Education Studies
X300Educators make a lasting impact on people’s lives. Whether you want to become a teacher or work in educational charities, publishing, local government, or the service and heritage industries, Education Studies leads to challenging and rewarding careers.
Course overview
Whether your degree leads you to become a teacher, or to another graduate career related to education, you will develop the breadth and depth of knowledge and specialist skills necessary to become a critically minded, reflective professional. You will draw on a range of disciplines including education, social policy, philosophy, history, disability studies and child development to develop you as a graduate ready to work in multi-professional contexts.
Through a combination of mandatory and optional modules you will explore a range of contexts from the classroom through to how education defines the world around us and is used as a lever for social and political change. You will learn about the wide range of factors that influence why and how we educate, including: race, gender, power, health, technology, culture, ecology, inclusion and politics.
Year 1 will support you in orientating to university level study through a range of core modules which include content that is fundamental to the multidisciplinary study of education. In Years 2 and 3 increasingly specialised content will extend your knowledge and understanding of education by drawing on national and international research and practices and the extensive experience and research expertise of our dedicated tutor team.
What you need to know
Course start date
September
Location
On campus
Course length
- 3 years full-time
- 6 years part-time
Apply
X300
Typical offer
96-112points
Fees
From £9,250 pa
Course features
- Learn about education in multiple contexts and from multiple vantage points, including schooling, early childhood education, special and inclusive education, key moments in the history of education, and education’s role in a good society
- Develop your breadth and depth of critical knowledge, understanding and skills through an interdisciplinary approach to the study of education in its widest sense
- Enjoy the freedom to develop your own interests through optional modules
- Learn from a dedicated tutor team of research active education specialists
Course details
Our aim is to shape 'confident learners' by enabling you to develop the skills needed to excel in your studies here and as well as onto further studies or the employment market.
You are taught primarily through a combination of lectures and seminars, allowing opportunities to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups.
In addition to the formally scheduled contact time such as lectures and seminars etc.), you are encouraged to access academic support from staff within the course team and the wide range of services available to you within the University.
Independent learning
Over the duration of your course, you will be expected to develop independent and critical learning, progressively building confidence and expertise through independent and collaborative research, problem-solving and analysis with the support of staff. You take responsibility for your own learning and are encouraged to make use of the wide range of available learning resources available.
Overall workload
Your overall workload consists of class contact hours, independent learning and assessment activity.
While your actual contact hours may depend on the optional modules you select, the following information gives an indication of how much time you will need to allocate to different activities at each level of the course.
Year 1 (Level 4): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*
Teaching, learning and assessment: 252 hours
Independent learning: 948 hours
Year 2 (Level 5): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*
Teaching, learning and assessment: 240 hours
Independent learning: 960 hours
Year 3 (Level 6): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*
Teaching, learning and assessment: 192 hours
Independent learning: 1008 hours
*Please note these are indicative hours for the course.
Education Studies is offered as a means to gain an intellectually satisfying grasp of the education of learners of all ages and the care of the very young. We believe with this intellectual background students will be in a far stronger position to be valued as individuals within educational institutions. We use a variety of teaching methods and try to listen and respond effectively to student comments. Teaching may be didactic, discussion-based or led by student presentation. This is accompanied by intellectual rigour in all forms of student work (essay, presentation, discussion). On all of the modules students will be expected to read widely, to reflect and comment on their reading and to express their ideas clearly and persuasively, both orally and in writing.
Teaching Hours
All class based teaching takes places between 9am – 6pm, Monday to Friday during term time. Wednesday afternoons are kept free from timetabled teaching for personal study time and for sports clubs and societies to train, meet and play matches. There may be some occasional learning opportunities (for example, an evening guest lecturer or performance) that take places outside of these hours for which you will be given forewarning.
Assessment
Our validated courses may adopt a range of means of assessing your learning. An indicative, and not necessarily comprehensive, list of assessment types you might encounter includes essays, portfolios, supervised independent work, presentations, written exams, or practical performances.
We ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve module learning outcomes. As such, where appropriate and necessary, students with recognised disabilities may have alternative assignments set that continue to test how successfully they have met the module's learning outcomes. Further details on assessment types used on the course you are interested in can be found on the course page, by attending an Open Day or Open Evening, or contacting our teaching staff.
Percentage of the course assessed by coursework
The assessment balance between examination and coursework depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose. The approximate percentage of the course assessed by different assessment modes is as follows:
Year 1 (Level 4)*:
60% coursework
6% written exams
34% practical exams
Year 2 (Level 5)*:
87% coursework
0% written exams
13% practical exams
Year 3 (Level 6)*:
100% coursework
0% written exams
0% practical exams
*Please note these are indicative percentages and modes f.or the programme.
Feedback
We are committed to providing timely and appropriate feedback to you on your academic progress and achievement in order to enable you to reflect on your progress and plan your academic and skills development effectively. You are also encouraged to seek additional feedback from your course tutors.
Modules
Please note the modules listed are correct at the time of publishing. The University cannot guarantee the availability of all modules listed and modules may be subject to change. The University will notify applicants of any changes made to the core modules listed. For further information please refer to winchester.ac.uk/termsandconditions
Modules
This module provides an in-depth analysis of the 1944 and 1988 Education Acts. It looks at the historical and political backgrounds to the Acts, investigates the ideologies which lay behind the Acts, and looks at the influence of and reaction to them amongst different groups. The ideologies of the Acts are compared and related to the wider social and political context in which they originate. The module reflects on notions of educability, equality, selection and differentiation. It will explore how those notions have been related to differing philosophical and political views and how they have been implemented in relation to different economic models of education including the education market. The implications of changes in early years education are considered in relation to the ideologies underpinning the Acts. The introduction of Special Education Needs into the state provision of education in the 1944 Act is also considered. The module also raises questions about education and social and cultural reproduction. Students are encouraged to reflect upon the two Acts in the light of their own views about education provision and their own experience of education.
This module will ensure that students are well informed on a range of political concepts and perspectives. This is essential if they are, later in the programme, to make reasoned judgements on a variety of contemporary issues related to policy across the range of educational provision, including beyond the UK. The first half of this module introduces key concepts in political positioning. The second half of the module enables students to undertake a theoretical engagement with the question of children as citizens.
Exploring a range of issues and themes relevant to early childhood experience, this module interrogates the ‘Early Childhood Studies’ (ECS) discipline in its political, professional and academic dimensions, and how ECS has been culturally constructed as a phenomenon of the Academy and of the Early Education and Care professions. The module considers what our construction(s) might mean, and what might be driving those constructions, at individual and societal levels. Before we can begin to achieve some clarity about what ‘early childhood’ might be or mean, we need to challenge many of our most taken-for-granted assumptions about such phenomena as ‘development’, ‘quality’, ‘learning’, ‘play’ etc. In successfully ‘deconstructing’ and ‘unlearning’ at least some of these assumptions, an opening-up of a critical space for deepening our understanding of the phenomenon of early childhood for the rest of the degree programme will have been achieved.
This module enables students to reflect meaningfully on their own educational experiences and provides an opportunity for collaborative work. Through studying a range of educational theorists, students will be introduced to various approaches to teaching and learning which will a) provide a point of departure and foundation for future study and b) provide a means through which they can reflect on their own educational experiences and those of others. In addition, students will be encouraged to explore and question what ‘educational experience’ might mean beyond formal, institutional settings.
‘Reading’ Education Studies requires more of the ‘reader’ than the basic ability to translate symbols on a page into words. The module provides an introduction into interpreting and referencing a range of resources which may include newspapers, films, internet websites, television, radio, fine art, popular art, ephemera, academic journals, novels, non-fiction books and music. In doing so, students will develop a broad range of higher education literacies. It will also prompt an exploration of what it means to be a higher education student in the larger context of society, including the implications and responsibilities which are the core of this new identity.
The module combines an introduction to the ideas and theories of various educators concerned with education. Some of the educators encountered will offer ideas about education directly in relation to schooling whilst others offer insights into education in its broader sense. The range of educators examined will represent particular interests of course tutors and will introduce students to the breadth of content they will encounter during their studies. Drawing on a diverse range of figures from various fields, including the arts, religion, and philosophy, this module asks students, not only to engage with the insights and teachings of each of the individuals they encounter, but also with the very question of what it means to be an educator and to educate.
This module encourages you to discuss issues in education not just by asserting what you think to be right, but by working with a set of principles which enable you to make a sustained and coherent argument to defend and explain your position. You will be introduced to a series of differing forms of schooling and distinct educational practices in relation to educational contexts, issues and situations. Students are provided with opportunities to engage in independent and group research to examine these practices and issues. The module draws upon Kant’s notion of a universal principle to inform a substantive engagement with educational concepts, contexts and practices.
This module introduces important policy, theory and debate in the fields of special and inclusive education. As it considers perspectives on various impairments, the module draws on insights and ideas from medical literature, and sociology. In this way, substantive questions in special and inclusive education are addressed. We will explore how might educational institutions most effectively respond to students with impairments. This exploration will lead us to investigate differences between impairment and disability and what it might mean to be an inclusive educator.
Modules
In this module, students will be introduced to a range of thinkers who have argued for education as a tool for social and political reform. The emphasis in this first module will be on the notion of education as enlightenment, both in ancient and modern versions. The goal is to extend our understanding of education beyond the classroom and into the wider world. It will, of necessity, introduce many important social and political issues, and will provide perspectives that can be employed in other optional modules.
The thinkers that were encountered in Education: Social and Political Thought (1) set out clear visions for how education might best contribute to the relations between an individual and their society. In doing so, they somewhat took for granted the foundational and universal character of concepts such as truth, reason, freedom and knowledge, and how these could be realised through education. This second module aims to show how more recent theorists exposed these concepts as themselves being open to question, in terms of who controlled them, who had access to them, and how we all relate to them. This module disrupts some of the ‘grand narratives’ constructed by philosophers since the time of Plato and explores the significance of these disruptions for education.
What is a Child? - 15 Credits
Thinking about 'Race' - 15 Credits
Independent Study - 15 Credits
Theorising Early Childhood - 15 Credits
Impairments, Disability and Inclusion - 15 Credits
Theories of Discipline - 15 Credits
Progressive Education - 15 Credits
Thinking the Holocaust - 15 CreditsTechnology and Education - 15 Credits
Globalisation and Comparative Education - 15 Credits
Physical Education - 15 Credits
Theorising Special and Inclusive Education - 15 Credits
What was a Teacher? Histories of Teacher Education - 15 Credits
'Pioneers and Separate Spheres' Gender and History of Education 1789-1923 - 15 Credits
Social Inclusion and Exclusion - 15 Credits
Sexuality: Education, Policy and Practice - 15 Credits
The Teacher: Power and Pedagogy - 15 Credits
Education and Work - 15 Credits
Education & Nature: learning in the Anthropocene - 15 Credits
Education Beyond Left and Right - 15 Credits
Culture/ Education - 15 Credits
Education and Christianity - 15 Credits
Philosophies of Education - 15 Credits
Play - 15 Credits
Education for the ‘New Age’ – 15 Credits
Volunteering for Education Studies - 15 Credits
Policy and provision - 15 Credits
Enabling environments -15 Credits
Optional
In this module, students will be introduced to a range of thinkers who have argued for education as a tool for social and political reform. The emphasis in this first module will be on the notion of education as enlightenment, both in ancient and modern versions. The goal is to extend our understanding of education beyond the classroom and into the wider world. It will, of necessity, introduce many important social and political issues, and will provide perspectives that can be employed in other optional modules.
The thinkers that were encountered in Education: Social and Political Thought (1) set out clear visions for how education might best contribute to the relations between an individual and their society. In doing so, they somewhat took for granted the foundational and universal character of concepts such as truth, reason, freedom and knowledge, and how these could be realised through education. This second module aims to show how more recent theorists exposed these concepts as themselves being open to question, in terms of who controlled them, who had access to them, and how we all relate to them. This module disrupts some of the ‘grand narratives’ constructed by philosophers since the time of Plato and explores the significance of these disruptions for education.
What is a Child? - 15 Credits
Thinking about 'Race' - 15 Credits
Independent Study - 15 Credits
Theorising Early Childhood - 15 Credits
Impairments, Disability and Inclusion - 15 Credits
Theories of Discipline - 15 Credits
Progressive Education - 15 Credits
Thinking the Holocaust - 15 CreditsTechnology and Education - 15 Credits
Globalisation and Comparative Education - 15 Credits
Physical Education - 15 Credits
Theorising Special and Inclusive Education - 15 Credits
What was a Teacher? Histories of Teacher Education - 15 Credits
'Pioneers and Separate Spheres' Gender and History of Education 1789-1923 - 15 Credits
Social Inclusion and Exclusion - 15 Credits
Sexuality: Education, Policy and Practice - 15 Credits
The Teacher: Power and Pedagogy - 15 Credits
Education and Work - 15 Credits
Education & Nature: learning in the Anthropocene - 15 Credits
Education Beyond Left and Right - 15 Credits
Culture/ Education - 15 Credits
Education and Christianity - 15 Credits
Philosophies of Education - 15 Credits
Play - 15 Credits
Education for the ‘New Age’ – 15 Credits
Volunteering for Education Studies - 15 Credits
Policy and provision - 15 Credits
Enabling environments -15 Credits
Modules
The dissertation will be a piece of independent research undertaken by the student resulting in an 8,000 – 10,000 word project.
Current Issues in Education - 15 Credits
Independent Study - 15 Credits
Loss of Childhood - 15 Credits
Critiquing Higher Education A - 15 Credits
Critiquing Higher Education B - 15 Credits
Constructing the Other: Race, Ethnicity and Religion - 15 Credits
Educating the Teenage Consumer - 15 Credits
The Inclusive Educator: Values, Virtues and Practice - 15 Credits
Philosophy of the Teacher – 15 Credits
Discipline and the Soul - 15 Credits
Holocaust Education - 15 Credits
Marxisms and Schooling - 15 Credits
Exclusion in and from Schooling – 15 Credits
Life, Death and Education A - 15 Credits
Life, Death and Education B - 15 Credits
Utopia and Education A - 15 Credits
Utopia and Education B - 15 Credits
Education and the Arab-Islamic World A - 15 Credits
Education and the Arab-Islamic World B - 15 Credits
Film as Education A - 15 Credits
Film as Education B - 15 Credits
Reconceptualising Early Childhood Education (RECE) - 15 Credits
Contemporary Theory and Practice in Early Childhood - 15 Credits
Childhood in a Changing World - 15 Credits
Philosophy, Education and the Learning Person - 15 Credits
Deconstructing Philosophies of Education - 15 Credits
Education, Ecologies & Ethics - 15 Credits
Critiquing Inclusive Educational Practice - 15 Credits
Critiquing the Museum Experience - 15 Credits
The Language of Inclusion in Education A - 15 Credits
The Language of Inclusion in Education B - 15 Credits
Education, Inclusion and Refugees A - 15 Credits
Early Years Education (A) - 15 Credit
Early Years Education (B) - 15 Credits
Leadership in Education - 15 Credits
Optional
The dissertation will be a piece of independent research undertaken by the student resulting in an 8,000 – 10,000 word project.
Current Issues in Education - 15 Credits
Independent Study - 15 Credits
Loss of Childhood - 15 Credits
Critiquing Higher Education A - 15 Credits
Critiquing Higher Education B - 15 Credits
Constructing the Other: Race, Ethnicity and Religion - 15 Credits
Educating the Teenage Consumer - 15 Credits
The Inclusive Educator: Values, Virtues and Practice - 15 Credits
Philosophy of the Teacher – 15 Credits
Discipline and the Soul - 15 Credits
Holocaust Education - 15 Credits
Marxisms and Schooling - 15 Credits
Exclusion in and from Schooling – 15 Credits
Life, Death and Education A - 15 Credits
Life, Death and Education B - 15 Credits
Utopia and Education A - 15 Credits
Utopia and Education B - 15 Credits
Education and the Arab-Islamic World A - 15 Credits
Education and the Arab-Islamic World B - 15 Credits
Film as Education A - 15 Credits
Film as Education B - 15 Credits
Reconceptualising Early Childhood Education (RECE) - 15 Credits
Contemporary Theory and Practice in Early Childhood - 15 Credits
Childhood in a Changing World - 15 Credits
Philosophy, Education and the Learning Person - 15 Credits
Deconstructing Philosophies of Education - 15 Credits
Education, Ecologies & Ethics - 15 Credits
Critiquing Inclusive Educational Practice - 15 Credits
Critiquing the Museum Experience - 15 Credits
The Language of Inclusion in Education A - 15 Credits
The Language of Inclusion in Education B - 15 Credits
Education, Inclusion and Refugees A - 15 Credits
Early Years Education (A) - 15 Credit
Early Years Education (B) - 15 Credits
Leadership in Education - 15 Credits
Entry requirements
Our offers are typically made using UCAS tariff points to allow you to include a range of level 3 qualifications and as a guide, the requirements for this course are equivalent to:
A-Levels: CCC-BBC from 3 A Levels or equivalent grade combinations (e.g. CCC is comparable to BCD in terms of tariff points)
BTEC/CTEC: MMM-DMM from BTEC or Cambridge Technical (CTEC) qualifications
International Baccalaureate: To include a minimum of 2 Higher Level certificates at grade H4
T Level: Pass (C or above on the core) in a T Level
Additionally, we accept tariff points achieved for many other qualifications, such as the Access to Higher Education Diploma, Scottish Highers, UAL Diploma/Extended Diploma and WJEC Applied Certificate/Diploma, to name a few. We also accept tariff points from smaller level 3 qualifications, up to a maximum of 32, from qualifications like the Extended Project (EP/EPQ), music or dance qualifications. To find out more about UCAS tariff points, including what your qualifications are worth, please visit UCAS.
In addition to level 3 study, the following GCSE’s are required:
GCSE English Language at grade 4 or C, or higher. Functional Skills at level 2 is accepted as an alternative, however Key Skills qualifications are not. If you hold another qualification, please get in touch and we will advise further.
If you will be over the age of 21 years of age at the beginning of your undergraduate study, you will be considered as a mature student. This means our offer may be different and any work or life experiences you have will be considered together with any qualifications you hold. UCAS have further information about studying as a mature student on the UCAS website which may be of interest.
If English is not your first language, a formal English language test will most likely be required and you will need to achieve the following:
- IELTS Academic at 5.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all four components (for year 1 entry)
- We also accept other English language qualifications, such as IELTS Indicator, Pearson PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and TOEFL iBT
If you are living outside of the UK or Europe, you can find out more about how to join this course by contacting our International Recruitment Team via our International Apply Pages.
2024 Course Tuition Fees
| UK / Channel Islands / Isle of Man / Republic of Ireland |
International |
|
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | £9,250 | £16,700 |
| Year 2 | £9,250 | £16,700 |
| Year 3 | £9,250 | £16,700 |
| Total | £27,750 | £50,100 |
| Optional Sandwich Year* | £1,850 | £3,340 |
| Total with Sandwich Year | £29,600 | £53,440 |
Additional tuition fee information
If you are a UK student starting your degree in September 2024, the first year will cost you £9,250**. Based on this fee level, the indicative fees for a three-year degree would be £27,750 for UK students.
Remember, you don’t have to pay any of this upfront if you are able to get a tuition fee loan from the UK Government to cover the full cost of your fees each year.
UK Part-Time fees are calculated on a pro rata basis of the full-time fee for a 120 credit course. The fee for a single credit is £77.08 and a 15 credit module is £1,156. Part-time students can take up to a maximum 90 credits per year, so the maximum fee in a given year will be the government permitted maximum fee of £6,935.
International part-time fees are calculated on a pro rata basis of the full-time fee for a 120 credit course. The fee for a single credit is £139.14 and a 15 credit module is £2,087.
* Please note that not all courses offer an optional sandwich year.
**The University of Winchester will charge the maximum approved tuition fee per year.
Additional costs
As one of our students all of your teaching and assessments are included in your tuition fees, including, lectures/guest lectures and tutorials, seminars, laboratory sessions and specialist teaching facilities. You will also have access to a wide range of student support and IT services.
There might be additional costs you may encounter whilst studying. The following highlights the mandatory and optional costs for this course:
Mandatory
In the student’s first year of study, students may be required to complete a poster assignment in one of the core modules. Indicative cost is £8.
Disclosure and Barring Service
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance check may be required if you undertake a placement, volunteering, research or other course related activity where you will have contact with children or vulnerable adults. The requirement for a DBS check will be confirmed by staff as part of the process to approve your placement, research or other activity. The indicative cost is £40.
Optional
Assignments
In the second year, an optional module on Play requires the student to construct a play resource. Indicative cost is £5.
Books
In student’s second year of study, students are recommended to purchase four set books which are available second-hand. Indicative cost is £20.
Trips
Some optional modules in the second and third year may include non-mandatory external visits to locations in Hampshire or London. The cost of travel and expenses will need to be covered by the student and depending on location. Indicative cost is £5-£40.
Volunteering Placement
Optional volunteering in the second year may incur travel costs that need to be covered by the student and depends on the location of departure and destination. Students may choose their own placement setting (in a school or other institution with charitable status) in agreement with the Volunteering Module Leader and Volunteering Placement Co‐ordinator.
Study Abroad Students have the option to study a semester abroad in the USA in their second year of study. Indicative cost for flights is £1000-£1300.
SCHOLARSHIPS, BURSARIES AND AWARDS
We have a variety of scholarship and bursaries available to support you financially with the cost of your course. To see if you’re eligible, please see our Scholarships and Awards page.
CAREER PROSPECTS
Graduates of Education Studies pursue careers in teaching, social services and the caring professions. Others find this route through the degree has opened their eyes to other possibilities. Many work in schools and early years settings in roles other than teaching, sometimes with children with special needs and in challenging settings such as pupil referral units or special schools. Others go into local government, international development or charity work.
The BA (Hons) Education Studies degree also gives you a strong foundation for a range of other destinations in the public and private sectors, whether related to education or not. The skills and qualities you will develop - including communication, time management, personal responsibility, critical thinking, resilience and integrity – are valuable in careers outside of the education sector. You will also develop the qualities necessary for postgraduate study in a range of subjects.
The University of Winchester ranks in the top 10 in the UK for graduates in employment and further study according to the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2021, HESA.
Pre-approved for PGCE interviews:
As a student of BA (Hons) Education Studies and Early Childhood, you are pre-approved for an interview for our following Post Graduate Initial Teacher Training programmes at Winchester:
PGCE Primary 3-7*
PGCE Primary 5-11*
PGCE Primary 5-11 with SEND*
*subject to validation
Pre-approved for a Masters:
If you study a Bachelor Honours degrees with us, you will be pre-approved to start a Masters degree at Winchester. To be eligible, you will need to apply by the end of March in the final year of your degree and meet the entry requirements of your chosen Masters degree.
“I was interested in the fact that Education Studies explores social and political issues and social and political thought in education itself.”
