Education
Education as an academic discipline is not the same as teacher training, though it complements it. It is the rigorous, scientific study of how people learn, how educational systems are organised and governed, and what the purposes and effects of education are across different contexts and communities. It draws on psychology, sociology, philosophy, history, and policy analysis to examine education from multiple angles, and it asks fundamental questions about schooling, knowledge, and the relationship between education and social justice.
At the University of Southampton, this three-year, full-time programme takes an intellectually serious approach to education as a field of inquiry. You will study both UK and international educational systems, examining how schools, colleges, and universities are structured and how they function, from early childhood through to post-compulsory education. You will engage with the psychological and developmental underpinnings of learning, the sociological dimensions of educational inequality and access, the history of educational ideas and institutions, and the policy frameworks that shape what happens in classrooms.
The programme develops strong research and analytical skills, and you will learn to evaluate evidence about educational practice and policy with rigour and critical awareness.
This programme includes a sandwich year with a work placement, giving you the opportunity to develop practical experience in an educational or related professional setting before you complete your degree. Graduates from education programmes go on to careers in teaching, educational research, school leadership, educational policy, the civil service, youth work, community education, international development, and the third sector. Many also pursue postgraduate qualifications in teacher education or educational leadership.
The analytical and reflective capabilities that the programme develops are also genuinely transferable to a wide range of professional fields beyond education itself.