
Three Points that makes BSc Education Stand Out at the University of Manchester
Are you passionate about education and eager to make a difference in the world? The BSc Education program at the University of Manchester offers a unique and dynamic approach to studying education. As a final student who is about to graduate, here are my three standout points that make this program an exceptional choice!
Student-Led Program: BSc Undergraduate Education Research Conference
One of the highlights of this program is the annual BSc Undergraduate Education Research Conference, which is an academic event led by students for students. At this conference, students are encouraged to participate more than just as presenters, but also as organisers or even researchers. Specifically, students can choose what roles they want to evolve, including designing the poster for the conference, ordering merchandise, advertising, and so on.
On the conference day, it is part of Y2’s course assessment to showcase an academic poster presentation and Y3’s dissertation discussion. Anyone interested in educational research is welcome to join, even if you are a first year or outside of this programme! An evaluation was conducted after the conference to consider improvements for next year. As one of the team members, I participated in a focus group interview to reflect on what role student partnership plays through this academic event. Some senior students who led the event before also expressed their opinions in this published blog: https://blogs.manchester.ac.uk/itl/2024/02/16/the-role-of-student-partnership-in-creating-a-sense-of-belonging-the-case-of-the-undergraduate-education-research-conference/.
Employability Support: Choices from Three Specialist Pathways
Another key feature of this program is students can decide how they want their degree to look like. This program provides three specialist pathways, which are primary/early years education, international education, and special needs in education, enabling students to focus on their studies on a particular career path. These pathways are open in the second year with fixed optional modules and a final-year dissertation topic. Also, when students graduate, they will get a degree certificate with “BSc Education (one of three pathways)”.
This would be greatly useful for graduates’ employability since each pathway is complemented by combined theoretical and practical career support. For example, a student who chooses the primary education pathway will not only learn teaching and learning theories but also gain practical experiences from field trips in early years settings. However, apart from specific pathways, if students want to explore broadly in education related to sociology, psychology, and critical policy analysis, they can tailor optional courses instead and graduate with just a “BSc Education”.
Scientific Degree: BSc rather than a BA
The final standout point of this program comes from a “BSc” rather than a “BA”. Unlike a BA degree, the BSc Education program emphasizes scientific and research-based learning. Research-based lessons are delivered by educators, for example, they would choose a topic from carrying on research to uncover education issues. This scientific approach, which comes from real people in the real world also gives students expectations to do so. Starting from Y1 to Y3, students need to attend compulsory modules like “Developing Academic Writing and Digital Study Skills”, “Understanding Research”, “Planning for an Education Research Project with Placement”, and the final “Dissertation BSc (Hons) Education”. This learning through the research process allows students to develop skills related to collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing information, which are invaluable for roles requiring analytical and problem-solving expertise.
If you’re ready to embark on a transformative journey in education, the BSc Education program at the University of Manchester is definitely a great choice.
Written by Keyi, a current BSc Education student.
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