Welsh and Education

Welsh and education is a combination that speaks directly to one of the most important questions in Welsh public life: how the language is transmitted, taught, and sustained across generations. Welsh has experienced a remarkable revival over recent decades, driven in large part by the education system, from Welsh-medium primary schools to bilingual secondary provision and the growth of Welsh as a subject and a medium of instruction at every level. Studying Welsh alongside education gives you both a deep engagement with the language itself and an understanding of the pedagogical, policy, and social frameworks that shape how it is learned and taught.

At Cardiff University you will study this three-year full-time degree, with a typical entry tariff of 136 points. The Welsh component of the programme will develop your linguistic competence, taking you from wherever you enter to a high level of proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking the language, while also engaging you with Welsh literature, culture, and the social context in which the language lives. The education component introduces you to the theory and practice of teaching and learning, covering topics such as curriculum design, child development, educational psychology, policy analysis, and the sociology of education.

Together the two strands equip you to think critically about how Welsh is taught and how Welsh-medium education works in practice.

Graduates from this programme are exceptionally well placed for careers in Welsh-medium and bilingual education, both as teachers and as educational professionals in schools, local authorities, and the Welsh Government. Translation, language planning, broadcasting in Welsh, and work with bodies such as the Welsh Language Commissioner are also career paths. Many graduates go on to postgraduate teacher training, either through the PGCE or School Direct routes, to qualify as teachers.

Others pursue further study in linguistics, education policy, Welsh studies, or Celtic languages.