THE first conferring of the master of studies in school leadership and curriculum studies took place in TCD last month when 15 teachers, who had completed their M St on an in-service basis, were conferred.

The course is aimed at both both primary and second-level teachers, as well as teachers working in educational projects.

John Heywood, professor of teacher education at TCD, says that "the master of studies is a very flexible programme, delivered through a number of teacher centres inside and outside Dublin, as well as Trinity College itself. We took pains to ensure that the course would both meet the specific needs of teachers and that its structure would be suited to the hours that teachers themselves can give over to it."

Candidates for the M St begin by choosing two multidisciplinary diploma courses, from a range of seven offered. Each involves four modules of 30 hours, assessed by written examination or course work. Attendance may be one night a week for 10 weeks, three weekend sessions or one 30-hour week during the summer. Participants who achieve a 2.1 or above are eligible to follow the M St course, which has both taught and research elements, leading to a 30,000 word dissertation.