Introduction
Overview
Choose our Bachelor of Education (Secondary) degree and learn from world-leading academics and outstanding teachers seconded from local schools. This gives you access to cutting-edge practice and research throughout your secondary teaching degree.
Our pioneering approach to professional education gives you time to develop as a secondary school teacher. With our four-year teaching degree, you’ll be able to grow in confidence and critically reflect on your skills. Taking a one-year conversion course to become a teacher doesn’t give you this flexibility.
We enable you to study the practice of teaching (pedagogy) and two specialist subjects simultaneously. So, for example, you could study English and History to degree level alongside teaching.
You’ll gain a research-informed degree, making you well equipped to enter the world of secondary education from the day you graduate. In the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014), our Educational research had the highest quality of research outputs of any Scottish university, with 100% rated either world-leading or internationally excellent.
Top reasons to study with us
#1 We’re Top 5 in Scotland and Top 20 in the UK for Education Studies (The Guardian University Guide 2021)
#2 We give you time to develop your skills as a teacher over four years – instead of a traditional one-year course
#3 100% of our students were employed in a professional or managerial job, six months after leaving this course (UNISTATS, 2016)
Course details
You’ll follow a course of eight semesters (four years), to gain an Honours degree in Professional Education (Secondary). Alternatively, seven semesters (three and a half years) leads to either a General degree or to a Bachelors degree in Professional Education. General degree students may only be able to qualify in one teaching subject.
Semesters 1 – 2
You’ll take the following core modules:
Education: Purposes, Principles and Practice
Education: Learning and Teaching
To give you confidence before going out on teaching placements, you’ll take part in microteaching on campus. This involves teaching small groups of children. Your practical experience starts in Semester 2 with a two-week placement.
Semesters 3 – 6
You’ll take a range of core and advanced modules in Education, including a range of teaching skills in your chosen subjects. You’ll also go on two school placements, each lasting three-to-five weeks, between Semesters 3-4 and 5-6. Physical Education students will take part in an additional four-week placement. During Semester 6, you’ll spend five half-days in schools.
Semesters 7 – 8
Semester 7 includes a ten-week placement, as well as supplementary taught classes.
In Semester 8 you’ll complete an Enquiry into Practice that’s closely related to your placement, as well as doing further study in your teaching subject.
If you’re a student studying Chemistry, Physics or Engineering Technologies at Heriot-Watt, we offer you the opportunity of combining this with a teaching qualification at the University of Stirling. You’ll study your subject at Heriot-Watt, and take your education modules alongside Secondary Education students at Stirling. You’ll follow the same core and advanced Education modules as other Education students, as well as going on the same four, five and 10-week school placements.
Find out more about our STEM Education courses.
Dr Jane Smithson, Course Director+44 (0)1786 467681ite@stir.ac.uk
Fees - 2021/22
Overseas students (non-EU): £ £15,100
Scottish students: £ 1,820
Students from the rest of the UK: £9,250
EU Students: £15,100*
*For EU students starting studies in academic year 2021/22, we will award an automatic scholarship of up to £30k over the duration of your course. This is subject to eligibility criteria
