PRESTige

Welcome to PRESTige, the University of Westminster’s Professional Recognition and Enhancement Scheme for Teaching. Whether you’re new to teaching and supporting learning in Higher Education or have years of university teaching experience, PRESTige is designed to give you opportunities to develop your teaching practice and to gain recognition for your teaching expertise.

Accredited by Advance HE’s Higher Education Academy (HEA), PRESTige offers people teaching and supporting learning at Westminster the chance to recognise and record their talents against the national benchmark of the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) to gain Associate Fellowship, Fellowship or Senior Fellowship of the HEA.

PRESTige also provides various ways for you to enhance your teaching practice by completing a teaching qualification, through a selection of University Certificates of Special Study and the Postgraduate Certificate: Higher Education.

So whether you’re looking to start teaching, gain recognition for your existing teaching experience or want to enhance your practice through specialist study, PRESTige has a path for you.

University Certificate in Supporting Learning in Higher Education

for Associate Fellowship of HEA

A semester-long module for those new to teaching at University level or with less than 3 years consecutive teaching experience in Higher Education. It’s also open to any staff with learning and teaching-related responsibilities as part of their role. This includes PhD students, academic and professional services staff, and part-time visiting lecturers.

Postgraduate Certificate: Higher Education

for Fellowship of HEA

Consisting of three modules taken over 12-18 months, with two core modules and a choice of option modules to allow you to specialize in an area of learning and teaching in HE that most interests you. The PGCertHE is a probation requirement for new academic staff with less than 3 years’ teaching experience employed on certain contracts, and is also open to permanent/long-term staff looking to gain a teaching qualification and FHEA.

E-portfolio route

for Fellowship or Senior Fellowship of HEA

PRESTige offers staff with more than 3 consecutive years of experience teaching and/or supporting learning in Higher Education the opportunity to apply for Fellowship or Senior Fellowship of the HEA by completing an e-portfolio. This includes both academic and professional services staff who have the kinds of experience and responsibilities outlined in the UKPSF’s Descriptor 2 and 3.

University Certificates for continued professional development

for experienced staff

The University Certificates of Special Study allow for experienced staff with learning and teaching-related responsibilities to continue to develop their professional practices and enhance their understanding of pedagogy in Higher Education.

University Certificate in Special Study: Leading in learning and teaching
University Certificate in Special Study: Developing researchers: Doctoral supervision and academic practice
University Certificate in Special Study: Innovating learning and teaching: Experimental pedagogies

How do I register for PRESTige?

To register for any of the PRESTige routes, simply complete our registration form

Applying for the Postgraduate Certificate: Higher Education but already have some teaching experience or AFHEA? You may be eligible to apply for Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) or Recognition of Certificated Prior Learning (RCPL).

Contact us

Got a question? Ask the PRESTige team via CETI@westminster.ac.uk.