The college has announced the launch of a postgraduate certificate in education and learning (PGCertEdLn), postgraduate diploma of education and learning (PGDipEdLn), and master of education and learning (MEdLn).
Senior lecturer Dr David Berg said the college was hoping the new programmes would attract about 30 students next year, but expected that number to grow.
The new qualifications were aimed at teachers, principals and other education professionals.
People were able to only do one or two papers a year while they systematically worked towards obtaining a master's degree.
``We wanted to make sure our postgraduate papers and programmes continued to be relevant to the changing needs of teachers and schools,'' Dr Berg said. The college had spent time in schools visiting student teachers and speaking to them informally.
Initially, the college met with representatives from the Otago and Southland Secondary Principals Associations and the Otago Primary Principals' Association before meeting principals and teachers from schools across the region.
A major consideration that came up across all sectors the college of education had spoken to - early childhood centres, primary and secondary schools - was time.
``Teachers reported working long hours and finding it hard to make time for study. One principal discussed the long hours that teachers worked and the existing school-led ongoing professional learning that they were involved in.''