
• Principles and Practices of Research in Education
• Middle Leadership Dissertation 1

Semester 2

• Change Agent, Change Wisdom and School Improvement
• Middle Leadership: Learning from non-educational settings
• Middle Leadership Dissertation 2
• Attendance and Presentation at Annual Summer School, MIC Thurles

Entry Requirements

Graduate Certificate (Year 1)

• Applicants must generally hold a minimum 2.2 Honours degree (Level 8) in education (primary or post-primary).
• Applicants with a 2.2 Honours degree in other disciplines may be considered with substantial relevant professional experience.

Masters in Education (Year 2)

• Entry is contingent upon achieving a 2.2 in the Graduate Certificate.

NFQ Levels

• Postgraduate Certificates are Level 9 Minor Awards, while Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters are Level 9 Major Awards. PhDs are Level 10 Major Awards on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), awarded by the University of Limerick.

Mary Immaculate College (MIC), known in Irish as Coláiste Mhuire Gan Smál, is a university-level College of Education and the Liberal Arts in Limerick, Ireland, academically linked with the University of Limerick. Founded in 1898 by Bishop Edward Thomas O'Dwyer and the Sisters of Mercy for the professional education of Catholic primary school teachers, MIC is the oldest third-level institution in Limerick City.

The foundation stone was laid on 8 December 1898 on an 11-acre site jointly purchased by the Bishop and the Sisters of Mercy, with construction led by Dublin architect George Byrne and Limerick contractors Molloy. The College opened its doors to its first students on 21 September 1901, and was officially opened on 16 May 1902. From its original 75 young women enrolled in 1901, MIC has grown into a multi-campus institution with a student population of over 5,000.

Mission

Mary Immaculate College is a third-level Catholic College of Education and the Liberal Arts. The College community promotes excellence in teaching, learning and research at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and seeks to foster the intellectual, spiritual, personal and professional development of students within a supportive and challenging environment that guarantees the intellectual freedom of staff and students. In particular, the College seeks to foster in its students a spirit of justice and compassion in the service of others, together with an openness to the religious tradition and values of each individual.

The College promotes a sense of identity enriched by an awareness of its Catholic tradition, the cultures, languages and traditions of Ireland, and its special commitment to the Irish language. Mary Immaculate College respects cultural diversity and strives to promote equity in society, providing an environment where all have the freedom and opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Founding vision

MIC continues to embrace the founding vision of Catherine McAuley, who established the Sisters of Mercy as champions for the most marginalised in society, with the conviction that education was essential to that mission. This emphasis on social justice and educational inclusion remains central to the College's institutional identity as it has grown and diversified over more than 125 years.

Academic structure

MIC offers programmes across two faculties, Education and Arts, spanning Level 4 to Level 10 on the National Framework of Qualifications. Undergraduate programmes are offered in:

• Primary and Post-Primary Teaching (Bachelor of Education, Teaching Council-accredited)
• Liberal Arts, with a choice of 14 subjects across a flexible, wide-ranging programme
• Early Childhood Care and Education
• Psychology, including a Bachelor of Science in Psychology incorporating workplace experience
• Drama and English
• English Language and Literature

The MIC Thurles campus additionally offers post-primary teacher education programmes in Home Economics, Gaeilge, Mathematics, Business Studies, Theology and Religious Studies, and Accounting. Postgraduate study is available across both faculties at Diploma, Master's and PhD level, alongside professional development and lifelong learning programmes.

Campuses

MIC is a multi-campus institution with centrally located, state-of-the-art facilities in both Limerick City and Thurles, Co. Tipperary:

• MIC Limerick: the College's original and main campus on South Circular Road, home to the historic 1899 building that remains central to College life today, alongside a state-of-the-art Sports Complex completed in 2008 at a cost of €16 million, and the 510-seat Lime Tree Theatre, officially opened in October 2012
• MIC Thurles: incorporated into MIC in 2016, originally established as a second-level school in 1837 and later a major seminary, today offering seven undergraduate programmes delivered by staff from both the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Arts, with on-campus accommodation and the O'Dwyer Library housing approximately 15,000 print resources

Both campuses are characterised by an informal, relaxed atmosphere and a close rapport between students and staff, with the amenities of city and town life on the doorstep.

Affiliation with the University of Limerick

MIC has been academically linked with the University of Limerick since a formal partnership was established in 1990, with UL becoming MIC's accrediting body. Degrees were conferred by the National University of Ireland until 1994, and by UL from 1995 onward. In 1999, MIC became the first Irish College of Education to offer a Bachelor of Arts degree programme. The first PhD was awarded by MIC in 2003. MIC is also a member of the Shannon Consortium, a collaborative framework alongside the University of Limerick and Technological University of the Shannon.

Student life and facilities

• Wired FM (Wired 99.9FM): Limerick's only licensed student community radio station, run in partnership with the Technological University of the Shannon
• Lime Tree Theatre: a 510-seat venue on the Limerick campus hosting theatre, music, comedy, traditional arts, school performances and conferences
• MIC Munster GAA Centre of Excellence and extensive College Sport opportunities, supported by the dedicated Sports Complex
• CRAFT Maker Space, supporting hands-on creativity and enterprise
• Mary Immaculate Students' Union (MISU), marking 25 years of representing the student body
• Clubs and Societies, Arts and Culture programming, and a strong Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Interculturalism (EDII) commitment
• Recognition as an Age Friendly Campus
• Careers Service, Study Abroad opportunities, and an Off-Campus Programme

Leadership and governance

The College's first six Presidents were members of the Sisters of Mercy, beginning with Sr Paul Quinlan in 1898, followed by Sr Veronica Cullinan, Sr Celsus Barry, Sr Loreto Ní Chonchúir, Sr Cabrini Moloney and Sr Angela Bugler. Professor Peadar Cremin, appointed in 1999, was the seventh President and the first lay person to hold the position. He was succeeded by Professor Michael A. Hayes in 2011 and Professor Eugene Wall in 2018, the ninth President in the College's history. Mary Immaculate College is currently led by Professor Dermot Nestor, President of the College, with the Bishop of Limerick serving as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees.