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Education and Professional Development BA/BA(Hons)

Overview

This course is designed for professionals working in the education and training sector or related fields such as healthcare, careers, and the uniformed services who wish to advance their professional knowledge and skills.

Delivered through an innovative ‘blended learning’ approach, the course combines in-person Saturday sessions with engaging online activities that include both individual and collaborative study. Your own professional practice serves as the foundation for building confidence in critical analysis, developing entrepreneurial ideas, influencing policy, and enhancing digital and academic expertise. Access to appropriate technology and a willingness to engage with emerging tools are essential.

Central to the course is a supportive and dynamic learning community that values critical friendships, social networking, tutor guidance, and exemplary online and in-person teaching practices. This programme fosters adaptability, knowledge, and skills essential for thriving in fast-evolving professional environments. Emphasising a ‘students-as-researchers’ approach, the course offers unique opportunities to showcase practitioner-led research at annual festivals.

The top five job titles advertised in the UK for graduate roles associated with Education and Professional Development BA/BA(Hons) are Graduate Teaching Assistants, School Administrators, School Business Managers, Psychology Teaching Assistants and Academic Mentors. *

*Lightcast data extracted from Graduate Career Explorer – job postings from Dec 2023 to Nov 2024 showing jobs advertised associated with a selection of relevant graduate.

Key Information

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for this course are normally one of the following:

  • Cert Ed or level 5 teaching/training/education qualification
  • Foundation Degree from the University of Huddersfield

Candidates not meeting the above academic requirements but who are able to demonstrate significant and relevant experience will be considered on an individual basis. Please get in contact for further advice.

In addition you must also demonstrate at least two years teaching or training experience and be in an educational or training role.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

Start dates

21 September 2026

Duration

2 years part-time

Course Detail

Core modules:

Professional Practice (Advanced)

This module is focused on enhancing your professionalism and practice through structured workplace learning. You'll have the opportunity to explore work-based learning opportunities and employability together with student occupational and professional concepts, principles and techniques, including reflective practice and using established analytical tools. You'll develop and maintain a systematic approach to evidencing and reviewing your professionalism and employability. There's an emphasis on you setting your own work related learning objectives, developing reflective practice and using learning agreements. Your development will normally be supported in the workplace through supervision arrangements,

Improving Teaching and Learning

This module will allow you to explore innovative and creative developments in teaching and learning practice. You'll have the opportunity to develop a proposal for innovative practice in your own professional context through a presentation and supporting paper and to evaluate the effectiveness of your intervention through a short presentation and discussion.

Critical Education

This module seeks to explore the social, cultural, political and economic context of education. Assessment is typically via the development of a portfolio analysing the influences on education, a reflexive account of your own personal and professional development and an evaluation of a specific aspect of current educational practice.

Core modules for the Ordinary degree:

Reflexive Study

This module encourages you to make explicit links between your modules and your own practice, seeking to deepen your understanding of key issues. Assessment is typically via written coursework exploring key themes within education and professional development through reflection on your own professional learning and development.

Core modules for the Honours degree:

Research Methodologies

This module explores a range of research strategies and methods, preparing you to assess the value and significance of different approaches to data collection and analysis within your field of study. You’ll learn how to develop your own research design, and how to collect and analyse information in order to find out new things about a topic that you’re interested in. Coursework typically involves developing your own research proposal.

Major Study

This module allows you to pursue your particular interests and demonstrate the breadth of knowledge, understanding and strengths that you have developed during your degree studies. You’ll be supported to select a relevant topic and develop a proposal. This module is your opportunity to bring together everything you have learned in a study of your choosing and you'll typically be assessed via a dissertation.

Reflexive Study

This module encourages you to make explicit links between your modules and your own practice, seeking to deepen your understanding of key issues. Assessment is typically via written coursework exploring key themes within education and professional development through reflection on your own professional learning and development.

This course has modules making up 360 credits over the 2 years, with each credit being 10 hours of study (3600 hours in total). An average approximately* 5% (46 hours) of the study time on this course is spent with your tutors face to face or online in lectures, seminars, tutorials, practicals and workshops. The remainder of the time will be spent on independent study. Assessments takes place through a variety of exams and coursework.

Subject to mode of study. *Based on current core modules.

Calculated using data from the academic year 2024/25, as of November 2024.

Teaching

The teaching year for most courses normally starts in September with breaks at Christmas and Easter, finishing with a main examination/assessment period around May/June. Teaching on other courses including professional courses, postgraduate taught, research, distance learning and apprenticeship may have other start dates including January and May. All start dates can be found on each (course page)[https://courses.hud.ac.uk/sort:title] and (term dates)[https://students.hud.ac.uk/unilife/termdates/] are also available. Students on a full-time course may have to attend every day of the week. Students who choose to study a full-time course on a part-time basis will generally attend modules at the same time as our full-time students. Timetables are normally available one month before registration.

Our courses are taught at our University campus and you can expect that your lectures and seminars will be held face to face, except in cases of emergency or if specifically stated otherwise in the module description.

Feedback

Feedback (usually written) is normally provided on all coursework submissions within three term time weeks – unless the submission was made towards the end of the session in which case feedback would be available on request after the formal publication of results. Feedback on exam performance/final coursework is available on request after the publication of results.

Progression

You may progress to the next stage of your course or research degree, subject to meeting University assessment criteria and professional, statutory or regulatory body guidelines.

  1. The University of Huddersfield has been rated Gold in all three aspects of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023. We were the only university in Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West to achieve Gold ratings in all three aspects of the TEF among those announced in September 2023. In fact only 13 Universities, out of the 96 that were announced in September 2023, were Gold in all three ratings.

  2. Further proof of teaching excellence: our staff rank in the top three in England for the proportion who hold doctorates, who have higher degrees, and hold teaching qualifications (HESA 2024). So, you’ll learn from some of the best, helping you to be the best.

  3. We are first in the country for National Teaching Fellowships, which mark the UK’s best lecturers in Higher Education, winning a total of 22 since 2008 (2023 data).

  4. We won the first Global Teaching Excellence Award, recognising the University’s commitment to world-class teaching and its success in developing students as independent learners and critical thinkers (Higher Education Academy, 2017).

Discover more about the course

Your Career

Discover the job roles our graduates are working in now.

Inspiring Graduate

Get inspired by real students and their careers.

Student Support

Discover all the support available so you can thrive.

Further Study

Learn about pursuing a Master’s or PhD at Huddersfield.

Research Excellence

See how our innovative research shapes what you'll learn.

Important information

We will always try to deliver your course as described on this web page. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below.

Changes to a course you have applied for

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment.

Cancellation of a course you have applied for

Although we always try and run all of the course we offer, we may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants to ensure you have a good learning experience. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will contact you to discuss other suitable courses with us we can transfer your application to. If we notify you that the course you have applied to has been withdrawn or combined, and you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

We will always try to deliver your course and other services as described. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below:

Changes to option modules

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have a range of options to choose from and we will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes

We will only make major changes to the core curriculum of a course or to our services if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change in this context is a change that materially changes the services available to you; or the outcomes, or a significant part, of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), classes, type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum.

For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators; to meet the latest requirements of a commissioning or accrediting body; to improve the quality of educational provision; in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback; and/or to reflect academic or professional changes within subject areas. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but this may not always be the case. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation with affected students. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

Termination of course

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed and we will notify you as soon as possible about what your options are, which may include transferring to a suitable replacement course for which you are qualified, being provided with individual teaching to complete the award for which you were registered, or claiming an interim award and exiting the University. If you do not wish to take up any of the options that are made available to you, then you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the course without liability to the University for future tuition fees and you will be entitled to a refund of all course fees paid to date. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by a framework of regulations, policies and procedures, which form the basis of your agreement with us. These include regulations regarding the assessment of your course, academic integrity, your conduct (including attendance) and disciplinary procedure, fees and finance and compliance with visa requirements (where relevant). It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to abide by them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan, where you will also find links to the full text of each of the regulations, policies and procedures referred to. You should read these carefully before you enrol. Please note that this information is subject to change and you are advised to check our website regularly for any changes before you enrol at the University. A person who is not party to this agreement shall not have any rights under or in connection with it. Only you and the University shall have any right to enforce or rely on the agreement.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

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