Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Education (Primary)

at University of Stirling United Kingdom

If you’re contemplating a future in the world of international politics, you’ll need to understand issues of power, alliances, conflict and peace on a global scale.

The University of Stirling will help you build a confident and well-rounded knowledge of all these issues and more – from the decision-making processes of influential organisations, through to the question of how international society is shaped. You’ll be learning in a research-led environment, where the latest political events are dissected by recognised experts. You’ll also benefit from our career-focused approach, which enables you to pick up the practical and analytical skills employers are looking for.

To further enhance your international outlook, you’ll have a chance to spend a semester abroad studying International Politics at one of our partner institutions. You can also combine International Politics with French or Spanish to add another valuable facet to everything you’re leaning.

Guest lecturers give you real insights into the professional applications of an International Politics degree. Our alumni include a former Secretary of State for Defence and Member of Parliament, and there really is no limit to where in the world a degree in International Politics can take you.

Our Masters in Education is designed for established educationalists, aiming to advance their understanding of education, as well as those looking to convert their career to this field.

The University of Stirling has a strong reputation for the study of Education and we hold expertise in Digital Pedagogies, Leadership and Curriculum. Throughout this course, international scholarly perspectives are incorporated within learning and teaching, including blended learning and the inclusion of multilingual and translanguaging pedagogical practices.

The course will give you the opportunity to specialise in some of the most important fields in education: digital pedagogies, curriculum and leadership. You’ll be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to make identifiable contributions to public and private education spaces, including international government, research and practice.

You will study a compulsory diet of education philosophy, social justice, and policy, alongside research methods in the social sciences. You will also choose a modular pathway in either digital education, curriculum or leadership, or a combination of two modules from these pathways, completing your studies with a dissertation in a related topic of your choice.

The quality learning experiences offered by the MSc in Education are underpinned by international scholarly perspectives and approaches that enable you to facilitate and assimilate knowledge via your own and others’ cultural lenses and language practices.

The Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication at the University of Stirling is a world-leading centre for postgraduate publishing studies, offering a comprehensive and coherent approach to all forms of publishing.

You’ll develop expert knowledge of the entire publishing process in both print and digital environments – from planning, editing and production, to marketing and publication management. We update the content of this course every year to reflect the rapid changes that transform the industry, so you’ll graduate with cutting-edge skills and knowledge of current publishing industry practice and standards.

This course is demanding, stimulating and enjoyable – which is why many publishers now consider it equivalent to a year’s worth of experience at a publishing company. Our graduates occupy senior positions in both commercial and not-for-profit publication organisations across the world.

We have excellent links with publishing businesses, and a finger on the pulse of the industry and its changing needs. That means our teaching team will equip you with all the intellectual and practical qualities needed for a successful working life in publishing and related organisations.

Marine Biology is the study of specialised plants and animals and how they’ve adapted to the challenges of living in a marine environment. It’s also concerned with the impact human activity has on the health of the oceans and their sustainable management, directly addressing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life below Water.

Our course is truly multi-disciplinary. It draws on other Biology disciplines, including Ecology and the physical and environmental sciences, to understand a habitat that covers around 71 per cent of the earth’s surface.

We teach you the dynamics of aquatic systems and the biology of their organisms. You’ll learn about the science of diving and other underwater techniques. Our mix of practical work, fieldwork and research projects will ensure that you’ll be ready for your career working with the oceans.

Why do we behave the way we do, and what drives our behaviour? If you’re interested in the mind, and in human (as well as animal) behaviour, then Psychology is for you.

Our award-winning Psychology course sits at the cutting edge of inter-disciplinary scientific research. We focus on important societal problems such as detection of criminals and improvement of health outcomes. After introducing Psychology to you as a biological and social science, we’ll cover topics as diverse as brain functioning, child development, and social behaviour.

Choose a Bachelor of Education (Primary) at the University of Stirling, and we’ll equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills to start a career in one of the most rewarding professions.

We’ll prepare you to teach across the whole curriculum and primary age range, and also enable you to develop a specialism in a particular area. You can choose from these subject specialisms:

• Early Years
• The Environment
• Modern Languages
• Inclusive Practice
• Literacy
• Numeracy

You’ll be taught by world-leading academics and outstanding teachers who have strong partnerships with local schools. This ensures you can access cutting-edge practice and research throughout your primary teaching degree. Our pioneering approach of studying education with a subject specialism, gives you the time to excel in teaching, critically reflect and grow in confidence.

Our Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) degree course was the first of its kind in Scotland, and combines three complementary subjects that give you a unique perspective on how the world works.  

If you’re intellectually curious and passionate about understanding the complex challenges facing modern societies and economies, our PPE course is made for you. As you study, you’ll gain a broad insight into what makes the world tick, and also explore the big ideas that have helped shape Western society.

The course brings together highly-regarded teaching staff from across our faculties. You’ll benefit from the industry insights of our multi-accredited Stirling Management School – which ranks among the top 25 in the UK for Business and Management (REF 2014). You’ll also learn from experts in Politics and Philosophy from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, who will help to ensure you graduate with a comprehensive understanding of the complexities of intellectual ideas, politics and business.

This course offers Spanish for all – from complete beginners to advanced speakers – and equips you to read, write and speak the language on an advanced level appropriate for the demands of today’s job market. You will also have the chance to acquire a critical awareness of the societies and cultures of Spain and Latin America, as well as transferrable skills that can be applied in a number of professional and academic settings.

In order to truly immerse yourself in Spanish and Latin American culture, you will spend an extended period studying abroad in Spain, Mexico, Chile or Argentina. This opportunity to refine your language skills will be enhanced by the research-led teaching you will enjoy in Stirling.

If you would like to explore multiple subjects, Spanish and Latin American Studies can be combined with a number of other courses. From Education or Business Studies to Law and Journalism, each combination is designed to help you work towards your vision for the future right from the outset of your studies.

If you really want to understand the modern world, it’s essential to unlock the patterns of the past. History courses can help you do exactly that – and here at the University of Stirling, we take an innovative approach to guiding you through the major events and periods that have shaped us all.

Our History degree will equip you with a wide range of intellectual and personal skills. You’ll gain an awareness of how different societies across the world have changed over time, by exploring areas such as Scottish, British, European, American and African history. You’ll also engage with different types of history, including political, social, cultural, gender, race, computer and environmental.

History lecturers and staff at Stirling are leaders in their field. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework assessment, 98% of our research in history was classed as world-leading or internationally excellent. That expertise and passion feeds into every aspect of your course to ensure you reach your final year of study functioning as a fully-fledged historian in your own right. Along the way, you’ll enjoy the freedom to not only focus in on specialty areas of history that interest you most, but also to combine your studies with one of 16 other subjects that broaden your professional possibilities – from journalism to teaching, politics and sociology.

Our Psychological Research Methods course combines training in psychological theory with practical skills development - a modern approach to studying mind and behaviour preparing you for a future career in psychology. You’ll gain a thorough introduction to quantitative and qualitative research, the analysis and interpretation of data, and a critical, sceptical approach to psychological science.

The unique feature of this course is flexibility - you’re free to investigate a wide range of topics across the discipline while maintaining a high standard of training. This encourages an understanding of different methods and perspectives within the field of Psychology helping you make choices which will benefit your future career.

There are a number of degree pathways available:

• Child Development
• Cognition and Neuropsychology
• Evolutionary Psychology

Opportunities for practical hands-on skills development are built in, ranging from low-tech observational assessment to high-tech eye-tracking. You’ll carry out a work placement, typically in an external company, charity or third sector organisation. This provides you with a fantastic opportunity to develop relevant work-based employment skills, and to develop a network of contacts relevant to your future career goals. Students benefit hugely from this experience, combining skills and experience with personal and professional development.

You’ll be based in a dedicated MSc office, or within an appropriate research group, and allocated a peer mentor. You’ll also have an academic supervisor in Psychology who supports and guides your development, including your research dissertation project.