Life after university – discover your future pathway
A BA (Hons) Education degree can open many doors. Learn about your possible progression and career
One of the biggest questions for people is what can I do with this degree, where might it take me?
It is understandable that it can feel more certain and secure to know a given pathway ahead before setting out on a journey. Our experience of the BA (Hons) Education has shown us that students often enter wishing to be Primary School teachers and many go on to have very successful careers. However, at least half of any cohort enters the degree daring to risk not knowing for sure what is ahead but trusting this course will help them to find where their heart, abilities, and preferred possibilities lie.
Dr Emma Macleod-Johnstone, Programme Lead
Here are just some of the directions our alumni have taken:
- PGCE Primary and working in schools – both in this country and abroad in Kuwait, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Korea, China, Belgium, South Africa.
- PGCE Post Compulsory Education and Training – working in learner and learning support.
- Social work – working on helping intergenerational learning in families, etc.
- Youth and community workers.
- Working for the NHS as education mental health practitioners.
- Education officers for Local Education Authorities, national organisations such as the National Trust, etc.
- Continuing in Higher Education to pursue research degrees: Masters; PhD and EdD programmes to become lecturers and research fellows
- Moving into different types of ‘education’ and learning support work, such as occupational therapy, art therapy and educational psychology.
- Higher learning teaching assistants specialising in SEN work.
- Different types of care work and therapy directions, such as training as Counsellors.
- Managers in the third sector working as charity officials or education liaison workers.
Graduate insights
Katherine Gulliver
Inspiring a career in inclusive education
“The BA Education has literally changed my life. It gave me the starting point, as I sat in the classroom at the start of the inclusive education module, and also a general idea of the different ways you can work in education, and the in-depth research you can do.”
Jasmin Hammond-Hart
Youth and Community Groups Worker
"I experienced a deeper learning on the BA Education than I could have imagined. We explored and researched educational institutions, disabilities, learning environments, professional practice, safeguarding and much more, but I also learned so much about ‘people’! This course gave me the opportunity to learn about myself as a person, how people are motivated, the complexities of wellbeing and life for all individuals as they learn throughout life, from compulsory education and adulthood. The Education course is not for those who wish to stay ignorant, it covers some serious and shocking topics and it will influence you for the rest of your life, but if you are intrigued by people, motivated by social learning environments and would like to have such diverse knowledge you are sure to always have something interesting to say at dinner parties, then this is the course to take!"
Annual education futures event
Every year we organise an ‘Advent Tea’ education futures event towards the end of November and beginning of December. Any excuse for students to help set up and create Santa’s Grotto!
It is primarily for our third year students but second years are invited as well in order to enjoy a space to mix and meet, as well as to listen to a range of different alumni return to talk about their programme experiences and where it led them regarding next steps and careers.
Students join us from around the country and the world, in person if they can, or virtually.
Support from the careers service
Our students are supported throughout their time on the programme with careers and employability resources, as well as regular workshops, surgeries, drop in events, etc, which we arrange as part of our programme timetable, and are run by our Careers Liaison worker who is there in particular to work with our students. We ensure at appropriate times during the three years, help and advice is there regarding gaining work and volunteering experiences to build your C.V.s, your confidence in yourself, and knowledge and understanding about possible next steps once you leave the programme.
Furthermore – this relationship continues after the course finishes and you leave. You can come back at any time as one of our students to access help through the Careers Service.
Sharon Gawman
Next Steps South West
"Being on the ground and working with students from disadvantaged backgrounds and with special educational needs I felt passionate about inclusive education and interested in finding out about alternative approaches. The course gave me more subject knowledge about the way things worked behind the scenes and about the importance of challenging existing ideas on inclusion and the ability of students."
Maria Marin – developing positive change with education
"I loved the fact that the University was involved in numerous local projects that supported the different communities in Plymouth. It always felt like the University was part of the positive change that was happening in the city, either by supporting research, taking part in social projects and hosting events. I wanted to be part of that positive change too."