English and Education Studies

English and education studies is a combination that develops both the analytical and communicative capacities central to literary study and the broader intellectual frameworks for understanding how learning, teaching, and educational institutions work. English provides rigorous training in the close reading of texts, the construction of arguments from evidence, and the written communication skills that are foundational to many careers. Education studies examines how educational systems are organised, how learning happens, how culture and society shape what schools do, and what the purposes of education are or ought to be.

At Derby this three-year full-time programme offers an exciting, diverse, and challenging approach to English that goes beyond the close analysis of literature to consider the situations in which literature is produced and read. You will encounter the intellectual and cultural history of art, film, philosophy, linguistics, and sociology, as well as contemporary cultural politics, developing a broad and contextually rich understanding of literature and its place in culture. The education studies component develops your understanding of educational policy, pedagogy, psychology of learning, and the social and cultural dimensions of educational experience.

A sandwich year provides the opportunity to spend a full year in a professional environment, and work placements are integrated throughout the degree. These features are particularly valuable for students considering careers in teaching or education-related roles, where the combination of strong English skills and understanding of education is directly relevant.

Graduates move into careers in teaching (typically following a PGCE), educational support, publishing, journalism, content creation, arts and cultural organisations, and a wide range of other roles where strong communication and analytical skills are valued alongside an understanding of educational contexts.