Gifted Education – Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching

With Massey’s Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching (Gifted Education) you can create more equitable learning outcomes for all learners.

Where you can study

Distance and online

International students

International students are not New Zealand citizens or residents.

Definition of New Zealand citizens and residents

Not open to international students
Note: Part-time only. Selected entry qualification.

Specialise in Gifted Education for your Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching at Massey

The Postgraduate Diploma Specialist Teaching (Gifted Education) will give you the skills and networks to work collaboratively to bring about barrier-free access to education for all learners.

The qualification uses inquiry and evidence-based approaches to support you in working with practitioners, kaiako and whānau in proactive and positive ways. Through developing strong and productive partnerships, you will be able to work at universal, targeted, and tailored levels to support identity, language and culture for all learners.

Your qualification options

Please note that the Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching does not qualify you to be a teacher.

A Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching in Gifted Education is a good fit if you:

  • Have a passion for inclusive education
  • Want to work alongside practitioners, whānau and kaiako  
  • Enjoy hybrid learning opportunities

Planning information

This qualification is designed to be studied part-time.

In your first year you will take:

  • 254766 Professional Learning Pathways
  • 230791 Special Topic Humanities & Social Sciences (the topic is Theory and Practice of Gifted and Talented Education) - you can add this course using Special request

In your second year you will take:

  • 254767 Community Based Practice
  • 262753 Practicum in Gifted and Talented Education.

Completion of this qualification requires attendance at compulsory contact workshops. See courses for details.

If you have previously graduated with a Postgraduate Certificate in Specialist Teaching you can apply to credit your courses to the Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching.

Official regulations

To understand what you need to study and must complete to graduate read the official rules and regulations for this qualification.

You should read these together with all other relevant Statutes and Regulations of the University including the General Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas, and Postgraduate Certificates.

Returning students

For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.

In some cases the qualification or specialisation you enrolled in may be no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these qualifications go to the Massey University Calendar.

Please contact us through the Get advice button on this page if you have any questions.

Courses you can enrol in

Course planning key

Prerequisites
Courses that need to be completed before moving onto a course at the next level. For example, a lot of 200-level courses have 100-level prerequisite courses.
Corequisites
Courses that must be completed at the same time as another course are known as corequisite courses.
Restrictions
Some courses are restricted against each other because their content is similar. This means you can only choose one of the offered courses to study and credit to your qualification.

Core courses for the Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching

As well as the specialisation courses listed below, this qualification has core courses that you will need to complete.

Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching core courses

Endorsement courses

Course code: 262753 Practicum in Gifted and Talented Education 30 credits

Professional and field-based practice in the area of gifted and talented

Prerequisites: 254766 and 262751

View full course details

Entry requirements

Admission to Massey

All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.

Specific requirements

This is a selected entry qualification. This means there are a number of extra requirements you must meet.

To enter the Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching you will have:

  • been awarded or qualified for a Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent; and
  • been awarded or qualified for a relevant professional qualification; and
  • have completed at least two years of relevant professional experience.

Application closing date

Applications close on 10 December.

English language requirements

If your first language is not English or Te Reo Māori and you have not gained a New Zealand university entrance qualification, or an overseas entrance qualification in a country where the main language is English, you will be required to provide evidence of proficiency in English in the form of an academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 7.0 with no band less than 7.0 (or the equivalent TOEFL score) or other evidence that is acceptable to Massey University.

IELTS EXEMPTION: A teacher who has registered with the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand and holds a current Practising Certificate, will be exempted from meeting this English language requirement. For more information, see the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Documents you need to supply to support your application

  • copies of all official academic transcripts for studies taken at all universities other than Massey University
  • a copy of your current CV (including education and employment for at least the last five years. If you have recently changed jobs to a resource teacher role, please ensure the new role is included as your current employment)
  • a verified copy of your current practising certificate issued by the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand (if a registered teacher with a current full practising certificate)
  • if you are not a registered teacher you will also need to supply:
    • a completed NZ Police Request and Consent form, along with two pieces of verified identification (one of which must be photographic) from the list of acceptable forms of identification
    • a copy of a police report from every overseas country you have lived in for more 12 months in the last 10 years. Please do not supply originals as these will need to be supplied to the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand at a later date.
Curriculum vitae

Please provide a full CV including details of your educational and professional qualifications, employment history with dates and descriptions of roles and responsibilities, membership of associations/organisations, and a list of professional publications and research reports.

Health and disability

If you have any short or long-term disability including learning disability or heath issue that may affect your study, please upload a summary in your application. If you disclose any disability, health or personal information as part of your application, this will be assessed during the selection process and is confidential to the University staff processing your application.

English language skills

If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, see our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses.

Fees and scholarships

Fees, student loans and free fees scheme

Your tuition fees may be different depending on the courses you choose. Your exact fees will show once you have chosen your courses.

There will also be some compulsory non-tuition fees and for some courses, there may also be charges for things such as study resources, software, trips and contact workshops.

Already know which courses you're going to choose?

You can view fees for the courses that make up your qualification on the course details pages.

Student loans (StudyLink) and Fees Free scheme

You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.

The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme and your eligibility on the Fees Free website. To use the site's eligibility checking tool, you will need your National Student Number.

Current and returning Massey students can find their National Student Number in the student portal.

Learning Support Study Awards and Scholarships

The PGDipSpecTchg attracts a range of Learning Support Study Awards funded by the Ministry of Education.

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Scholarship and award opportunities

Search our scholarships and awards

Fees disclaimer

This information is for estimation purposes only. Actual fees payable will be finalised on confirmation of enrolment. Unless otherwise stated, all fees shown are quoted in New Zealand dollars and include Goods and Services Tax, if any. Before relying on any information on these pages you should also read the University's Disclaimer Notice.

Careers and job opportunities

Your skills will be in demand

A Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching (Gifted Education) can lead to a range of career opportunities in New Zealand and further afield.
You could find work or enhance your career in many educational areas such as:

  • Resource Teacher in your specialist area
  • Education Adviser and School Leader
  • Special Education Needs Coordinators (SENCo)
  • Learning Support Coordinator (LSC)
  • Academic, Professional Learning & Development or Research roles.

Related study options