The Department of the Ukrainian Language, Principles of Psychology and Pedagogics offers a second higher pedagogical education in the accredited specialty “Educational, Pedagogical Sciences”. The educational program (EP) is tended to educate teachers who already have higher (non-pedagogical) education.

The educational program is aimed at forming the personal and professional qualities of a university teacher, armed with knowledge, skills, abilities, able to use information and communication technologies in professional activities, as well as innovative methods and learning technologies, capable of self-education, constant updating of scientific knowledge, professional mobility, rapid adaptation to changes in the socio-cultural sphere, which adheres to the principles of academic integrity and impartiality, endowed with the ability to integrate the experience of domestic and foreign scientific schools into the educational space, who is able to solve complex psychological situations in the educational process, clearly navigates its activities on the principle of student-centred learning.

The training period for the EP 1 year 5 months. The volume of the educational-professional program is 90 ECTS credits. In particular, the curriculum of the specialty includes such basic components as “Theory and practice of higher professional education in Ukraine”, “Planning and organization of the educational process”, “Didactic systems in higher education”, “Pedagogical control in the educational system”, “Pedagogical and professional psychology”, “Pedagogical skills of a high school teacher”, “Methods of distance education”, “Modelling of educational and professional training”, as well as a number of elective subjects (“World experience and trends in university education development”, “Public speaking skills”, “Stylistics of business speech and editing”, “Pedagogical communication and rhetoric”, “Communication in professional activities”, “System approach in higher education”, “Theory and methods of education”, “Comparative pedagogics of higher school”).

Particular attention is paid to the practical training of postgraduates. The curriculum provides for two types of practice: research and pedagogical (assistant).

Certification of graduates of the educational program is carried out in the form of public defence of a master’s thesis – a generalized independent research work performed by a master under the guidance of a supervisor on a pre-approved topic in accordance with the educational program. Attestation is carried out by an attestation commission, which may include representatives of employers and their associations, openly and publicly.

The topics of master’s theses correspond to the scientific topic on which the department works (“Innovative teaching technologies in medical education”) and cover the most pressing issues of the educational process, including the application of innovative teaching methods, distance learning, non-formal and informal education in medical education, soft skills development by modern methods and techniques of training, etc.

In order to prevent academic dishonesty during the study, all master’s theses submitted for defence, as well as theses and articles of students are tested for plagiarism. In addition, individual work is systematically carried out with students during the writing of master’s and other scientific papers. The programs of individual educational components (“Modelling of educational and professional training”, “Didactic systems in higher education”, “Pedagogical control in the educational system”, “Pedagogical skills of a high school teachers”) include topics related to academic integrity and spreading a culture of academic integrity among students.

Among the advantages of the educational program in view of the possible academic mobility are the following factors:

• the program is created and accredited in compliance with modern requirements for the training of teachers;
• the program reveals the main ways of a professional teacher training for medical HEI (medical-centred program);
• correspondence form of education in EP;
• the program uses the latest psychological and pedagogical technologies for students” training;
• teachers involved in teaching at the EP have the most relevant competencies and knowledge of students” pedagogical training, certifying numerous scientific publications and internships in leading institutions of Ukraine and Europe;
• consolidation of the re-crediting principle on the basis of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), in particular by comparing the content of curricula, rather than the names of courses;
• involvement in the best world practices;
• acquisition of new unique professional skills, orientation on improvement and development of students” general culture;
• emphasis on the practical teaching skills development in different conditions (traditional, distance, blended learning);
• powerful communication and technological training, which allows to apply modern digital learning technologies of various types in practice;
• psychological aspect of learning (formation of skills for solving complex psychological situations in the educational space: mobbing, bullying, discrimination, etc.);
• special attention to the development of speech competencies not only in Ukrainian but also in foreign languages.