Education, Learning and Teaching

Education, learning and teaching is a subject that asks fundamental questions about how people acquire knowledge, develop skills, and grow as learners, and what the roles of teachers, institutions, and society are in supporting that process. It draws on psychology, sociology, philosophy, and policy studies to examine what education is for, how it works, and where it falls short. This is not a teacher training programme, but it provides an excellent intellectual foundation for anyone who wants to understand education at depth, whether in preparation for a teaching career or for work in education policy, research, or leadership.

This three-year full-time programme at the University of East Anglia develops your understanding of theories of learning and development, the sociology of educational inequality, the history and politics of educational policy, pedagogy and curriculum, and the lived experience of learning in diverse educational settings. With a typical tariff of 136 points, the programme attracts students who are intellectually curious about education and willing to engage critically with taken-for-granted assumptions about what schools are for and how they should work. UEA has a strong education faculty with research connections that inform the teaching across the programme.

You will develop close reading, analytical writing, and research skills alongside a deep understanding of how educational institutions, policies, and practices shape the opportunities available to different groups of children and adults. The ability to think critically about systems and to communicate clearly about complex social and institutional questions is valued across a wide range of professional contexts.

Graduates from education, learning and teaching programmes move into careers in teaching (via further professional qualification), education research, school leadership, education policy, charity and third sector work focused on learning and disadvantage, educational publishing, and youth work. Many continue to postgraduate study in education, and others move directly into professional training routes in teaching or educational psychology.