Education, Society and Culture BA
London, Bloomsbury
Education, Society and Culture BA (2024)
This distinctive interdisciplinary programme provides you with the critical tools necessary to examine education, society and culture. You will join the world-leading IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, and learn from academic disciplines including history, philosophy, sociology and psychology. The programme is flexible, allowing you to follow your interests as you gain subject-specific and transferable skills that will support your success in a variety of career paths.
Study mode
Duration
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
Programme starts
September 2025Application deadline
29 Jan 2025UCAS course code
Entry requirements
- Grades
- ABB
- Subjects
- A Social Science, Classics, English Literature and/or Language (not English Language acquisition) or Business Studies preferred.
- GCSEs
- English Language at grade B or 6 and Mathematics at grade C or 4.
Contextual offer information
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Contextual offers are typically one to two grades lower than the standard offer. Grade and subject requirements for contextual offers for this programme will be published in Summer 2024.
- Points
- 34
- Subjects
- A total of 16 points in three higher level subjects, with no higher level score below 5.
Contextual offer
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Contextual offers are typically one to two grade boundaries (equivalent to A levels) lower than the standard offer. IB Diploma grade and subject requirements for contextual offers for this programme will be published in Summer 2024.
UK applicants qualifications
For entry requirements with other UK qualifications accepted by UCL, choose your qualification from the list below:
Equivalent qualification
Pass in Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 30 credits at Distinction, 12 credits at Merit and 3 credits at Pass, all from Level 3 units.
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (QCF) or BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (RQF - teaching from 2016) with Distinction, Distinction, Distinction.
D3,M1,M1 in three Cambridge Pre-U Principal Subjects
ABB at Advanced Highers (or AB at Advanced Higher and BBB at Higher).
T Level Technical Qualification in Education and Childcare (Level 3) with the overall mark of at least Distinction.
Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.
Successful completion of the WBQ Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate plus 2 GCE A levels at grades ABB.
International applications
Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.
Access and widening participation
UCL is committed to widening access to higher education. If you are eligible for Access UCL you do not need to do anything in addition to the standard UCAS application. Your application will be automatically flagged when we receive it.Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates
The Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPC) prepare international students for a UCL undergraduate degree who don’t have the qualifications to enter directly. These intensive one-year foundation courses are taught on our central London campus.
Typical UPC students will be high achievers in a 12-year school system which does not meet the standard required for direct entry to UCL.
For more information see: ucl.ac.uk/upc.
English language requirements
The English language level for this programme is: Level 3
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Information about the evidence required, acceptable qualifications and test providers can be found on our English language requirements page.
A variety of English language programmes are offered at the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education.
Course overview
This is an interdisciplinary degree programme, which is structured to give students a broad set of social science skills which will aid you in becoming educational practitioners, social science researchers and policy makers. Our students are introduced to a variety of theoretical frameworks, and learn how to think about, write about and analyse the ways in which humans develop and flourish throughout their lives across social and cultural contexts and institutions.
The first year of this degree provides an introduction into the degree's core subject disciplines (sociology, psychology, philosophy and history) to explore problems such as globalisation, schooled societies and the cultures of knowledge production through research. As students progress into years two and three of the course, they can either choose modules that maintain this broad subject focus, or instead construct a specialist pathway more closely aligned with their interests and plans for further work and/or study.
As a result, in years one and two, students combine both compulsory and optional modules and have the opportunity to take one of the two placement modules (see below). In year three, students get to choose all of their modules, and have the opportunity to conduct independent research into a specific topic as part of their dissertation with support from an academic supervisor.
Students complete 120 credits per academic year, which are usually divided into eight modules, spread evenly over two teaching terms.
Please note that this degree does not lead to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), but students can apply for a one-year teacher training programme in primary and a limited number of secondary subjects after completing the degree.
What this course will give you
Our students are introduced to a broad set of social science and humanities subjects through which they gain an interdisciplinary toolkit to understand education, society and culture and the ways in which humans develop and flourish throughout their lives.
Students on the programme learn to think about education as a driving force for change relevant to how we think about workplaces, the media, globalisation, migration, politics, social justice and the economy.
Students have a unique opportunity to be taught by, and work alongside, active researchers at IOE, ranked Number 1 in the world for Education for the past ten years (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023).
Our students go on to work in a wide range of careers: our curriculum therefore gives students the space to navigate their own pathway through their degree, choose from a range of teaching and assessment methods, and to specialise within particular subject disciplines if they wish.
Teaching and learning
In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual modules, normally valued at 15 or 30 credits, adding up to a total of 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional modules varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 30-credit module is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
Upon successful completion of 360 credits, you will be awarded a BA (Hons) in Education, Society and Culture.
Modules
Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.
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Our first-year compulsory modules establish a broad-based, globally oriented, interdisciplinary curriculum that will provide you with the skills, perspectives and knowledge needed to succeed in higher education.
In the second and third years, you will combine compulsory and optional modules to pursue your individual goals and interests, and have the opportunity to take part in a placement (year two) and to conduct your own research in an area you are passionate about as part of a dissertation (year three).
As part of your dissertation, you can opt to undertake fieldwork and several of our optional modules involve field trips to local archives, museums and other sites of educational interest.
Our students are introduced to a broad set of social science and humanities subjects through which they gain an interdisciplinary toolkit to understand education, society and culture and the ways in which humans develop and flourish throughout their lives. This programme was ranked in the top three universities for the 'Education' subject area in The Guardian's 'Best UK Universities Ranking ' 2021, 2022 and 2023 (The Guardian University Guide).
Our students go on to work and make an impact in a wide range of careers: our curriculum therefore gives students the space to navigate their own pathway through their degree, choose from a range of teaching and assessment methods, and to specialise within particular subject disciplines or maintain an interdisciplinary outlook if they wish.
We offer a range of study abroad opportunities for our students, subject to availability. These include:
- Student-staff visits to partner universities in Europe
- Opportunities for short-term internships, volunteering and summer schools around the world
- A full-term abroad in Year 3, at one of our European partner universities.
- A full year abroad, at one of our partner universities.
Compulsory modules
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
Optional modules
Your learning
The programme seeks to help each student acquire a common set of intellectual skills and develop their own unique and principled voice for writing and speaking about education. This is achieved through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops, field trips, multimedia sessions, and individual and collective research and community organising projects.
As part of their dissertation option, students can opt to undertake fieldwork, and several of our optional modules involve short pieces of research, field trips to local archives, museums and other sites of interest.
We offer two optional placement modules in year two. Both are intended to give students the chance to combine theoretical, historical and policy-based standpoints with hands-on experience gained working within partner organisations such as schools, community groups, archives, museums, policy institutes, NGOs and organisations based in the voluntary sector. These placement modules help our students to explore the ways in which the academic skills taught on our degree can be applied to complex real-world problems in various sectors, while allowing them to gain valuable ‘real world’ experience and transferable skills to thrive in modern workplaces.
Each module consists of academic-led lectures and seminars, in addition to independent study which might include reading in preparation for lectures and seminars, writing, independent research, group projects, placements, field trips, museum visits, archival work and online tasks. Each module arranges these hours differently.
As an indicative example, a typical week for a student following four modules in one term, might include twelve hours of teaching (4 modules x 3 hours of lectures and seminars), in addition to twenty-eight hours (4 modules x 7 hours) of independent and group-based study, and preparation.
Additionally, there are opportunities to join extra-curricular reading groups, departmental research projects, research seminars, and other events taking place in our department, and across the faculty and university more widely.
Assessment
We use a wide range of assessment methods that are carefully developed across all our programme's modules to develop students' thinking and writing skills. These include argumentative academic essays, journals and portfolios, empirical research assignments, multimedia and creative projects such as podcast, game, website and film making, group discussions and debates, individual and collective presentations, public history projects, and examinations.
Accessibility
Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team.
The foundation of your career
This programme prepares students for a wide range of careers including education and social policy, human rights, government, youth work, international development, user experience, human resources, local and international schools, HE and FE teaching, special educational needs support, heritage and culture and further academic study in specialist subjects across the social sciences and humanities in top institutions in the UK and globally.
We support our students’ transition to work and/or postgraduate study through tailored career events developed in collaboration with UCL Careers.
Employability
In addition to subject knowledge from our four core disciplines, our students develop an interdisciplinary skillset to integrate new knowledge from different fields, and a global mindset to work in diverse teams and settings. They also develop a range of transferable skills in research, leadership, collaboration and teamwork, communication (written, oral and digital) and advocacy that enable them to contribute to contemporary workplaces.
Fees and funding
Fees for this course
| Fee description | Full-time |
|---|---|
| Tuition fees (2024/25) | £9,250 |
| Tuition fees (2024/25) | £31,100 |
The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2024/25 academic year. The UK fees shown are for the first year of the programme at UCL only. Fees for future years may be subject to an inflationary increase. The Overseas fees shown are the fees that will be charged to 2024/25 entrants for each year of study on the programme, unless otherwise indicated below.
Full details of UCL's tuition fees, tuition fee policy and potential increases to fees can be found on the UCL Students website.
Additional costs
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be needed if students pick an optional module that requires this. The exact cost will depend on the setting and type of certificate required and is around £32-£50
Students who take the Year 2 Work Placement module and the Year 2 Educating and Organising for Social Justice module will need to cover transport costs to their placement.
In addition, please note that if you study abroad during your programme at UCL, this is likely to incur additional costs. Studying abroad may cost between £200–£1,000 per month depending on where you choose to study. The cost of studying abroad can be difficult to predict. There is more information available on the UCL Study Abroad website.
A guide including rough estimates for these and other living expenses is included on the UCL Fees and funding pages. If you are concerned by potential additional costs for books, equipment, etc., please get in touch with the relevant departmental contact (details given on this page).
Funding your studies
Various funding options are available, including student loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students whose household income falls below a certain level may also be eligible for a non-repayable bursary or for certain scholarships. Please see the Fees and funding pages for more details.
Scholarships
The Scholarships and Funding website lists scholarships and funding schemes available to UCL students. These may be open to all students, or restricted to specific nationalities, regions or academic department.
Next steps
Your application
We consider all aspects of your UCAS application, valuing compelling personal statements, academic abilities, essay writing experience and commitment to the field of education, culture and society perhaps through voluntary or work experience.
How to apply
Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however, applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.
Selection
For further information on UCL's selection process see: How we assess your application.
We run events for offer holders, usually between March and May, so prospective students can meet the team and experience what it will be like to study with us at IOE.
In some circumstances, we may ask for additional information (for example, samples of written work). We reserve the right to interview applicants.
Got questions? Get in touch
UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.