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

Start Date

September 2027

Location

Campus Code

UCAS Points

International students: £17,600*

September 2026

Home students: £9,790*

International students: £17,200*

In this section

* Overview

* Course Content

* Teaching and Assessment

* Career Prospects

* Entry and Fees

How to apply Register for open day

## 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?

### Diverse placements

Year 1: Primary school. Year 2: Beyond the classroom. Year 3: Pick your ideal placement.

### Crafting careers

Enhance your understanding of the Curriculum for Wales, boost career prospects, and prepare for teaching success.

### Cutting-edge learning

Digital competencies are embedded throughout to stay ahead with the latest educational tools and techniques.

### Explore your interests

Build and refine your research skills, culminating in a final project to explore a topic of your interest.

### Outstanding Graduate Outcomes

99% of USW Education graduates are in Employment and/or Further Study 15 months after graduation (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2022/23)

## What you'll study

[Button: Year One][Button: Year Two][Button: Year Three]

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.

## Professional Practice 1

Includes a 7-week primary school placement, focusing on essential school skills, Welsh Language Development, and resources for teaching Welsh in the classroom.

## Introduction to Research Strategies

## Child of the World

Learn the knowledge and underlying concepts of child development theory, covering social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth through policy and practice.

## Creative Curriculum

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.

## Professional Practice 2

Enhance skills and knowledge for alternative educational settings, emphasising effective communication. Welsh language and culture are included in these settings.

## Health and Happiness

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.

## Creative Learning

Study how learning through play, indoors and outdoors, supports young people's physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development.

## Education Research Journey

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.

## Professional Practice 3

Develop skills, knowledge, and understanding in an educational setting of your choice, including overseas school settings.

## Global Citizenship

Get to grips with national and international policies on sustainability and citizenship and see how they shape education and society.

## Effective Leadership

Develop an understanding of the role of leadership in education contexts whilst also focusing on your personal and professional growth.

## Education Research Delivery

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)

## [Button: How you’ll learn ]

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.

## [Button: How you'll be assessed ]

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.

## [Button: Placements ]

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.

## [Button: Facilities ]

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.

Email Philippa

## Career Prospects

For those passionate about nurturing young people beyond just the classroom, this course offers excellent career prospects in the wide field of education, which includes museums and other education facilities as well as schools and colleges.

### Your future career

Our degree provides you with skills, knowledge, and hands-on experience to begin a rewarding career outside traditional classroom settings, positively impacting children's lives of all ages. Potential career paths include:

Primary School Teacher

Education Officer

School Support

Early Years Support

Youth Worker

99% of USW Education graduates are in Employment and/or Further Study 15 months after graduation

(Graduate Outcomes Survey 2022/23)

### Salary Expectations

An Education degree can open opportunities across Teaching and the wider Education sector. Education and Teaching careers offer strong earning potential:

Median wage

UK: £34.9k per annum

Wales: £35.5k per annum

Total jobs in 2025

UK: 2.30m

Wales: 108,258

### Strong Partnerships

You’ll benefit from our strong partnerships with schools and a wide range of organisations, opening the door to exciting, hands-on placements. From classrooms and cultural venues to charities and businesses, you’ll gain real-world experience in diverse settings. You could even take your learning global, with final-year placement opportunities in destinations like Maastricht, Prague, Finland, Budapest, and Qatar.

## 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 apply Contextual admissions policy Ask us a question

104 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 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 students Pre-Sessional English

### English 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

UK Full-Time Fee £ 9,790

per year

Fees and funding Scholarships and bursaries Cost of living support

## [Button: Further information ]

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.

## [Button: Additional costs ]

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

International Full-Time Fee £ 17,200

## What sets us apart?

Education at USW is top in Wales for student satisfaction.

Complete University Guide 2027

Top university in Wales and 24th out of 123 universities in the UK.

Guardian University Guide 2027

Image: Three USW students walking outside of Cardiff Campus - Atrium

10 subjects ranked in the Guardian University Guide 2027 Top 10, including two at #1.

Image: Three students studying in a pod in the library at Cardiff campus

Top in Wales for new business startups for the 6th consecutive year, and 7th in the UK. (HEBCIS)

## 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).

* ### Education

* Full-time, 3 years

* September

* Newport

Apply direct

## Advanced entry

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 admissions

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.

* Learn more

* Application toolkit

## Ready to apply?

* Apply via UCAS

* How to apply

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