Course details

Summary

Education is a multidisciplinary field of study with a focus on three core areas: learning, child and adolescent development and health, and social and cultural studies.

Students of Education gain a thorough understanding of human development across the whole lifespan and of teaching and learning processes. A breadth of study takes you from discussion on sociological perspectives and social justice issues in education to the exploration of inclusive education, adult learning, adolescent well-being and more.

Why study Education at UC?

Our intellectually challenging courses are designed to introduce students to in-depth, discipline-based knowledge of the social world as it applies to education. There are three broad streams of educational study offered at UC:

Learning: using the findings of behavioural science, cognitive science and new research into how the brain works, you will address questions such as how we learn, and what the necessary conditions for learning are.

Child and Adolescent Development and Health: explore the theory, concepts and processes of infant, child and adolescent development within multiple contexts. It also considers the impact of health on children and adolescents.

Social and Cultural Studies in Education: examine the broader social context in which educational systems operate, looking at factors such as history, politics, social class, ethnicity, gender, disability and inequality, and their impact on education.

Recommended preparation

No specific secondary school subjects are required as preparation.

Over the three years of your degree, you will gain critical thinking, creative problem solving, and communication skills that employers want. Unique practical experiences such as internships are on offer too.

The Bachelor of Arts requires a minimum total of 360 points:

• at least 255 points from Arts courses
• the remaining 105 points can be from either Arts courses or courses from other degrees.
• A minimum of 225 points must be from courses above 100-level, with at least 90 points at 300-level.

Double Degrees

It is possible to combine an Arts degree with other degrees such as the Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Health Sciences, Bachelor of Laws or Bachelor of Science.

Further study

Students who have completed the Bachelor of Arts (BA) with an average of B or better in Education will be eligible to apply for a number of postgraduate programmes in Education at UC, from honours through to doctoral level.

For graduates interested in a teaching career, the university offers the following initial teacher education programmes: Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Teaching, Graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning (Primary), Graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning (Secondary), Master of Teaching and Learning.

Graduates may also be interested in the Master of Computer-Assisted Language Learning, the Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and the Master of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Career opportunities

Bachelor of Arts graduates with a major in Education have many and varied career opportunities available to them including work in government (particularly in policy), the education sector (public and private), commercial enterprises, social service agencies, health and rehabilitation, museums, counselling and voluntary organisations.

A major in Education can open the door to postgraduate study in research, Counselling, Health Sciences, Child and Family Psychology, and to Teacher Education programmes.

Entry criteria

Admission to UC with University Entrance, or equivalent, is required to enrol for a Bachelor's degree. Applicants must have completed New Zealand University Entrance through NCEA; or Cambridge International Examinations (CIE); or International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) or any other equivalent overseas qualification.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 550 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum C+ grade; CAE or CPE minimum score of 169 with at least 162 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 57 and no PTE communicative skills score below 50.