Education and History (Professional Placement Year)

Pursue your passion for History while developing the knowledge, skills and experience you need to become an educator across diverse settings.

• Explore important current themes in Education, such as social justice, inclusion, wellbeing, sustainability, and education policy.

• Become a creative communicator who can confidently speak to different audiences through a variety of media.

• Build skills that employers look for, including research, teamwork, and the ability to understand and interpret complex information.

Are you passionate about changing lives through education?

Our Education and History degree has been designed to enable you to acquire specialised historical knowledge alongside practical and professional skills in Education.

In your Education modules, you’ll develop a portfolio of skills that employers look for, such as creative thinking, taking initiative, networking, and problem solving. You’ll explore these skills through the lens of sustainability, global citizenship and digital literacy, from local and global perspectives.

In your History studies, you’ll become a confident communicator who can sift through the raw materials of history and present your findings in a classroom setting. You’ll learn to adapt your style to suit a range of audiences, from young people in schools to the wider community.

Many of our graduates choose to become teachers in schools, but that's not the only path open to you. We'll support you in achieving your aspirations as a professional educator – however they develop during the degree.

Combined Honour Awards
At Bath Spa University many of our undergraduate programmes can be combined, so you don’t have to limit yourself to one subject. If you choose to study a combined award then in Year One you’ll start by studying both subjects in equal depth. From Year Two you can choose whether to continue with equal numbers of modules from each subject, or whether you want to select additional modules in one or the other. Upon successful completion of the programme you will graduate with a joint degree.

More about the Professional Placement Year
A Professional Placement Year (PPY), traditionally known as a sandwich year, is where you undertake a period of work with an external organisation for between 9-13 months. The placement occurs between your second and final years of undergraduate study. You can engage in multiple placements to make up the total time and are required to source the placement(s) yourself, with support from the Careers team.

<strong>Year one</strong>
The first year introduces key concepts and skills that underpin the study of education. You'll be introduced to formal and informal education and explore the potential of education to transform lives. Key themes include wellbeing, global citizenship and the impact of research.

<strong>Year two</strong>
In your second year, you'll continue to gain practical and academic History skills.

You’ll be introduced to the key ideas and theories needed to understand contemporary educational issues. You’ll learn about education policy and its role on a local and global scale. You’ll also evaluate how education contributes to achieving change in the workplace. You’ll explore global citizenship and wellbeing in more depth, and you’ll have the opportunity to explore sustainable development. Depending on your choice of modules, you can undertake an education placement in your second year.

<strong>Year three</strong>
This is your Professional Placement Year.

<strong>Year four</strong>
You’ll develop a deeper understanding of a professional career in education and education’s role in sustainable development. Your dissertation in either Education or History will complete your studies. If you choose to focus on Education, you’ll get the chance to use your research to help solve real-world problems with our industry partners.

If you’re interested in a teaching career, and you’re on target to successfully complete your degree, we offer a guaranteed interview for our Primary or Secondary PGCE courses in your final year.

You'll be assessed through various tasks and coursework including written assignments, creative projects, practical assessments and presentations. There are no exams on this course.

We’ll provide regular guidance on how to improve your skills, knowledge and understanding so that you can enter the workplace with confidence.

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

• Course does not award QTS