Education with Placement Year

Education studies is an academic discipline that examines how learning happens, how educational systems are organised and governed, and what the purposes of education are in a pluralistic society. It is not the same as teacher training, though it shares much common ground: education studies takes a broad and critical perspective on education as a social, cultural, political and psychological phenomenon, preparing graduates for a range of professional roles in and around education rather than solely for classroom teaching. A placement year deepens that preparation by giving you direct experience in an educational or related setting.

At Brunel University London this four-year programme combines academic study in education with professional practice through a placement year, giving you a pathway into a range of education professions as well as a foundation for postgraduate professional study including teacher training. You will study child development, educational policy, the sociology of education, curriculum theory, psychology of learning, inclusion and special educational needs, and the international dimensions of education systems. The placement year provides sustained professional experience that contextualises your academic learning and develops the practical competence that education employers value.

Graduates of education studies with a placement year are well placed for careers in schools and education settings (often progressing to teacher training), youth work, educational administration and management, learning and development in corporate and public sector contexts, the charity and voluntary sector, educational publishing, policy research, and roles in organisations concerned with children, young people and families. Many graduates go on to postgraduate initial teacher training through PGCE, School Direct, or related routes to qualify as teachers at primary or secondary level. Others pursue postgraduate study in education, educational psychology, social work, or public policy, developing their expertise in a particular area of educational theory or practice.