Education Studies - Geography

Education studies with a geography specialism sits at the intersection of two richly connected disciplines. Education studies examines learning as a social and cultural phenomenon, asking how knowledge is transmitted, who decides what counts as knowledge, and what educational systems do to and for the people within them. Geography brings its own profound questions about place, environment, human and physical systems, and the spatial dimensions of social life.

Together, they allow you to think about how geography is taught and why it matters, about the relationship between schooling and the world beyond school, and about what it means to educate people for life in a complex and changing environment.

At the University of Durham, this three-year full-time programme includes a foundation year, a sandwich year, a year abroad, and a work placement, creating an unusually rich and immersive degree. The foundation year provides structured preparation for the demands of degree-level study. The sandwich year gives you an extended period in a professional or educational setting, applying your developing understanding to real contexts.

The year abroad broadens your perspective on education in other national and cultural settings, which is particularly valuable for a degree concerned with education as a social institution. The work placement adds further practical experience.

You will study educational theory, curriculum, policy, and the sociology of education alongside geographical content spanning human and physical geography, environmental themes, and spatial analysis. Both disciplines train you to think critically, to draw on evidence from diverse sources, and to construct well-reasoned arguments about contested questions. Fieldwork is an important component of the geographical dimension of the degree.

Graduates are well placed to pursue teacher training at secondary level via a PGCE in geography, which is one of the most direct routes from this degree. Educational research, policy work, curriculum development, and roles in educational NGOs and international development are also accessible. The combination of geographical knowledge and educational studies also suits roles in heritage, environmental education, and community outreach.

Postgraduate study in education, geography, or policy is a natural next step for those who want to develop their expertise further.