Education
Interested in primary teaching? This degree seamlessly feeds into our PGCE primary teaching pathway. But allows flexibility to other careers working with children.
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UCAS Code
X300
Start Date
September 2027
Location
Newport
Campus Code
C
UCAS Points
104
UCAS Code
X300
Start Date
September 2026
Location
Newport
Campus Code
C
UCAS Points
104
Fees
Home students: £9,790*
International students: £17,200*
Course Overview
Our education course goes beyond typical degrees by equipping you with the skills to influence a child's development well beyond the classroom.
If you are planning to pursue a one-year PGCE, our curriculum includes three diverse placements that build a solid foundation for your teaching career. We guarantee you an interview onto the PGCE Primary studies course where you will be supported by staff who know you well from your undergraduate degree.
Why study this course?
What you'll study
An introduction to how children learn and how best to teach them. Explore child development, digital competence, and curriculum creativity.
Your primary school placement involves supporting teachers and children. Welsh language and cultural identity are taught to support learners in the classroom.
Includes a 7-week primary school placement, focusing on essential school skills, Welsh Language Development, and resources for teaching Welsh in the classroom.
Dive into research, learn several types of methodology, explore ethical considerations, source selection, critical reading and academic writing.
Learn the knowledge and underlying concepts of child development theory, covering social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth through policy and practice.
A practical hands on module which introduces the Curriculum for Wales and helps you develop the knowledge and skills to plan authentic, creative learning experiences in the classroom.
You will cover skills and knowledge required to support learning across all settings such as teaching creatively, and the personal skills needed in the workplace.
Placements are in settings beyond schools, like Additional Learning Needs schools, museums, and a variety of sports facilities.
Enhance skills and knowledge for alternative educational settings, emphasising effective communication. Welsh language and culture are included in these settings.
Explore how early intervention impacts the future health and wellbeing of children and families and investigate theorists who emphasise its importance for individuals and society as well as considering the importance of self-care whist working in education.
Study how learning through play, indoors and outdoors, supports young people's physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development.
Introduces research methods for planning an independent enquiry whilst developing critical, analytical, and evaluative research skills.
We focus on future skills like leadership and sustainability. Plus, you will dive into a research project based on your placement experiences.
You will build your digital skills through hands-on projects and tech integration. Choose placements that align with your interests, including overseas options.
Develop skills, knowledge, and understanding in an educational setting of your choice, including overseas school settings.
Get to grips with national and international policies on sustainability and citizenship and see how they shape education and society.
Develop an understanding of the role of leadership in education contexts whilst also focusing on your personal and professional growth.
Fine-tune your research skills, enabling you to conduct an independent research project and present your findings in an academic format.
We regularly review our courses to keep pace with changing skills and employer needs. If a review leads to significant changes, we’ll contact you to explain what’s changing for the coming year.
Teaching and Assessment
Learning is delivered on our Newport campus in the heart of the city, and sessions are led by dedicated academic staff with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
Our classrooms and practical spaces are designed for small-group work and engaging discussions, providing hands-on learning. There are no exams. Assessments take different forms, offering opportunities to demonstrate your skills through essays, presentations, portfolios, and the creation of educational resources.
On this course, you won’t sit traditional exams. Instead, you’ll be assessed in a variety of engaging and practical ways that reflect how you’ll actually work in educational settings.
During your placement, you’ll build a portfolio that captures your progress and achievements in a real-world environment. You’ll be fully supported throughout by a dedicated member of the Education team and your placement mentor, helping you develop confidence and succeed in your studies.
Wildlife trusts, behavioural units, music therapy, cricket clubs… the list of where our students gain valuable experience goes on, even overseas. This mix helps you discover your strengths and interests and opens your eyes to new opportunities available to Education graduates. You will spend seven weeks on placement each year, alternating between university and work to reflect and strengthen your development. Year 1 will be in a primary school, so you understand the curriculum for Wales. Year 2 will be in an educational setting outside mainstream schools. Year 3 is your choice, and we work closely with you to organise a placement which suits your needs and interest. You can even opt for a three-week international placement.
Our modern spaces are equipped with state-of-the-art technology and resources, ideal for interactive learning and teaching. You will have access to innovative tools for practising augmented and virtual reality methods. Experience real-life classroom environments in specialised rooms helping you get practical experience in a safe setting. You will use our dance studio to support physical literacy and circle time activities amongst others. Our libraries are packed with resources on education theory, child development, and teaching practices, helping you get the most out of your studies.
Course Leader
Philippa Watkins
Philippa is the Course Leader for the BA Education programme. She began her career as a secondary school English teacher, working in several schools and serving as Head of English for four years before moving into higher education. She has a keen interest in storytelling and creativity and has contributed to research that has explored and evaluated how both can be used to facilitate effective learning and wellbeing. She brings her classroom expertise into her teaching, using creative approaches to support, inspire, and enhance student learning.
Entry Requirements
Additional requirements include:
GCSEs: The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration maybe given to individual circumstances.
An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check on the Child Workforce and Child Barring List and subscription to the DBS Update Service is required. (Overseas equivalent required for non-uk applicants).
Contextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.
USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.
How to applyContextual admissions policyAsk us a question104 UCAS points or above
Typical qualification requirements
A Level:
BCC to exclude General Studies
Welsh BACC:
Pass the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma with Grade B in the Skills Challenge Certificate and CC at A Level to exclude General Studies
BTEC:
BTEC Extended Diploma Distinction Merit Merit
Access to HE:
Passing the Access to HE Diploma and obtain a minimum of 104 UCAS tariff points.
T Level:
Pass (C and above)
International applications welcomed:
We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.
International studentsPre-Sessional EnglishEnglish language requirements
International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 4 overall and a minimum of 4 in each component or equivalent.
Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.
If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.
If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.
Fees and Funding
per year
Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).
*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.
Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy. We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
iPad/Laptop
Students will need to purchase an iPad to access the course. Options for purchasing an iPad will be available through the University if required
Cost: Up to £465
per year
Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).
*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.
Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy. We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
iPad/Laptop
Students will need to purchase an iPad to access the course. Options for purchasing an iPad will be available through the University if required
Cost: Up to £465
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How to apply
All applications for full-time undergraduate courses or foundation degrees should be made via UCAS. Take the next step: Apply through UCAS
You can apply to us directly for all part-time undergraduate courses, if you’re seeking advanced entry or you’re an international student. To apply directly, please choose the application form below for your preferred start date and mode of study (full-time or part-time).
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Apply direct
Education
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Full-time, 3 years
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September
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Newport
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Apply direct
Education
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Full-time, 3 years
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September
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Newport
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If you already have a relevant qualification or experience related to the course you're applying for, you may be eligible to start at a later stage of the course. For example, students from partner colleges can ‘top up’ their qualifications to a degree by joining us in Year Two or Year Three of a course. This process is known as ‘advanced entry’, you can apply directly to the University for 'advanced entry' using the application forms provided above.
Applicants accepted through advanced entry may study a different combination of modules to those advertised, as they will be joining a course already in progress. You will be contacted and advised about these modules once your application has been processed and an offer made.
International applicants can apply to us directly. If the University has an in-country team in your region, your application will be assigned to them for assistance.
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