Intro

If you're a working education professional, our part-time Professional Practice in Education degree offers you the opportunity to study and continue to work.

The degree is designed for teaching assistants, early years practitioners, learning support mentors, youth workers and more.

Our degree bring together practice, theory, research and policy, to support you in developing your immediate practice as well as your future career.

Throughout the degree you'll reflect on your own professional experience and learn with a team who have worked with children and young people in a range of areas from teaching to youth services.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Falmer

UCAS code Not applicable. Apply direct to the university.

Part-time 4 years 

Interviews for this course are currently taking place via Skype

What are my next steps?

Please review the entry requirements carefully and if you have any questions do get in touch with us.

Apply now for your place

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

To be considered for a place you should normally:

  • have one year’s experience working in relevant employment context
  • be currently working in a relevant setting with at least six hours per week of activity-focused time with groups of children and/or young people
  • have agreement of your employer to support mentoring, assessment and workplace course activities
  • hold an appropriate A-level OR a relevant NVQ/SVQ level 2 or other vocationally related NQF level 3 qualification OR an advanced modern apprenticeship in an appropriate subject
  • have appropriate access to a computer and internet
  • provide evidence of a valid DBS clearance at time of entry onto the programme (your DBS number will be recorded and held on your student file)

Claims for Recognition of Prior Learning will be considered in accordance with University guidance.

Interviews
Interviews normally take place in person on our Falmer campus or in one of our partner schools. From March 2020, all interviews will take place over Skype.

English language requirements
IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

View our English language courses

For pre-sessional English preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Contextual admissions

When you apply to Brighton we want to hear about who you are. Grades are never the whole picture; we're interested in things like creativity, resourcefulness, persistence and the capacity to think big and find new ways of doing things. And we recognise that not everyone has the same background. That's why we treat everyone who applies as an individual. We recognise many qualifications and we care about all of your achievements and the experiences you've had that set you apart.

Find out more about contextual admissions.

Graphic with the text 'Potential + possibility'

Course content

Top reasons to choose this course

  • 2nd in the UK for education courses – Guardian University Guide 2025.
  • 100% of graduates in work or further study 15 months after their degree – Graduate Outcomes Survey.
  • Excellent results in the 2024 National Students Survey. 
  • You can continue to work while studying and develop both your practice and career.
  • Can provide a stepping stone to professional qualifications such as Early Years Initial Teacher Training and postgraduate qualifications in teaching, social work and other allied professions. 
  • Learn with a team who have many years experience working in the education sector.
three people laughing round a laptop

Course structure

The Professional Practice in Education BA(Hons) is a part-time work-based programme, studied over four years.

The modular design of the programme enables you to reflect on your professional experience, to increase your awareness of current issues and practices and to develop your academic and research skills.

Typically you will:

  • attend university for one half-day, twilight session each week as well as approximately one Saturday a month between September and May. This will not always be face to face at university; methods of learning include small group seminars, participatory workshops and online learning experiences as well as attending lectures led by experienced practitioners, tutors and researchers
  • be supported in your individual learning and career progression throughout
  • take on a series of structured work-related tasks and assignments, supported by an individual work-based mentor
  • have opportunities throughout the modules to explore and understand more about other settings and complimentary learning environments
  • conclude your studies with an individual extended professional enquiry of your own choosing.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through Student View.

Male teacher and child playing on stepping blocks

Year 1

Modules

  • Introducing Concepts of Practitioners as Learners

    This module is an introduction to studying at university and aims to build your confidence in academic writing, reading and reflective practice. The module will help you to develop your awareness and understanding of you as a learner, the impact of social and contextual issues on your own and others’ learning and prepares you to meet the academic requirements of the course, including foundations for professional development and critical reflection on practice.

  • Developing Perspectives of Social Pedagogy and Professional Identity

    This module will support you to examine your professional identity through a social pedagogical lens. You will have the opportunity to reflect on personal beliefs, values, motivations and your professional aspirations within the context of your professional setting and role. You'll use a digital resource to articulate your developing understanding of social pedagogy and your own professional identity.

  • Exploring Digital Resources in Learning and Development Environments

    This module explores digital learning resources to support learning and development that is relevant to your professional context. You'll explore a range of digital technologies, and be supported to maintain a safe digital identity and wellbeing (particularly relevant due to the fast-paced changes of the digital landscape).

    This module will include extension activities to support CPD opportunities relating to digital skills and literacies.

  • Acquiring Foundations of Research and Professional Reflective Practice

    This module introduces reflective professional practice and enables you to develop your capacity to engage in research and informed, constructive reflection to support and develop your professional practice and professional identity.

  • Reflecting on Action Learning

    This module introduces the concept and associated theoretical models of action learning. Through practical application and experience, you will explore and examine your own learning within the context of an action learning set.

  • Engaging with Sociological Perspectives of Practice

    This module enables you to explore the underpinning sociological factors which influence the barriers to learning and engagement for children and young people, focusing on how children and young people’s relationship with practitioners contribute to their overall wellbeing. You will relate theory to practice with regards to children and young people’s needs.

teacher sitting on desk with students

Year 2

Modules

  • Engaging with Sociological Perspectives of Practice
  • Understanding Psychological Perspectives of Social and Peer Learning
  • Debating Contemporary Issues for Children and Young People
  • Researching and Reflecting upon Key Challenges in Professional Practice

 

male teacher reading book

Year 3

Modules

  • Applying Concepts of Safeguarding and Wellbeing to Practice
  • Evaluating Contemporary Issues of Equality and Inclusion
  • Analysing Organisational Culture and Leadership in Practice
  • Applying Critical Perspectives to Contemporary Issues in Education
mature students working around table

Final year

Modules

  • Developing Critical Practitioner Researchers
  • Dissertation
Children at forest school painting

Meet the team

Helena Widdowson, course leader

As a professional recognised Youth Worker my undergraduate degree was obtained on the first cohort of this part-time work-based degree over 25 years ago.

I have held various roles within professional Youth Services with local authorities in both East and West Sussex, before moving to training of staff working in informal and pastoral roles with hard-to-reach young people.

I am passionate in supporting our part-time work-based students to build their professional identity throughout their studies through critical reflective practice.

I have an MA in Education that researched the experiences of students in Higher Education with an identification of neurodiversity.

Alongside my Course Lead role on the Professional Practice in Education degree I currently hold the role of the Brighton Achieves Inclusion Lead for the school. This role includes responsibility for partnership working with students and staff on the decolonisation of the curriculum and to ensure all students see themselves represented in their studies.

Other key members of the teaching team

Careers

On graduation, you will be well-placed for career advancement, with a professional qualification giving you a competitive edge. 

This award supports career development in a range of contexts and professions. Our experienced and well connected staff will be able to advise you as you explore your future career opportunities in settings including nurseries, schools, colleges, children's and youth centres, family projects, activity focused provision, specialist provision and alternative education settings.

100% of graduates were in work or further study 15 months after this degree – Graduate Outcomes Survey.

teachers in a staffroom

Fees and costs

Course fees

Year 1 (100 credits) 6,935 GBP

Year 2 (100 credits) 6,935 GBP

Year 3 (100 credits) 6,935 GBP

Year 4 (60 credits) 4,625 GBP

Fee information for this course for 2025 entry will be updated here no later than December 2024.

The fees listed here are for the first year of study if you start your course in the academic year 2024–25.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year. UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (depending on which is higher).

If you have specific queries about the course fee, our fees team will be happy to help. Email them at fees@brighton.ac.uk.

Find out more

What's included

Here you’ll find details of specific resources and services that are included in the tuition fee for our education and teaching students. To help you to budget for your studies, there is also information on any additional costs that you may have to pay or can choose to pay in addition to your tuition fee.

Check out our finance pages for info about fees, funding and scholarships along with advice on international and island fee-paying status.

You can chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information.

What’s included in your tuition fee

  • Course books, magazines and journals are available in the university libraries. You do not need to have your own copies. See the subject area guides in the library for an up-to-date list of key subject journal databases.
  • You will have access to computers and necessary software on campus – and can borrow a laptop from us if yours is broken or you don’t have a computer at home. Specialist equipment is provided to cover essential learning.

Find out how tuition fees enable us to support all of our students with important services, facilities and resources across the university.

Additional course costs

  • For courses which require a placement, you’ll be expected to pay for your travel expenses but you may be able to claim some travel costs back from the university, depending on where your placement is in relation to where you live.
  • You’ll need to budget for printing and stationery for personal study, and books if you decide to buy your own.
  • You may wish to budget up to £25 for stationery/teaching materials.
  • Many students choose to buy their own hardware, software and accessories. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices, but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses.

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Set in the South Downs, our Falmer campus is around four miles from Brighton city centre. Students based here study a range of subjects including education studies, teaching, sport and exercise, nursing and midwifery, allied health professions and medicine. Brighton and Hove Albion's Amex stadium and beautiful Stanmer Park are right next door.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence on site, as well as a library, restaurant, cafes and the students' union shop and bar.

The campus has extensive sport and leisure facilities including a fitness suite, swimming pool, outdoor grass football and rugby pitches, sports hall, tennis and badminton courts, and dance and spin studios.

Specialist learning facilities at Falmer include the curriculum centre used by teaching and education students, which houses over 30,000 teaching resources, clinical skills and simulation suites used by health students, and labs and a strength and conditioning suite used by sport students. We’ve recently redeveloped the Falmer campus - learn more about the many facilities our students have access to.

Cycle lanes link Falmer with our other campuses and the city centre. There are regular bus services to the city centre and other campuses. Falmer train station is right next to campus and a nine-minute journey to central Brighton.

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Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students. So if you applied for halls by the deadline you are guaranteed a room in our halls of residence.

Brighton: Falmer

Halls of residence
We have self-catered halls on all our campuses, within minutes of your classes, and other options that are very nearby.

  • You can apply for any of our halls, but the options closest to your study location are:
    • Paddock Field and Great Wilkins halls offer a range of rooms on our Falmer campus, minutes from your classes, and on the edge of the South Downs.
    • Varley Park is a popular dedicated halls site, offering a mix of rooms and bathroom options at different prices. It is around two miles from Falmer campus and four miles from the city centre, and is easy to get to by bus.

Want to live independently? We can help – find out more about private renting.

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

student outside the sport and health complex at Falmer

Extensive facilities at Falmer sports centre

Students dining at Westlain

Students dining at Westlain

Local area

About Brighton

The University of Brighton is at the heart of our city's reputation as a welcoming, forward-thinking place which leads the way when it comes to the arts, music, sustainability and creative technology. Brighton is home to a thriving creative community and a digital sector worth £1bn a year to the local economy, as much as tourism.

Many of the work-based learning opportunities offered on our courses such as placements and guest lectures are provided by businesses and organisations based in the city.

You can also get involved with city festivals and events such as the Brighton Festival, the Fringe, Brighton Digital Festival, Brighton Science Festival, the London to Brighton bike ride, and the Great Escape festival of new music to name but a few. Other annual highlights include Pride, the Brighton Marathon, and Burning the Clocks which marks the winter solstice.

You'll find living in Brighton enriches your learning experience and by the end of your course you will still be finding new things to explore and inspire you.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and there are daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Brighton Beach sunset

Maps

Falmer campus

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Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our Brighton Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more about how we support your wellbeing.

Sport at Brighton

Sport Brighton

Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition. 

Find out more about Sport Brighton.

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

Students playing frisbee

Student views  

Sue Allwright

"I am loving this course. 

"Working full-time, running a family home and 'reading for a degree' takes dedication and time management but I wouldn't change a thing. 

"The support from the University staff and fellow students is superb!

"I am so glad I chose attending the University of Brighton rather than studying it all online - we all understand what each other are going through when the deadline is looming.

"Working alongside other work-based learners also gives us so much more to discuss and learn from each other."

Sue Allwright

Daniel Burge

"One of the many benefits of this course was the way it was structured. It has allowed me to combine my full-time job as a Teaching Assistant and my family commitments, including having two teenage children, with studying for my BA(Hons). 

"As a mature student, that hadn’t touched a textbook for over 20 years, I was rather daunted by the prospect of returning to studying. However, all of the programme staff have been so encouraging, supportive and understanding throughout the whole course. 

"I immensely enjoyed learning theory or different pedagogical methods at university one day and then being able to put those into practice in the classroom the very next day. Equally, it has enabled me to reflect upon my own experiences as a practitioner, and then build upon these further. 

"Just by thinking about applying for this course you are also someone who passionately also believes that every child should receive a good quality education, one that challenges and inspires them. This course will help you achieve this. 

"Do apply, I promise you will not regret it."

Daniel Burge

Johanna Harris

"I choose to study this degree after a recommendation from a friend, the modules and teaching structure fit well with my current job and allow me to study around work commitments.

"I felt that my professional practice would be supported and enhanced by taking on this course, and this has proved to be the case. The combination of academic study and work place experience has been invaluable in improving my practice. This works so well with this work-based programme, as the teaching and learning is designed around your job, and you can tailor assignments and research to fit your circumstances.

"I have loved making new friends and meeting so many people, and I know that we’ll be in touch long after we graduate. I really enjoy the seminars and find them so interesting. Applying what I have learnt to my work has been incredibly useful, and I’ve grown in confidence both as a student and as a practitioner.

"The teaching staff are amazing! Going back to studying after a break of over twenty years was extremely daunting, but the tutors have been so friendly and encouraging. From the very first session, I felt supported. There is always help on hand if you need it.

"Whilst studying and working can feel like a daunting prospect, I would absolutely recommend this course to anyone working with young people in any capacity. You will gain so much, I really wish I’d done it sooner."

Johanna Harris

Vicki Lendon

"I would say this course has brought together like-minded professionals, enabling me to improve my own practice and support my peers.

"The University of Brighton have been exceptionally supportive and because the course is designed for people already in industry there is a fantastic balance to contact time and self-directed study.

"I would actively encourage all teaching support staff to join this degree course. It doesn't have to be the gateway to a teaching career, but it will be the gateway to creating informed choices your future."

Vicki Lendon

Tina Lambert

"I found the course very manageable, and it fitted around my family and a full-time job.

"All the modules covered were very relevant for my role today and I have used much of the information to not only professionalise myself, but to alter my practice for the benefit of the children and families I work with.

"I have grown in confidence and will be returning to study at some point in the near future.

"Best thing I ever did!"

Tina Lambert

Stay in touch

Ask a question about this course

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644

Helena the course leader would also be delighted to answer any questions you may have. Please email her at: h.widdowson@brighton.ac.uk

Statistics

Find out more about how the academic year and degree courses are organised, and about learning and assessment activities you might get to grips with at Brighton. More specific information about this course is detailed in the programme specification (linked below). You can find out also about the support we offer to help you adjust to university life.

Course and module descriptions on this page were accurate when first published and are the basis of the course. Detailed information on any changes we make to modules and learning and assessment activities will be sent to all students by email before enrolment, so that you have all the information before you come to Brighton.

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Course specification

Course specifications are the approved description of each course. They contain a breakdown of the content and structure of the course, learning outcomes and assessment. Course specs are updated following course changes.

Course specification

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