Education Studies

UCAS code: 4321

Here's what Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh says about its Education Studies course.

Please note this course is only available for Year 3 entry in 2026/7. BA (Hons) Education has replaced this course and is available for years 1 and 2.

Scotland’s newest Education Studies course is an innovative, broad-based social sciences course with an emphasis on wider aspects of education. It is the only one of its kind and it aims to equip you with a variety of skills to prepare you to enter a range of education related professional careers.

Why QMU?

This course offers a forward-looking, evidence-based approach to education studies. The BA/BA (Hons) Hons Education Studies degree is one of suite of Education courses, which, in line with other courses in the Division of Psychology, Sociology and Education are based on: social scientific inquiry, criticality and reflexivity.

This is an intellectually inspiring course that will develop your critical-thinking abilities, hone your research skills and help you take your first step on the career path of your choice.

The course will use the scope and flexibility available to emphasise areas of learning that align with QMU values and the vision of the initial teacher education team at QMU and focus on:

• Learning through the lifespan, community engagement, and sustainability

• Health and Wellbeing;

• Inclusion, marginalisation and poverty;

• Cultural, societal and political contexts;

• Human rights, responsibilities and global citizenship.

On this course you will:

Study contemporary issues in education, psychology and sociology to develop a sound knowledge base of human developmental pathways and the range of factors that affect them. Gain an understanding of how pedagogic theory and knowledge informs educational practice. Develop your academic literacies including digital, data and outdoor literacy. Develop research skills to enable you to develop as an autonomous, critically thinking reflective professional. Learn how to build positive relationships with learners and work alongside other professionals through practical experience in educational and community settings. Learn how to assess individual needs and plan inclusive learning experiences taking account of diversity and difference. Develop in-demand and transferable skills in education and beyond. Be prepared for a variety of careers that involve working closely with adults, children and young people, and help them develop the knowledge they will need to help shape policies and influence laws and legislation concerning positive educational outcomes. Engage in the wider socio-political issues that affect education on every level and how this in turn influences educational outcomes for children, young people and adults. Consider the historical trajectory of educational provision, current trends and the direction of education for the future, both in the UK and overseas. Benefit from both practical and theoretical learning opportunities which enable students to meet the challenges as well as recognise the rewards of working in a wide variety of formal and informal educational settings.

This course offers a fresh, modern and ambitious approach to education studies that is founded in evidence-based research in the social sciences. It offers the chance to develop a thorough understanding of contemporary issues in education, psychology and sociology, and to develop in-demand skills in research and interprofessional working.

At QMU we are committed to widening access to education and we welcome applications from all backgrounds and genders.

You can opt to study for an honours degree over four years or an ordinary degree over three years.

Year One, Introduction to Education Studies in 21st century, Developing Academic Literacies, Introduction to Psychology 1, Learning through the Lifespan, Sustainable Human Behaviour Learning for Sustainability, The Sociological Imagination

Year Two, Creativity, Culture & Learning in 21st Century, Early Childhood Learning in Context, Developmental and Social Psychology OR Individual Differences and Wellbeing, Education, Race and Ethnicity, Society and Sustainable Lifestyles, Engaged Sociology,

Year Three, Inclusive Practice: Difference & Diversity, Social Psychology and Social Justice OR Developmental Psychology, Research Methods, Global Health and International Education, Poverty & Social Exclusion,

Year Four, Dissertation, Peer Relations in Childhood & Adolescence, Leadership in Outdoor Learning, Community-based Education, Inequality, Poverty and Social Policy in Comparative Perspective,

The modules listed here are correct at time of posting (Feb 2024) but may differ slightly to those offered in 2025. Please check back here for any updates.

You’ll learn through lectures, seminars, workshops, enquiry-based learning, student-led activity, independent study, online group tutorials, school experience, and community placements. Assessment methods are varied, including essays, reports, presentations, blogs and audiovisual submissions.