Accreditation of prior learning for Masters courses in Education
Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) is a process whereby students, who have already gained relevant skills and knowledge prior to the start of their course, may be granted a partial credit exemption from their programme instead of unnecessarily repeating work.
The School of Education currently considers applications for Accredited Prior Certified Learning (APCL) for some Masters programmes, including the MA Education Online. This is where credit exemption is granted due to previous relevant study of another Higher Education (HE) course.
Your application to study the programme and your APL application are processed separately.
You should carefully read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) before proceeding with your APL application.
You should think about APL around the same time that you apply for your course.
Please note
If you use APL towards your Masters you will not be eligible for a postgraduate loan because you need to study the full 180 credits to be eligible for that funding.
To find out more about the postgraduate loan and other funding opportunities please see Masters funding.
APCL grants a credit exemption in recognition of prior learning to which all of the following points apply:
- it is relevant to your course
- it has been formally assessed and certified
- the credits achieved through this prior learning:
- were at Masters level (or equivalent)
and - are no more than five years old
- were at Masters level (or equivalent)
- it was the result of study on a recognised programme with a University or other approved national agency, for example:
- the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA)
- the Royal Society of Arts (RSA)
- the National College's National Professional Qualfication for Headship (NPQH)
- a PGCE leading to Qualified Teacher Status, including the PGCE in Post Compulsory Education
An example of APCL
A student with a PGCE qualification is granted 60 credits, in recognition of relevant learning achieved during that course, to use towards an MA Education programme.
An exemption of up to a maximum of 60 credits may be available through APCL.
Applying for APL
You should think about APL around the same time that you apply for your course. However, there may be some flexibility on this depending on:
- the timetabling of the modules you wish to be exempted from
and/or - if you are studying part time
Whether you are applying for APEL or APCL (or both) you will be required to evidence the learning you have achieved.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
In some cases, evidencing your prior learning will be achieved by matching the Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) of the module(s) you wish to be exempted from with the previous experience or qualifications that you have obtained.
As long as you are able to match at least two thirds of the ILOs for a module then it can be worthwhile applying.
Decision on your APL application
The decision as to which, if any, modules you can APL will be taken by an appropriate Programme Director for the programme you wish to study. The process is overseen by the Associate Dean for Education and the Taught Faculty Dean.
Once the APL decision has been taken you will be informed of the outcome and the impact on the work that you will have to do. The decision of the Taught Faculty Dean is final.
Your application to study the programme and your APL application are processed separately.
You should carefully read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) before proceeding with your APL application.
Delaying APL while studying part-time
For part-time study, if you are intending to delay your APL application, please note that it must be completed and approved before you progress to your dissertation module.
You should apply for the course in the normal way, while being aware that until your APL application is approved there is no guarantee that you will be permitted to APL any modules on your programme.
Information on codes of practice and procedures relating to APL can be found in the Teaching Quality Assurance Manual (TQA Manual).
The TQA Manual is a resource for staff and students containing the processes which underpin the quality of learning and teaching at the University of Exeter.
