Hibernia College’s Higher Diploma in Arts in Primary Education was originally established to address the shortage of qualified teachers in Irish primary schools. Its goal was to encourage more people to consider teaching as a profession by providing a more flexible route to becoming a fully qualified teacher.

The design of the programme, blending online and face-to-face tuition, is ideal for those who want to continue working while studying for their teaching qualification. The programme is also ideal for anyone who does not have easy access to one of the traditional education providers or who doesn’t have time to spend commuting to and from lectures daily.

Since its first intake of students in 2004, the programme has grown to the point where it now provides more primary school teachers than any other course in the country. Its graduates teach in schools nationwide and are highly regarded by the teaching community. If you would like to learn more about some of our students, go to the "Student Stories" section of the site here.

The programme is HETAC accredited and is fully recognised by the Department of Education and Science.

Accreditation: HETAC
Recognition: Dept. of Education
Min. Duration: 2 academic years
Basic Fee: €8,250*
Intakes: Oct & Feb

There is no deadline. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis all year long and are considered for the next class with available places.

*This is the fee for 2008 and is subject to change for 2009.