UK universities that take you to the forefront of the global education sector

As we stand on the brink of a technological revolution, ie. Industry 4.0, we will start noticing a shift in the way people think, act and work.

And in the global education sector, a shift in the way education practitioners shape, plan and teach their lessons is already underway.

In view of this, today’s teacher training and degrees cannot afford to be nothing but forward-thinking and future-ready so that the next generation has a shot at adapting easily and adjusting suddenly to our increasingly disruptive world.

One teacher, turned educational programme manager , who’s focused on the future of education is Elizabeth Primas from Washington DC.

A recipient of the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY) award in 2000, Elizabeth thinks that teachers are evolving at the same pace children are evolving.

“They’ll need to know technology — so they can pull off data immediately and have it accessible to them rather than waiting two months or three months for a test to come back from some place way off in the clouds,” Elizabeth tells Pearson LearnEd.

Technology will be more prominent in classrooms, but not to the point of replacing humans. Instead, it will be a symbiotic relationship between humans and machines.

Elizabeth predicts she will look back in time in 2030 and see that technology “was no more a replacement for the teacher than the typewriter was a replacement for the teacher—it’s a tool for servicing the needs of the children.”

If this noble profession is your calling and you want to equip the next generation for a world we cannot foresee, here are the UK universities which are leaders in educating the educators:

FACULTY OF EDUCATION, MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY

Source: Manchester Met

Manchester Metropolitan University is in the top 200 universities for education according to the QS World University Rankings 2020, and its Faculty of Education is nationally and internationally known for successfully training education professionals for this rewarding profession.

It has earned this reputation through a full suite of courses that prepare students for every stage of education, complemented by diverse placement and learning opportunities.

If you are looking to pursue postgraduate-level study, then there is a selection of full-time Master programmes to choose from.

You can either opt for the MA in Childhood and Youth Studies, MA in Education Studies, MA in Educational Leadership and Management or MA in Special Educational Needs and Inclusive Education.

Over their one-year courses, students will cover their respective course’s core units as well as optional units such as Globalisation, Social Justice and Social Change; Identity, Equality and Empowerment in Childhood; Transformative and Ethical Leadership in Educational Settings; or take up a Collaborative Research Project.

Each of these courses specialise in a particular area of study and are interlinked, so you’ll have some study sessions with students on other courses — this allows students to collaborate across specialisms, consider other perspectives, and be part of a lively, full-time postgraduate community.

Plus, with an Education and Social Research Institute (ESRI) that had 100 percent of their research impact rated as ‘internationally excellent’ or ‘world leading’ by the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014-2021), you can trust that the knowledge you acquire from this university will take you to the forefront of your chosen career path.

Find out more about the full-time Masters courses at Manchester Metropolitan University clicking here.

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION & SOCIAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND

With the School of Education & Social Sciences at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS), you’ll explore educational practice in a digital age and study digital learning technologies which are at the forefront of education trends.

Source: UWS

While expanding your knowledge of tech trends, you can undertake a career-focused undergraduate degree that specialises in early years, primary education, youth and community education.

The School is also a leading provider of initial teacher education through their two Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) qualifications; one in primary-level education and the other in secondary-level education in a range of subjects.

Plus, the one-year PGDE qualification enables you to enter the induction scheme in Scottish schools.

If your interests lie in academia, check out UWS’s research initiatives and range of full-time and part-time research degree programmes of study (MRes, MPhil, PhD and DProf).

SOUTHAMPTON EDUCATION SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON

Since last year’s rankings, Southampton Education School has risen five places in the Guardian University Guide 2019.

Now at second place, the School attracts aspiring education practitioners across the world to complete a variety of education-related courses from undergraduate to postgraduate level. The Guardian University Guide ranks over 100 UK institutions over criteria such as entry tariffs, student satisfaction, graduate prospects, student-staff ratio and university spend per student.

These include the BSc (Hons) Education degree, the MSc Education degree and the MSc Education Practice and Innovation degree.

If you want to work with internationally-respected researchers, then check out the School’s selection of postgraduate programmes which will allow you to work alongside them.

Nonetheless, all programmes here can develop your knowledge and understanding about how practice and policy are informed by theory and research and offer a plethora of career opportunities in an educational context in public or private sectors.

Source: University of Southampton

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, SWANSEA UNIVERSITY

Programmes at the Swansea University School of Education are taught by education practitioners who have wide-ranging educational experience, combined with practical expertise.

Therefore, you will graduate from this School with an industry-oriented degree that you can dedicate to your future working role.

For instance, their undergraduate programmes such as the BA Education and the BA Early Childhood Studies degree enable you to learn how to support children and recognise them as being at the centre of families, communities and the wider socio-economic world.

And the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Secondary with QTS programme allows you to develop the teaching skills you need in your specialised subject and learn how your subject fits in the new curriculum.

So if you want to focus on subjects like biology, chemistry, computer science, design and technology or even Welsh — Swansea University is where you’ll learn how to lead these specialised lessons!

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International

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