Education Studies BA (Hons)

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Explore the world of education. Understand the history and socio-cultural issues of modern pedagogy. Develop an exciting career in a fascinating field.

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Overview

BA (Hons) Education Studies will give you a detailed understanding of the principles of education, and its systems and structures. You will critically explore all phases of education, from a range of historical, philosophical, sociological and psychological perspectives.

If you want to continue training and become a teacher, when you graduate from this course you will be guaranteed an interview for a University of Sunderland PGCE degree.

Why us?

  • This course has 100% Overall Satisfaction according to the National Student Survey 2018
  • 93.4% of our graduates are in employment, further study or training within six months of graduating, according to DLHE 2016/17 (based on full-time, first degree, home leavers)
  • The course focuses on all phases of education so you can tailor the course to your personal career plan
  • Stage 2 offers increased student-led assessment with your choice of placement, curriculum design project and individual research plan
  • Our Academic Studies in Education courses (which include BA (Hons) Education Studies) are ranked 7th in the UK for The teaching on my course and are in the top 25% for Learning opportunities, Academic support and Overall satisfaction, according to the National Student Survey 2018
  • ‘World-leading’ research in Education according to the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF)
  • Our Education courses are in the top 20 in the UK according to The Guardian University league tables 2019
  • The curriculum offers a good mix of theoretical and practical study of the discipline of education, exploring various perspectives

Course structure

This course is taught via small group work, workshops, lectures, tutorials, computer-based learning, presentations and independent learning.

Your progress will be assessed with essays, reports, group work, seminar presentations and self-evaluation. Throughout the degree you'll have one-to-one support from academic staff.

This course is also available on a part-time basis.

Year 1 (national level 4):

  • History and Aims of Education (20 credits)
  • Understanding Experiences of Education (20 credits)
  • Socio-Cultural Issues in Education (20 credits)
  • Contemporary Issues in Education (20 credits)
  • Theories of Learning, Teaching and Assessment (20 credits)
  • Developing Personal Skills in English (10 credits)
  • Developing Personal Skills in Mathematics (10 credits)

 

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Read more

Year 2 (national level 5):

  • Introduction to Research in Education (20 credits)
  • Approaches to Meeting Special Educational Needs (20 credits)
  • Developing Creative Solutions (20 credits)
  • Students as Tutors (20 credits) (existing LLS module)
  • English and Society (10 credits)
  • Mathematics and Society (10 credits)
  • Philosophy and Education (20 credits)
Read more

Final year (national level 6):

  • Dissertation (40 credits)
  • Comparative Education and the Global Citizen (20 credits)
  • Ethics and Education (20 credits)
  • Leading and Managing in Education (20 credits)

Optional modules:

  • Advancing Subject Knowledge and Pedagogy (Mathematics) (20 credits)
  • Advancing Subject Knowledge and Pedagogy (English) (20 credits)
  • Learning in the 21st Century (20 credits)
  • Advanced Independent Study in HE (20 credits)
Read more

The David Goldman Informatics Centre,
Sir Tom Cowie Campus,
St Peter's Way,
Sunderland,
SR6 0DD

54.912323,-1.373368

  • You can access free Wi-Fi throughout the University campus, so you can work from anywhere. If you don't want to carry a laptop around, just use one of the University’s PCs or Apple Macs. We have hundreds of computers for you to use in the Murray Library, St Peter's Library, and the David Goldman Informatics Centre. If you ever have any technical problems, just ask the friendly helpdesk team.

    IT provision

  • We’ve got thousands of books and e-books, with many more titles available through the inter-library loan service. We also subscribe to a comprehensive range of print and electronic journals so you can access the most reliable and up-to-date academic and industry articles.

    Library resources which you might find particularly useful include:

    • Project Muse, which provides over 180 full-text humanities and social sciences journals
    • JSTOR (short for ‘Journal Storage’), which provides access to important journals in the humanities, social sciences and sciences
    • Lexis, which provides access to legal information as well as full-text newspaper articles
    • Professional Development Collection, which features hundreds of education journals and reports
    • Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Database, which includes full-text journal articles on topics spanning emotional and behavioural sciences, psychiatry and psychology
    • Community Care Inform, which helps professionals who work with children and young people to make, and evidence, their decisions
    • EBSCO Professional Development Collection, which is a specialised collection of over 500 education journals
    Library Services - education studies

Facilities

You'll be based at The David Goldman Informatics Centre, situated on the award-winning St Peter's riverside campus. The location benefits from dedicated library services and has superb transport links with the city centre and City Campus.

Entry requirements

Our typical offer is


  • GPA 3.0 or above from High School Diploma along with one of the following at the required grade - SAT I and SAT II, ACT or Advanced Placement


If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at admissions@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.

We also require passes at GCSE grade C or above, which must include Mathematics and English Language. If you have studied for a new GCSE for which you will be awarded a numerical grade then you will need to achieve a grade 4 or above.

If English is not your first language we will require an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with an overall score of 6.0 and at least 5.5 or higher in each component: reading, writing, listening and speaking. An alternative approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) can also be considered if the applicant's element scores are equivalent to those required for IELTS.

You are also welcome to apply if you have:

Qualified Teacher Status
A Certificate in Education (Cert Ed)
A Professional Certificate of Education (PGCE)
A Foundation Degree
Relevant training experience and qualifications
Students must also obtain a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure Barring Service check

Fees and finance

The annual fee for this course is:

  • £9,250 if you are from the UK or EU
  • £10,750 if you are from outside the EU

If you are not sure whether you qualify as a UK, EU or international student, find out more in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

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This information was correct at the time of publication.

City Campus by night

Employment

BA (Hons) Education Studies prepares you for a career in many different aspects of the education system. These include informal and vocational learning, care, training, professional development, and curriculum development.

Please note course does not qualify you as a teacher. However, if you do decide to become a teacher then you will be guaranteed an interview on a University of Sunderland Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) degree course.

  • Sunderland is a great place to study and I wouldn’t choose anywhere else.
    Grant ridley course

    Grant Ridley

Meet our academics

Alison Griffiths

Academic Tutor

Ian Elliott

Lecturer in Education

Kate Duffy

Senior Lecturer in Education

Samantha Tate

Senior Lecturer in Education

Sarah Reed

Lecturer

Steve Haswell

Senior Lecturer in Education

Related courses

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

BA (Hons) Education Studies programme specification

Page last updated: 14 August 2018

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