A young male university student in a casual jumper sitting at the back of a primary school classroom holding a clipboard with an observation form and taking notes, watching a teacher at the interactive whiteboard teaching phonics to children in school uniform sitting on the carpet, with alphabet displays and children's artwork on the walls, representing the school placement and classroom observation focus of Education degrees

DEGREE GUIDE

Education

What do Education degrees involve?

Education degrees teach you how people learn, how teaching methods shape knowledge, and how education systems influence society. You will study key areas such as child development, learning psychology, curriculum design, education policy, and social justice in education. These courses help you develop strong analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills while exploring how education can drive social change and improve opportunities. As you progress, you may specialise in areas such as special educational needs, early childhood education, or international education. You will also gain hands-on experience through research projects, school placements, or policy analysis, equipping you with the knowledge to work in teaching, education policy, or learning support.

Example
Modules

Introduction to Education Studies: Explore the key ideas that shape education, reflecting on your own learning experiences and how education influences individuals and society.

Sociological Explorations in Education: Examine how race, gender, class and culture impact educational access, achievement and opportunity across different groups.

Developing Professionalism: Build confidence in academic writing, research and communication while preparing for future roles in education settings.

Common Degree Names

💼 Placement or work experience is included in most courses, especially those linked to teacher training or community education.
🌍 Study abroad is available at some universities.

BA (Hons) Education
BA (Hons) Education Studies
BA (Hons) Education and Psychology
BA (Hons) Education and Sociology
BA (Hons) Childhood and Education

Education degrees are typically BA programmes and do not automatically lead to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), but can prepare students for PGCE or School Direct routes.

A laptop displaying education research methodology with colour-coded interview transcript analysis alongside a child development textbook open to Piaget's stages of cognitive development, a notebook with Vygotsky's zone of proximal development diagrams, a SEND Code of Practice document, a philosophy of education reader on Paulo Freire and a comparative education global school systems report, illustrating the research, theory and policy analysis skills developed in Education degrees

Level 3 (A-level / IB Diploma (HL) / Scottish Highers)

Education degrees explore how people learn, how education systems work, and how teaching can make a difference. Whether you're interested in the theory of education or training to become a teacher, universities are looking for students who can communicate clearly, think critically, and understand people – which is why essay-based and social science subjects are valued.

Subjects that can strengthen your application:

English Literature, English Language & Literature, Psychology, Sociology, or History – develop research, essay-writing, and analytical skills
A National Curriculum subject (English, Maths, Science) – helpful for Primary Education with QTS routes

✨ There are no specific subject requirements for most Education Studies degrees. For courses that include teacher training (QTS), check whether specific subjects or GCSEs are needed.

Universities may also accept:

BTEC Extended Diplomas (widely accepted). Health and Social Care (being phased out) is particularly relevant.
BTEC National Extended Certificates or National Diplomas alongside relevant A-Level subjects
T-Level in Education and Early Years
IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) with at least two IB Higher Level subjects (ideally three - see relevant subjects above) alongside your Career-Related Study; a Childcare and Education pathway would be directly relevant

Entry requirements vary depending on whether the degree includes teacher training – always check the course page.

Level 2 Qualifications (GCSE / MYP / National 5)

You will need:

GCSE English Language and Maths at grade 4/C or above, or equivalent such as National 5s or MYP

For Primary Education (QTS) courses, a Science GCSE at grade 4/C is also required.

📘 Some universities prefer a grade 5/B in English because of the emphasis on communication.

💬 Interviews

Formal interviews aren't usually part of the application process. However, some universities may invite you for a short conversation, either online or in person, to learn more about your interest in the subject.

🔒 DBS Check
If your course includes school placements, an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required. This is usually arranged after you've accepted an offer.

🔍 Work Experience

You don't need work experience to apply, but spending time in educational settings helps you understand what you're studying. Volunteering in a school, tutoring younger students, helping at a youth club, or assisting with after-school activities all give you first-hand experience of how people learn. Peer mentoring at your own school is an easy way to start. If you have a school placement to fill, a primary or secondary school, nursery, or alternative education setting gives you the most relevant insight.

✨ Personal Statement Tips

What interests you about how people learn and how education systems work? Education as a degree explores teaching and learning, policy, and how schools and other institutions shape young people's lives - it's broader than training to be a teacher. If you've observed education in action, whether in schools, youth work, tutoring, or other settings, think about what you noticed: what seemed to work, what didn't, and what questions it raised. Reading about educational debates, following policy discussions, or thinking critically about your own educational experiences can show genuine engagement. Admissions tutors want to see curiosity about education as a subject of study, not just a desire to work in schools.

If your qualifications don't match the usual entry requirements, there are some other possibilities.

🌱 Foundation Year in Education or Social Sciences

Many universities offer a foundation year if you don't have the required subjects or grades. This adds an extra year but leads directly into the full degree.

🎓 Access to HE Diploma (Education, Early Years or Social Science)

A common and well-established route into Education degrees. Choose a pathway with units in child development, education or social science, and aim for Merits and Distinctions in your graded units.

💼 Level 3 Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships such as Teaching Assistant or Early Years Educator carry UCAS tariff points from 2026 and can support a university application. Education degrees are offered very broadly, including at universities with flexible admissions policies.

Is this degree right for you?

Members can explore whether this degree fits who they are:

Skills you'd develop and whether they match your strengths
How this aligns with your interests, motivators and values
Career paths and where graduates end up

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Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Use the tabs to explore the kind of person that this would be a good fit for. Do you share the Interests, Motivations, Values, Work identity and skills that people who thrive in this course tend to have?

Not sure what these things are? Explore your Identity Tree with us first.

Interests that connect well with an Education degree

Students who enjoy this degree often share these interests. You don't need to feel strongly about all of them, and interests develop over time. If one or two catch your curiosity, or sound like something you'd like to know more about, that's a good sign.

Learning, Education & Development: This is the heart of the degree. You'll study how people learn across different ages, what makes teaching and learning work, how schools and education systems are designed, and how education shapes who people become.

Society, Communities & How People Live Together: Education Studies treats schools as major social institutions. You'll examine how education reproduces or challenges inequality, how different societies organise learning, and how communities shape what education can do.

Students who thrive in an Education degree are often motivated by

Teaching and Developing Understanding

You're energised by helping someone else truly understand something. The moment when an explanation clicks, when confusion turns to clarity, gives you a real buzz. Whether it's breaking down a complex idea, coaching someone through a new skill, or finding a different way to explain something that wasn't landing, you're motivated by building understanding in others. You probably already find yourself naturally explaining things to friends or classmates.

Analysing and Investigating

You're energised by making sense of information, looking for evidence, spotting patterns, and piecing together how things connect. Whether it's pulling apart data, questioning assumptions, or tracing a problem back to its source, you find energy in the process of understanding what's really going on. You'd rather dig into the details than accept things at face value.

Curiosity and Learning

You're energised by the activity of learning itself: diving into a subject you've never explored, watching documentaries, taking apart how something works, or constantly asking "why?" The process of learning gives you energy, not just the outcome. You don't just want the answer; you want to understand how things connect, why they matter, and what's underneath the surface explanation.

What makes Education click for the students who love it?

Why does school work for some people and let others down completely? That question sits at the centre of it for them. They are happy coming at it from several directions at once, because no one subject explains learning on its own. Pulling the systems apart is where they light up, working out why a school or a policy gets the results it does. And many of them itch to teach as well: the moment something clicks for another person is the bit that stays with them.

These are the skills that students who love this degree tend to enjoy using. You don't need to be great at them already, but if they sound like you, that's a good sign.

Skill Name

Skills that suit this degree

You don't need to be great at these already — but if you enjoy using them or want to get better at them, that's a good sign.

Do you enjoy thinking about why things are the way they are — questioning systems, asking who they work for, and wondering how they could be better?
Do you care about whether education is fair — and does it bother you when people don't get the same chances because of where they're from or what they need?
Do you like the idea of studying how people learn — using evidence and research to understand what actually works, not just what's assumed to work?

Careers an Education degree could lead you to

Education

What do Education degrees involve?

Example Modules

Common Degree Names

Is this degree right for you?

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Careers an Education degree could lead you to

Example
Modules