Education Studies

Education studies is the academic discipline concerned with understanding education as a system, a practice and a social institution. Rather than training you to teach in a specific classroom context, it asks broader questions: how is education organised and governed, how does it relate to social inequality and social justice, how do different pedagogical approaches shape learning, and what do different societies and thinkers believe education is for? It is a discipline that develops critical thinking, research skills and a sophisticated understanding of the institutions that shape most people's lives from childhood onwards.

At the University of Durham you will study education studies over four years of full-time study, on a programme designed to cultivate both intellectual rigour and a passion for education as a force for social change. You will engage with the philosophical, sociological, historical and psychological dimensions of education, examining educational processes, systems and approaches within their cultural, societal and political contexts. A sandwich year provides professional experience, and a year abroad broadens your perspective on how different societies organise and understand education.

Work placement is integrated throughout the programme, connecting your analytical frameworks to real educational environments. Durham's reputation as a research-intensive university gives the programme a strong intellectual foundation.

Graduates of education studies programmes work in education policy, curriculum development, educational research, the civil service, international development, social work, youth work, community development, educational management and the voluntary sector. Many use the degree as a springboard into initial teacher education, qualifying to teach in primary or secondary schools through postgraduate routes. Others go on to postgraduate study in education, social policy, development studies or psychology.

The combination of critical social analysis and deep understanding of educational systems is valued across a wide range of public service and policy-facing careers.