BA (Hons) Education & Social Policy at University of Strathclyde

Programme overview

Joint Honours BA at Strathclyde combining Education with Social Policy, examining how societies distribute resources and develop services to meet individual and social needs. Social Policy is ranked 2nd in the UK (Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2027).. Strathclyde is the only university in Scotland to offer a joint honours degree in Education; the degree does not qualify graduates as teachers but is a route to the PGDE.

Faculty: Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences | Department: Education | Study mode: full-time | Location: Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

What you will study

Social Policy: issues such as poverty, economic, race, age and gender inequality, social justice, health, education, criminal justice and housing, using qualitative and quantitative methods and drawing on history, sociology, anthropology, economics, law, psychology and politics. Education runs across all four years: Year 1 covers poverty, class, culture and community in education with a 70-hour placement with children aged 0-14; Year 2 looks at how people learn; Year 3 covers adult education with a community placement and educational research; Year 4 offers choice modules and a final-year project.

Career pathways

Graduates work in education and in associated areas such as law, psychology, the civil service and journalism. A joint Honours degree in Education and another subject enables graduates to apply for the Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (primary or secondary); the degree itself does not qualify graduates as teachers.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences (BA joint Honours Education, Year 1 entry). SQA Highers standard entry: AAAA (first sitting) or AAAAB (second sitting); minimum entry: AABB (first sitting) or AABBB (second sitting); Higher English plus Maths or Applications of Mathematics at National 5 grade C or equivalent. Preferred Highers subjects: Classical Studies, Drama, Economics, Gaelic, Geography, History, Modern Studies, a modern language (German, French, Spanish, Italian), Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Religious Moral and Philosophical Studies, Sociology. A Levels: ABB-BBB. International Baccalaureate: 32-30. Irish Leaving Certificate: two H2 and three H3 passes including English. HNC (Year 1 entry): Social Sciences with A in the Graded Unit and Maths National 5 C or equivalent. Contextual admissions for widening access: lower offers may be made to eligible applicants. Placement applicants may be required to join the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. Deferred entry is not normally accepted. International applicants: IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with no band below 5.5 (University standard requirement); other recognised English language tests may be accepted.

Domestic applicants: GBP 9,790 a year (2026/27). Rest of UK (England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Republic of Ireland) rate for full-time undergraduate programmes; Scotland-domiciled fee to be confirmed by the Scottish Funding Council Source

International applicants: GBP 24,100 a year (2027/28). Full-time tuition per academic year. Source

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