Education

Qualifications

Arts: BA, CertArts, BA(Hons), MA, PhD, GradDipArts
Education: BEd(PhysicalEducation), MEd, PhD, PGCertEd, PGDipEd

If you are interested in Teaching see Early Childhood Teacher Education, Primary Teacher Education, Secondary Teacher Education and Physical Education

Introduction

Education is a multidisciplinary field of study with a focus on the three core areas: learning, child and adolescent development and health, and social and cultural studies. Our intellectually challenging courses are designed to introduce students to in-depth, discipline-based knowledge of the social world as it applied to education.

There are three broad streams of educational study offered at the University of Canterbury:

Learning: This stream uses the findings of behavioural science, cognitive science and the new research into how the brain works to address questions such as how we learn, and what the necessary conditions for learning are.

Child and Adolescent Development and Health: This stream explores the theory, concepts and processes of infant, child and adolescent development within multiple contexts. It also considers the impact of health on children and adolescents.

Social and Cultural Studies in Education: This stream examines the broader social context in which educational systems operate. It explores factors such as history, politics, social class, ethnicity, gender, disability and inequality, and their impact on education.

Recommended background

No specific secondary school subjects are required as preparation for the study of Education.

100-level courses

• See all 100-level Education courses

Our first-year courses, taught by leading academics, take a critical look at education. There are three broad streams of educational study offered at 100-level. Each of the three first-year courses (EDUC 101, EDUC 102 and EDUC 103) is offered in both semesters.

Students intending to major in Education should take at least two of the three EDUC courses in their first year.

200-level and beyond

• See all Education courses

Courses at 200-level address a range of critical and contemporary issues.

Courses at 300-level teach scholarly methods of research and analysis. They address topics that include researching child and adolescent development, learning, socio-cultural issues, and theory and methods in education.

Further study

Students completing the BA with an average of B or better will be eligible to apply for admission to the following postgraduate programmes: Bachelor of Arts with Honours, Master of Arts, Master of Education, Postgraduate Diploma in Health Sciences, Postgraduate Diploma in Education and some graduate Teacher Education programmes.

Career opportunities

BA graduates with a major in Education have many and varied career opportunities available to them including work in government, industry, commerce, social service agencies, health and rehabilitation, museums, counselling and voluntary organisations. A major in Education can open the door to postgraduate study in research, counselling, health sciences, child and family psychology, and to Teacher Education programmes.

For further career information, please go to www.canterbury.ac.nz/careers

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