Education Studies BA (Hons)

About the course

If you are interested in education and educational issues, this degree programme is an ideal choice.

You can study full-time or part-time and also learn through work-based learning, e-learning and block attendance at the University. The programme introduces you to the major themes of education and encourages you to review the nature and impact of current national initiatives in education against a background of understanding education as an academic discipline. Elements of the programme will explore contemporary issues in education and society; historical perspectives on education; the psychology of education; learning theory; education in popular culture and literature. This degree combines the traditional study of the disciplines of education with innovative approaches to study and your own learning.

With the growing emphasis on education in all aspects of public and political life this degree offers an opportunity to understand, explore and make an informed contribution to education debates. You will be able to make the links between education policy, its delivery and the experience of groups and individuals.

Your studies will take place within the School of Education, highly rated by both QAA and Ofsted. You will focus on a critical consideration of education both within and beyond the school context. Your studies will be underpinned by ongoing research in the School and you will be taught by staff actively engaged in a wide range of educational enquiry. Inclusion, social justice and equality will feature strongly in this programme.

Why choose this course?

This degree programme is for those interested in contemporary issues in education and who may want to develop a professional career in education administration and management.

Study routes

• Part Time, 6 Years
• Full Time, 3 Years

Locations

• University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

Careers

On graduation a number of different pathways will be open to you. You may choose to work in the field of education administration and management in the local authority sector, or in other public sector organisation such as the police, health work or the prison service, or in a similar role in the private sector. You may decide to continue your studies with a Master's degree. Alternatively, if you decide that you want to move into a career in primary school teaching, you could consider a PGCE qualification following your degree, and enter teaching with the advantage of a strong theoretical background.

Structure

Year 1

Core Modules

• Contemporary Ideas in Education

  This module will enable students to investigate current educational policies. Students will begin to consider the impact of educational policies on education by tracking educational policies from inception to implementation. Alongside this study, students will begin to understand the relationship between current educational need and the changing role of the teacher. Finally, the learning opportunities presented on this module will enable students to consider the impact of the above factors on children and young people.

• Education: Perspectives over Time

  This module is designed to introduce students to the history of education, from approximately the beginning of the nineteenth century to the present day. It will focus on the development of educational provision through the examination of key educational events, acts and reports, for example, Forster s Education Act and the Hadow Reports. It will also investigate the influence and impact of political, social and economic events of the time, for example, the influence of industrialisation, religion, social class and welfare, in shaping educational change. Links will be explored relating present day educational thinking and provision to education in the past.

• Personal and Professional Development

  This module will enable students to explore and expand their understanding of the range of ways in which people learn and to reflect on their own learning in order to develop effective approaches to their study. Students will consider academic and study skills and develop an action plan for personal development. The module will encourage students to identify strengths and areas for development and to consider how their learning might further their own professional development. Students will develop their occupational awareness to enable them to compete more effectively in the employment market. They will enhance their own employability through researching possible career options and constructing an effective CV.

• Philosophies that Shape Education

  Students will be introduced to the nature of philosophical inquiry and to the philosophy of education. They will explore the work of some key educational theorists. Students will analyse the arguments in some key educational ideologies and explore the assumptions on which these are based. This module will enable students to make links between theory, policy and practice and to reflect on the nature of their own educational experiences in the light of this.

Optional

Year 2

Core Modules

• Education: International Perspectives

  This module uses the study of national and international educational contexts to allow students to further examine key educational concepts. The module develops cross-cultural comparative understandings of different educational systems and provision. Through the study of global issues in education, an understanding of global citizenship will be developed.

• Inclusion, Diversity and Equality in the Workplace

  This module is intended to enable students to learn about inclusion, diversity and equality in educational and non-educational settings. It will consider guidance, legislation and policies and current issues in relation to inclusion, diversity and equality and enable participants to make links between policy and practice. Participants will reflect upon their workplace experience and develop and awareness of how to promote inclusion, diversity and equality in relation to for example vulnerable groups and protected characteristics. It will enhance participants’ understanding of discrimination in the workplace.

• Methods of Educational Research

  This module enables students to have an overview of research methodologies commonly used in educational settings and gives them knowledge and understanding of the key principles of observing, interviewing, text analysis and using simple questionnaires. Students will be expected to use both methodological literature and literature on a chosen topic to inform their research. Students will design and evaluate a pilot study of one data collection instrument. This module is designed to feed into the level 3 research modules.

• Representations of Education

  Students will be introduced to basic critical theories that are common to both film and literature. The students will apply this knowledge to analysing popular culture and literature texts. These texts will be drawn from fiction, poetry, film and television. By juxtaposing examples of how education is represented, students will reflect, contrast and analyse how texts (visual and printed) build a lexicon of education. Texts will be viewed to consider how accurate the representation is, how it reflects the society at the time. Students will consider the perspectives of the authors of the texts and to what extent the text represents education for political, economic, dramatic or societal purposes. Students will be expected to apply their knowledge and understanding of education from other modules.

Optional

• Study Abroad - BA

  This is an optional module that enables participants to study abroad for one semester. The module comprises a suitable programme of study in the field of education with a partner institution. A learning contract is devised between the University of Hertfordshire and the host institution. The participant’s programme of study will be negotiated and approved by the Programme Tutor (or nominee) in consultation with appropriate others and the host University.

Year 3

Core Modules

Optional

• BAES Dissertation

  This module is intended to help students select and define a topic for investigation and implement a research design utilising appropriate methods for handling and analysing data. It will involve students in independent enquiry, data collection, analysis and presentation of material plus evaluation of the outcomes. Critical appraisal of relevant literature is also required. Where students are intending to a named award an appropriate focus of dissertation topic will be required. Supervision (tutorial hours in section 12) will be available in one to one tutorial and small group seminars. Students undertaking this module are expected to engage in peer support.

• Childrens Literature: A Critical Evaluation

  This module examines selected texts, authors and themes in children's literature. A range of examples, including picture books, media texts and film, will be evaluated to investigate how authors communicate societal beliefs and values within the medium they work. Within this investigation, the growth, popularity and recognition of children's literature as a separate genre will be explored. Students will track the emergence of visual literacy and evaluate its impact on the notion of childhood. This module will include off campus visits and excursions to illustrate key aspects of children's literature.

• Education for a Sustainable World

  This module offers the opportunity for students to examine the concepts education for a sustainable work from a range of different perspectives. It will focus on the key concepts of global education and apply these to twenty-first century situations ranging from the local to global and across different cultural contexts. The module will be delivered by a diverse group of people who will present case studies in their own discipline to include, for example, global health, globalisation of sport, poverty, sustainable development, transformative education and education for the future.

• Psychology for Education

  This module uses psychology to provide perspectives on different ways of understanding people in educational and learning settings. Psychological theory will be used as a critical tool to examine insights and interventions in learning, training and education. It is intended to provide a model whereby psychology can be used to illuminate potential connections and discontinuities as an evaluative tool to formulate and justify ways forward.

• Research Project

  This module enables students to consider the issues around educational research and the assumptions underpinning common methodologies used. They will know the key principles involved in the design of small scale research projects and understand the key principles of using data gathering instruments to explore an aspect of educational practice. Critically reading published literature, on a chosen topic, will help inform the research design and contribute to an academic report of their research. Students will reflect on the implications of the project for future research or practice.

• Therapeutic Approaches in Education

  This module explores play as a therapy to help children understand muddled feelings and upsetting events by using play to communicate at their own level and at their own pace, without feeling interrogated or threatened. The module explores how play therapy can be used to develop children's emotional literacy and promote their well-being. The role of play in a child's social, emotional, cognitive, physical, creative and language development will be explored underpinned by relevant theories of attachment, bonding and child development. Its role in children's communication, learning and managing relationships including those for whom verbal communication may be difficult will be covered. The module introduces mainly non-directive play techniques based upon a humanistic model and explores different techniques in play therapy. It also explores other therapeutic approaches for young children.

• Thinking Skills: Supporting Children's Cognition

  This module examines theories concerning the development of cognition and considers how they relate to children s learning. The aim of the module is for students to understand how these theories have produced a range of models for understanding and developing thinking skills and to be able to copare and critically evaluate the different models. Students will develop an understanding of the role of the adult in the development of thinking skills in children.

Fees & funding

Fees 2013

UK/EU Students

Full time: £8,000 for the 2013 academic year

International Students

Full time: £9,500 for the 2013 academic year

Discounts are available for International students if payment is made in full at registration

View detailed information about tuition fees

Scholarships

• National Scholarship Programme

Find out more about scholarships for UK/EU and international students

Other financial support

Find out more about other financial support available to UK and EU students

Living costs / accommodation

The University of Hertfordshire offers a great choice of student accommodation, on campus or nearby in the local area, to suit every student budget.

View detailed information about our accommodation

How to apply