Education

Education Studies is an academic discipline that takes the processes of teaching, learning, and schooling as its primary objects of inquiry. It examines education not just as a practical activity but as a social institution, asking how educational systems are structured, how they reflect and reproduce inequalities, what children and young people actually experience in schools, and what the research tells us about how learning works. It is distinct from teacher training, though it provides a strong foundation for routes into teaching, and it equips graduates to engage critically with education policy and practice.

At Goldsmiths, which has a distinctive tradition of socially critical and creative scholarship, this three-year full-time programme reflects the college's broader intellectual values. You will study the philosophy, sociology, history, and psychology of education, alongside educational policy, curriculum theory, and research methods. Questions of inequality, race, gender, and class run through the curriculum, reflecting Goldsmiths's commitment to education that confronts rather than obscures social reality.

The London location and Goldsmiths's diverse community provide a particularly stimulating context for this kind of education scholarship.

Education Studies graduates move into a wide range of careers. Many go on to postgraduate initial teacher training, qualifying as teachers at primary or secondary level through a PGCE or School Direct route. Others work in educational psychology support, learning mentoring, community education, youth work, and the third sector.

Policy research, advocacy, and roles in local authorities and government bodies concerned with education are also established destinations. Postgraduate study in education, educational psychology, or social research is a common route for those who want to develop specialist academic or professional expertise. The critical perspectives developed throughout the degree are widely valued in any role involving policy analysis or public service.