Education Studies

Education studies is the academic discipline that examines education as a social institution, a set of practices and a site of policy contestation. Rather than training you to teach a particular subject in a particular setting, it asks broader analytical questions: how is education organised and governed, how does it relate to social inequality and social reproduction, how do learning and teaching actually work, and what do different societies and thinkers believe education is for? The discipline draws on philosophy, sociology, psychology, history and comparative perspectives to build a rich understanding of educational processes from early years through to lifelong learning.

At the University of Derby you will study education studies over three years of full-time study, with a foundation year available as an extended entry route that builds academic foundations before the main degree begins. The programme gives you a broad understanding of education across age phases and contexts, with the option to take a specialist pathway in Special Educational Needs and Disability or in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Both pathways develop valuable specialist knowledge alongside the broader analytical formation of the degree.

A year abroad is built into the programme, offering international learning opportunities that broaden your perspective on how different societies approach education. The programme has a strong focus on social equality, and the typical tariff of 88 reflects genuine accessibility.

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

The SEND and TESOL pathways offer particularly direct routes into specialist practice, and the combination of social justice focus and analytical depth prepares graduates well for careers where understanding how systems affect people's lives matters.