51ÊÓƵ

CONTENTS

1. What’s Education?

2. What Education degrees can you study?

3. What do you need to get onto an Education degree?

4. What topics does an Education degree cover?

5. How will you be assessed?

6. Why study Education?

7. Are scholarships and bursaries available to students studying an Education degree?

8. What do Education graduates earn?

9. What jobs can you get as an Education graduate?

10. What are the postgraduate opportunities?

11. Similar subjects to Education

12. Have any questions?

What’s Education?

Education is an interdisciplinary subject that draws on sociology, psychology, history and philosophy. It helps us understand and broaden our knowledge about how people of all ages learn. It also examines the factors that can impact learning positively and negatively.

Study for an Education degree and you’ll learn about learning – but you don’t have to become a teacher. You could work in various community, policy, care or other educational settings.

To teach, you will need to achieve the relevant teaching qualifications. Each of the UK’s nations has its own requirements. 

What Education degrees can you study?

If a degree has (QTS) by its name, you’ll gain Qualified Teacher Status when you complete the course.

Undergraduate degrees in Education include:

Education Studies BA

The course is broad in content. You learn the theories, practices and policies that underpin our education systems. It is less focused on training you to become a teacher.

You’ll often come across joint-honours options with Education. This lets you combine your studies with another area of interest. For instance, Psychology with Education BSc.

Search Education Studies courses.

Primary Education BEd

If you want to work in a primary school, this course prepares you for a career teaching children ages 5 to 11.

Find Primary Education courses.

Biology with Secondary Education (QTS) BSc

When studying Secondary Education, you usually have to choose a subject area to specialise in. For example, Biology. You’ll prepare to teach your specialist subject to young people in secondary schools.

Search Secondary Education courses.

Other options

Universities often offer:

• An integrated foundation year
• Study abroad opportunities
• Professional work placements (especially in teaching courses)

What do you need to get onto an Education degree?

Must have

Typically, entry to an undergraduate Education degree requires between 88–152 UCAS points. Qualifications may include: 

• A Levels: A*AA–CCD
• BTECs: DDD–MMP
• Scottish Highers: AAABB–BBBC (Advanced Highers: AAA)
• International Baccalaureate: 42–29
• Universities will usually ask that you have studied: an A Level (or equivalent) in the required secondary education subject, if studying for a secondary-level teaching qualification
• Universities often request an interview if you are studying for a teaching qualification 
• If your course involves placements in settings with children or vulnerable adults, you’ll need to complete Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) checks (PVG scheme in Scotland)

Good to have

• GCSE (or equivalent) grade 4/C or higher in English, Maths and Science, or 5/B or above in Wales 
• Relevant work experience or shadowing in a school, college, school of music or adult education classes. If you want to be a teacher in England, you can use the Get into Teaching website to find experience
• Volunteer with the 51ÊÓƵs, Scouts or children’s sports clubs to build interpersonal skills
• Observe teaching lessons online
• Read more about education and teaching from books or websites such as TES (Times Educational Supplement), Get into Teaching, Educators Wales, Teach in Scotland
• Summer schools, if eligible – check out the Sutton Trust

What topics does an Education degree cover?

Typical modules for courses in this subject include:

• Being a critical educator
• Community education: foundations of practice
• Critical debates in education
• Designing educational research
• Historical and philosophical ideas of education
• Inquiry-based community education practice
• Introduction to intercultural and international education
• Language, communication and literacies
• Psychology and neuroscience in education

Read about pioneering women in education.

How will you be assessed?

Assessments are usually carried out by a mixture of the following and will vary from module to module:

• Essays
• Exams
• Portfolios
• Poster presentations
• Reflective reports
• Reviews
• A dissertation is usually a final year option

Why study Education?

Career-specific skills:

• Knowledge of educational systems, how we learn, and approaches to learning
• Teachers will learn about the curriculum, lesson planning, adapting teaching to meet pupil needs, techniques for classroom management, and assessment strategies

Transferable skills:

• Collaboration
• Communication
• Creative problem solving
• Critical and analytical reasoning
• Digital literacy
• Leadership
• Presentation
• Report writing
• Research skills
• Time management

Professional accreditation:

• Degrees for teaching must meet the required teaching standards for each nation. In England and Wales, courses must lead to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
• Degrees with Psychology may be accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS)

What do Education graduates earn?

What jobs can you get as an Education graduate?

Many Education graduates become primary and secondary school teachers. Others move into educational psychology, the wider education sector, or areas such as media or publishing. Some careers may require postgraduate qualifications. Roles could include:

• Civil servant
• Behaviour and inclusion manager
• Education arts officer
• Education policy and campaigns officer
• Early years educator
• Education welfare officer
• Educational psychologist
• Family support worker
• Museum learning programme manager
• Learning and community engagement officer
• Play therapist
• Primary or secondary school teacher
• Further education tutor
• Special educational needs teacher
• Social worker
• Teaching assistant

What are the postgraduate opportunities?

If you already have a first degree, you can complete a teacher training course that might include a PGCE qualification. Education graduates can also choose to continue their studies in educational research. This could lead to roles as researchers or lecturers in universities.

Examples of taught master’s and research degrees at postgraduate level include:

• Adult Education and Lifelong Learning PhD
• Applied Linguistics for Language Teaching MSc
• Education (Child Development and Education) MSc
• Education (Primary) PGCE
• Mathematics PGCE

Similar subjects to Education

Other subject areas that might appeal to you include:

• Childhood & Youth Studies
• Counselling, Psychotherapy & Occupational Therapy
• Psychology
• Social Policy
• Social Work
• Youth Work

Search undergraduate Education Studies courses now!

Have any questions?

Get in touch with our experts! Email ask@thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk with your question about studying Education. We’ll be happy to hear from you!