Undergraduate study - 2025 entry
Edinburgh: Extraordinary futures await.

Subject area: Education

Why choose Education at the University of Edinburgh?

  • UK students studying primary education with Gaelic or physical education are guaranteed a one-year teaching induction post in a Scottish school on the successful completion of their studies.

  • Our initial teacher education programmes are accredited by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).

    Our Childhood Practice programme is accredited by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).

    UK-wide Joint Education and Training Standards (JETS)

  • All initial teacher education students will have placement opportunities in Scotland. This will enable you to gain real life understanding of teaching as a career.

Throughout school I recognised the vast impact particular teachers had on pupils. This taught me the value of what a teacher can do in a child’s life.

James Smith MA (Hons) Physical Education graduate
James Smith MA (Hons) Physical Education graduate

Introducing Education

We offer three main areas of study:

  • teacher education
  • community learning and development
  • childhood practice

All our students have an interest in human relationships and are encouraged to develop professional values, including:

  • trust
  • respect
  • integrity
  • a clear commitment to social justice

On all our programmes you will explore innovative ways of working with a diverse range of learners to ensure you gain the knowledge, professional skills, and experience to excel in your career.

Teacher education

Our teacher education programmes provide an excellent foundation for a career in teaching and are accredited by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).

After graduating, UK students will be guaranteed a one-year teaching induction post in a Scottish School.

General Teaching Council for Scotland

Physical Education

Our Physical Education (MA) programme is unique within the UK in preparing you to teach physical education to pupils across the age range of 3 to 18 years old.

Primary Education with Gaelic

Our two Primary Education with Gaelic (MA) programmes - one for learners and one for fluent speakers - prepare you to teach the full range of the pre-school and primary curriculum for children through the medium of Gaelic, as well as in English.

Mental health and wellbeing partnership

Student teachers at the University of Edinburgh also engage with our mental health and wellbeing programme.

This is provided through our unique partnership with children’s mental health charity Place2Be and helps you to support mental wellbeing in your classrooms and yourself.

Place2Be at Moray House

Graduate teacher education

We offer primary and secondary teacher education for graduates via a one-year Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) and a two-year MSc Transformative Teaching and Learning.

Full details of our graduate programmes are available in our Postgraduate Prospectus.

PGDE (Primary)

PGDE (Secondary)

MSc Transformative Teaching & Learning

Childhood Practice

Our programme prepares you for a management role within the early childhood learning and care sector. It examines issues of childhood, including:

  • education studies
  • health education
  • child development
  • family studies
  • social policy

Aspects of leadership, management and professionalism also feature prominently.

You will develop skills in communication and management, and learn about organisational development and inter-agency working.

Accredited by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), graduates of the programme are eligible to register with the SSSC as a lead practitioner/manager.

BA Childhood Practice

Learning in Communities

This programme offers an excellent route into the empowering profession of Community Learning and Development (CLD).

Approved by the CLD Standards Council in Scotland, and equivalent bodies in the rest of the UK, our degree produces practitioners who are:

  • professionally competent
  • ethically informed
  • critical and reflective

The programme offers both:

  • a well-rounded, rigorous academic grounding for your practice
  • an appropriate professional preparation through part-time work-based placements

We have tailored our programme specifically to the needs of those who want to enter this sector of education.

Our staff have extensive knowledge and experience in fieldwork and research in a range of CLD settings.

Our degree is professionally approved and will prepare you well for employment.