Education at Cambridge
Education is one of our most powerful means for change and growth in the modern world. On our course, you follow one of three tracks, studying Education alongside your chosen field of interest, which may include the opportunity to study in other Faculties relevant to your chosen track.
- The Education, Psychology and Learning track focuses on education from a psychological perspective, exploring human development and education in a variety of social and cultural environments. This track is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). This means that students who successfully graduate can achieve the graduate recognition needed to pursue a career in psychology (subject to paper choice and degree classification).
- In Education, Policy and International Development you consider historical and contemporary discussions concerning these areas, and the role of education in economic and social change.
- Education, English, Drama and the Arts develops your specialist interest in literature and/or drama alongside debates around creativity, learning, and global cultures, particularly in fields such as children’s literature and applied theatre. You will also have the option of studying practical drama.
Facilities and resources
The Faculty of Education has excellent resources and facilities within a purpose-built building, designed to support teaching, learning and research. There is a psychology laboratory and a library that houses an extensive collection of material on education and related fields. Active research forms the foundation of our teaching so you're taught by academics at the forefront of their fields, who specialise in cutting-edge research.
Further study and professional qualifications
Our course provides excellent preparation for a wide range of Masters and doctoral research programmes, both at Cambridge – each track has close links to related MPhil programmes within the Faculty – and elsewhere.
Alternatively, for those intending to teach, the course provides a foundation from which to proceed to initial teacher training in primary education or, for those on the Education, English, Drama and the Arts track, in secondary English.
Course costs
Tuition fees
Information on tuition fee rates for Education is available on the tuition fees page.
Additional course costs
Year 1
- Strongly recommended: Books (usually available in libraries, though students may wish to buy their own copies of core texts) - Estimated cost £50
- Optional: Education, English, Drama and the Arts track: contribution to theatre trips - Estimated cost c.£5-10 per trip
- Required: Coursework printing – Estimated £15-£23 across the year if in A4 colour and printed in the Faculty
Year 2
- Required: Coursework printing – Estimated £15-£30 across the year if in A4 colour and printed in the Faculty
- Optional: Education, English, Drama and the Arts track: contribution to theatre trips - Estimated cost c£5-10 per trip
Year 3
- Required: Coursework printing – Estimated £8-£25 across the year if in A4 colour and printed in the Faculty
- Depending on dissertation topic: Dissertation travel and/or DBS costs – Costs vary depending on the nature of the chosen topic
- Optional: Education, English, Drama and the Arts track: contribution to theatre trips - Estimated cost c£5-10 per trip
Changing course
Part II of Education is also available to undergraduates who have successfully completed Part I of another course, in which case it's normally taken as a two-year course.
To be able to change course, you need the agreement of your College that any change is in your educational interests, and you must have the necessary background in the subject to which you wish to change – in some cases you may be required to undertake some catch-up work or take up the new course from the start/an earlier year. If you think you may wish to change course, we encourage you to contact a College admissions office for advice. You should also consider if/how changing course may affect any financial support arrangements.
After Cambridge
The career options for graduates are extremely varied and include a wide range of occupations in the UK and abroad. As well as further study and teaching, our students have gone into research, educational psychology and neuroscience, publishing, and the Civil Service. Others now work in government policy and administration, the media, theatre, heritage and museum education, HR, business and consultancy, charities and NGOs, and international development.
