Find out how to develop your educational practice or gain recognition for your existing experience.
Whether you want to start teaching, develop your practice or gain recognition for your teaching experience, you can access University of Sussex accredited routes to professional development and recognition in Higher Education (HE) open to any Academic or Professional Services colleagues involved in the delivery of education at Sussex.
Development and accreditation opportunities
Our professional recognition routes are aligned to internationally recognised Advance HE Fellowships.
Fundamentals of Teaching and Learning (Associate Fellowship)
This is a 15-credit level 7 module for those new to teaching in higher education.
The Fundamentals of Teaching and Learning module is a requirement for anyone taking on teaching at the University with less than three years of teaching experience in HE.
The module is also open to all PhD researchers (whether they plan to teach or not) and staff in roles supporting HE teaching (e.g. the Library, Careers, IT) who want to prepare to teach or continue their professional development.
Successful completion of the module provides Associate Fellowship of Advance HE (AFHEA).
Find out more about the module and how to apply.
Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (Fellowship)
A 60-credit level 7 course for staff in permanent HE education-related roles to continue their professional development and gain a professional teaching qualification.
The PGCertHE is a requirement for new permanent members of staff with less than three consecutive years of teaching experience in HE. It is also open to permanent staff with more experience as a way of continuing your professional development and gaining recognition for the expertise you've acquired through your teaching practice.
Staff with more than three consecutive years of HE teaching experience can choose to complete the course through a portfolio-only route.
Successful completion of the course provides Fellowship of Advance HE (FHEA).
Find out more about the course and how to apply.
Senior Fellowship Programme (SFHEA)
Senior Fellowship recognises colleagues who demonstrate a sustained record of leading or influencing teaching and learning practice in higher education. The University of Sussex provides a fully accredited institutional route to Senior Fellowship. The programme is open to both academic and professional services staff. It is not strictly tied to job titles or seniority.
Successful completion of the programme provides Senior Fellowship of Advance HE (SFHEA).
Find out more about the programme and how to apply.
Principal Fellowship support (PFHEA)
The University of Sussex is not accredited to award Principal Fellowships at this time. However, we are keen to encourage and support colleagues to apply directly to Advance HE.
If you are interested in applying, please contact sfhea@sussex.ac.uk to discuss how you will be supported.
National Teaching Awards
Advance HE runs two national awards that recognise and celebrate the impact of UK higher education teaching across individuals, teams and institutions. These awards are the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) and the Collaborative Award for Teaching (CATE).
The University of Sussex can submit a limited number of nominations for these awards each year aligned to Advance HE timelines.
Find out more about the awards and how to apply.
Further Sussex awards and opportunities
In addition to the accredited routes and national awards listed above, the University of Sussex provides a range of opportunities for staff in education related roles to develop and share their practice.
Strategic Scholarship Fellows Programme
This programme provides opportunities for staff to lead research that directly informs institutional decision-making. The programme is designed to tackle some of Sussex's most pressing educational challenges by bringing together multidisciplinary teams of Education and Scholarship staff to investigate strategic priorities identified through institutional evidence.
The programme can also support professional recognition routes such as Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and National Teaching Fellow applications.
Staff mentoring
The staff mentoring programme provides training and support for colleagues who would like to develop their professional practice as either a mentor or mentee. They can also support you in establishing a staff mentoring programme.
The Sussex Education Festival
Our annual Education Festival is for anyone involved in delivering education at Sussex and provides a supportive and collaborative space to celebrate and share experiences, research and reflections on teaching, learning and assessment.
The Festival typically takes place in May with the call for papers circulated early in the Spring term via professional services and academic updates and the Education Newsletter.
The Sussex Awards
The Sussex Awards are an annual celebration of the incredible contributions from our staff and postgraduate researchers nominated by their colleagues and students.