Education with Placement

Education as an academic discipline asks fundamental questions about what learning is, how it happens, why some people and communities are better served by educational systems than others, and what the purposes of education should be in a just society. It draws on psychology, sociology, philosophy, history, and policy studies to examine education in its full complexity, from the development of the individual learner through to the structures of educational institutions and the policy frameworks that shape them. A degree in education does not necessarily lead to teaching, though it prepares you well for it: it is a broad intellectual education in one of the most important and contested domains of social life.

At the University of Gloucestershire, the four-year education degree is structured to include a placement year, which gives you direct and extended experience of working in an educational setting before you complete your degree. This placement is a significant asset: it means you graduate with genuine professional experience, an understanding of how educational institutions work in practice, and the reflective capacity that comes from having applied your academic learning in a real context. The curriculum covers educational psychology and theories of learning, the sociology of education and educational inequality, curriculum theory, assessment and evaluation, educational policy in England and internationally, and inclusive education and special educational needs.

Research methods are central to the programme, and you will develop skills in both qualitative and quantitative approaches to educational enquiry.

Graduates in education enter careers across a wide range of settings. Teaching at primary and secondary level is the most obvious route, typically requiring an additional postgraduate teaching qualification such as a PGCE. But education graduates also work in early years provision, further education, training and development roles in the public and private sectors, educational policy and research, local authority education services, and the charity and voluntary sector working with young people and families.

International development organisations, NGOs working in education, and roles in educational publishing and edtech are further options. Postgraduate study in education, educational psychology, social policy, or research is a common next step.