Education/History

Education in BA/BSc - Combined Award

Education Studies is one of the fastest growing subjects in universities today. The subject at Bath Spa was one of the first to be developed and is now nationally recognised for its exciting and innovative approach to Education. We are one of the largest providers in Education in the country with other 600 students and so we can offer a very wide choice of study. The study of Education at Bath Spa has a high quality rating from the Quality Assurance Agency.

You can take Education in the Combined Awards Degree alongside a second subject of your choice and you can take it as a major, joint or minor award depending on your interests.

Career Opportunities

Education Studies itself is not a teacher training course, but it will prepare you very well for entry to a PGCE teacher training programme, either primary or secondary. It helps you with knowledge of the curriculum, schools and teaching and education policy. It will also give you a broad and critical analysis of the education system and how it works. All this is good for future teachers and you will be better informed with a background in education.

Alternatively, if you don't want to be a teacher, studying education will prepare you for one of the many alternative careers in education. Many companies and organisations now want people who know about education, schools and universities and offer posts such as, education officer, education adviser, educational researcher. There are also many opportunities for posts in various kinds of training which do not require qualified teacher status.

In addition, studying education will give you a range of skills which will equip you for a wide range of careers. You will be able to organise and manage groups, work in professional situations and negotiate and liaise with people, present information in written and oral form, analyse situations and handle data.

The University College offers a Masters Degree in Education Studies and you may be interested in applying for that course at the end of your undergraduate studies.

History - Combined Award

Is this subject right for me?

History at Bath Spa offers the opportunity of a thought-provoking experience in historical study, as well as an opportunity to explore a diverse range of sources, periods and themes, ranging from the medieval to the modern world.

Our modules are designed to enable you to select and explore those aspects of history that most interest you as well as acquiring knowledge and understanding of history as a scholarly discipline. It will also help to develop a wide variety of skills that will be useful in your future working life.

Each year we offer a wide range of modules is offered in terms of periods, places and persons in history, and different kinds of history (social, religious, political, cultural, local, women's, literary, etc.) Teaching is by lectures, seminars and workshops in which you are encouraged to develop your own skills, either individually or in small groups.

In the second and third year you can choose from a range of more detailed and specific modules offered in each semester. Overseas study trips and exchange programmes may also be available.

In today's world, history remains the most challenging of subjects. Its ability to deal with profound questions and to provide many answers can help in the understanding of people's lives, beliefs and problems in the present day.

What sort of programme will I be on?

Students may study History as a joint, major or minor subject in combination with a range of other subjects.

Through Bath Spa's Wessex partnerships, students can also study selected first year History modules at Weymouth College of Further Education; Bridgwater College of Further Education; City of Bristol College of Further Education; and Cirencester College of Further Education. On successful completion of their first year, Wessex partnership students transfer to Bath Spa University College. All students are registered Bath Spa University College students throughout their course.

Students are able to transfer between awards and routes according to their academic performance and the requirements of the various awards and programmes they wish to follow. A full-time student normally studies six modules each year (120 credits). All History modules have a value of 20 credits.

Career prospects

History is an organised discipline, which not only cultivates independent thinking, but practical and transferable skills which employers find very important. As a result History students find employment in a wide variety of careers, from teaching and environmental work to public service of all kinds and in finance, retailing, the media and related activities. There are also opportunities to undertake postgraduate work at Masters and Doctorate level within the School.

Objectives

Subject aims

The strength Bath Spa's provision in Education is the breadth of the study which is offered. We believe that education is a powerful force for change in the world and our approach is a global one. We look at learning and development in individuals, schools and classrooms, but we also examine the big issues: What is education for? How can it make a better world? How can it enhance human rights? Does education relate to the economy?

When you have studied Education you will understand how the education system works and the politics of education; who takes decisions about the curriculum and what we learn. You will have a grasp of the social context of education and how poverty affects children's opportunities to learn and the effects of gender, race and ethnicity.

If you are interested in the development of young children, there is a strong Early Years team and you can choose Early Years modules.

Education is about learning and knowledge and you can study the nature of knowledge in the curriculum and how it is learned at different ages and in different situations.

Education is for the future and you can study alternative futures for education and for the world: how can education help us to have a sustainable future on the planet.

Teachers are the key to all this and you get the chance to study the work of teachers and children's learning in placements in educational settings.