BEd Bachelor of Education
For any specific queries regarding entry to these courses, please contact the relevant School/University College below:
St Mary’s University College
Admissions Office
T: +44 (0)28 9032 7320
E: admis@smucb.ac.uk
W: http://www.smucb.ac.uk
Stranmillis University College
Academic Registry
T: +44 (0)28 9038 4263
E: registry@stran.ac.uk
W: http://www.stran.ac.uk
For BEd entrance requirements and admission information, please contact St Mary's and Stranmillis University Colleges directly.
Note: each of the University Colleges issues its own Prospectus and application is made differently for each.
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Education is studied both as a preparation for teaching in schools and as an important area of academic and professional activity. If you are considering a career in teaching, there are two possible routes:
1. The concurrent route
The four-year Bachelor of Education (BEd) Honours degree offered by the University Colleges (St Mary's or Stranmillis) is a professional degree for those intending to teach in Nursery, Primary or Post-Primary schools. Professional preparation is concurrent with the study of academic subjects.
2. The consecutive route
You will come to the University and take a degree other than Education, applying on graduation to the one-year postgraduate teacher training course (PGCE) in the University's School of Education. St Mary's and Stranmillis offer specialist PGCEs in Irish Medium education and Early Years Education respectively.
Either way, you will be a graduate of Queen's and a qualified teacher. The University and the University Colleges are required by the Government to adhere to strict quotas for admission to each type of course as a means of matching the output of teachers to the number of vacant posts. It may be appropriate to reach an early decision on whether you want to be a Primary or a Post-Primary teacher. However with the concurrent route you will still be qualified to teach in any type of school.
If you want to be a Primary or a Post-Primary teacher and decide on the concurrent route, you can apply through UCAS to follow the BEd degree in Stranmillis University College. Applications for the BEd degree in St Mary's University College must be made directly to the College, thereby providing additional options to UCAS. Information on how to apply is available on the Colleges websites. Each of the University Colleges issues its own Prospectus.
The BEd is a professional degree for those intending to teach in primary or post-primary schools and can be taken as a four-year Honours degree. Teaching for the degree is undertaken in the University Colleges.
BEd Honours Primary (4 yrs)
The degree comprises three inter-related strands:
In addition to education theory (Education Studies), students will study all areas of learning in the Northern Ireland Curriculum. Students at St Mary's University College will be required to specialise in one of the following academic subject areas:
BEd Honours Post-Primary (4 yrs)
Students will have the opportunity to specialise in one of the following 'academic' subject areas:
Other undergraduate degrees offered in the University Colleges are:
St Mary's: BA Honours (Liberal Arts)
Stranmillis: BA (Early Childhood Studies) and BSc (Health and Leisure Studies)
For further details, consult the relevant University College Prospectus.
Both St Mary's and Stranmillis have a range of well-established partnerships that allow students to undertake part of their studies in alternative workplace settings or in an international context. All undergraduate degrees include a mandatory work placement.
Last updated 11.09.13
