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Master's Degree

Teaching of Informatics

Department of Communication Sciences and Information Technologies

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​​Course Coordinator

Luís Carlos Gonçalves dos Santos Seco
coord.meinf@umaia.pt​ ​

Admission Requirements

Applicants are admitted if they meet the provisions of Decree-Law No. 79/2014 of 14 May (as amended) and Decree-Law No. 95-A/2025, and must cumulatively fulfil the following requirements:

  • Hold a Bachelor's degree (licenciatura) or a legally equivalent qualification; or a foreign higher education degree awarded following a first cycle of studies under the Bologna Process; or a foreign higher education degree recognised by the institution as meeting the objectives of a Bachelor's degree.
  • Hold at least 120 ECTS in the scientific area of Informatics, obtained in higher education institutions.
  • Demonstrate oral and written proficiency in Portuguese through an entrance examination assessed by a jury.

Applicants who do not meet the 120 ECTS requirement may be admitted provided they can demonstrate at least 90 ECTS in Informatics. In such cases, enrolment in the curricular units in Didactics and Initiation to Professional Practice is conditional upon obtaining the missing ECTS credits.​


Accreditation

Official A3ES information: Programme Accreditation

Status: Accredited for 6 years

Publication date: 11-11-2025​


Description

The Master's Degree in Teaching of Informatics at the University of Maia, accredited by A3ES for six years, prepares highly qualified professionals to teach within the national recruitment group for Informatics. The programme combines rigorous training in Informatics with advanced pedagogical preparation, providing future teachers with an integrated and up-to-date perspective on teaching and learning processes.

The study plan includes theoretical, laboratory and didactic components, together with supervised professional practice. The programme culminates in Supervised Teaching Practice (PES), carried out in partner schools, where students progressively develop professional competences under guidance and supervision.

Career Opportunities

Qualification for teaching in Basic and Secondary Education.

Key Differentiators

The programme stands out for the following features:

  • Integration of Informatics and Education, combining scientific, technological and pedagogical knowledge in support of teaching practice.
  • A teaching staff with extensive experience in higher education, research and the supervision of future Informatics teachers.
  • Well-equipped computer and multimedia laboratories, enabling practical work in programming, digital educational resources, robotics, STEAM and data science.
  • Close guidance during Supervised Teaching Practice, through experienced supervision teams with recognised expertise in teacher education.
  • Links to FCT-evaluated research centres rated Very Good and Excellent, enabling project work and early research activities in Education and Informatics Didactics.
  • Partnerships with cooperating schools that provide stable internship contexts aligned with the legal requirements for supervised teaching practice.
  • Alignment with current educational needs, preparing teachers to integrate digital technologies, innovative methodologies and inclusive pedagogical practices.​

Entrance Examination assessment criteria

  • Motivation letter (25%): writing quality, reasons for choosing the programme, logical and critical argumentation.
  • Curriculum Vitae (25%): academic/professional path and additional training. Supporting documents are required for all CV items considered for scoring, according to the assessment criteria.
  • Interview (50%): attitude (attendance, punctuality and interview conduct); quality of answers; fluency and robustness of discourse; applicant profile (vocation for teaching Informatics); contextualised Informatics knowledge.

Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams video conference. Applicants must provide their email address correctly in the Entrance Examination registration form. The interview invitation will be sent to the email indicated in the form.  Entrance Examination registration (to make available​).

Passing requirements for the Entrance Examination

Applicants may not score below 10/20 in any component. The final Entrance Examination grade is the weighted average of all components.

Entrance Examination registration (link to be created).

For questions regarding the Entrance Examination registration or the application process, please contact the Postgraduate Services: pos-graduacoes@umaia.pt

Conditions for applying to the Master's programme

  • Sit and pass the Entrance Examination (minimum grade: 10/20). The Entrance Examination grade may only be used for applications in the same academic year in which it is obtained.
  • Hold a Bachelor's degree (licenciatura) or a legally equivalent qualification; or a foreign higher education degree awarded following a first cycle of studies under the Bologna Process; or a foreign higher education degree recognised by the institution as meeting the objectives of a Bachelor's degree.
  • Hold at least 120 ECTS in Informatics obtained in higher education institutions (applicants with at least 90 ECTS in Informatics may apply; in this case, enrolment in Didactics and Initiation to Professional Practice units is conditional upon obtaining the missing ECTS credits).
  • Applicants are ranked according to the following weighting: Entrance Examination grade (50%) and final Bachelor's degree average (50%).
  • Submit the application to the Master's Degree in Teaching of Informatics.

Important: the application process presupposes passing the Entrance Examination and subsequently submitting the Master's application. Passing the Entrance Examination does not automatically enrol the student; an application must be submitted afterwards.​

​Supervised Teaching Practice (PES)

Supervised Teaching Practice aims to integrate the student teacher into professional life in a progressive and guided manner, through the development of professional competences in teaching Informatics in the following areas:

  • Organisation and management of teaching and learning
  • Participation in school
  • Relations with the community
  • Professional development

Students may enrol in PES if they meet the conditions defined by law and the programme regulations. Enrolment is carried out at the Postgraduate Office, on a date to be announced.

Placements are assigned according to the following criteria:

  • Highest number of curricular units completed
  • Highest number of ECTS completed
  • Highest weighted average
  • Applicant age (preference given to the oldest candidate)​
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