Education and Psychology degree launching this September

Released: 29.03.19

Plymouth Marjon University’s brand new Education and Psychology course is looking like a popular choice for future Marjon students. The undergraduate degree, which aims to give students a deeper understanding of education, psychology and how children develop, had a soft launch last year and is set to recruit students for the 2019 intake.

Dr Hazel Bending, who is a Senior Lecturer at Marjon, said, “We have a few great students on the course now but it’s really looking like it will be popular for students looking to start in September 2019.

“I’ve had lots of great conversations with interested students so I’m looking forward to seeing how many we have in September to study this hugely exciting interdisciplinary degree.

“The degree is a straight mix of modules between our respective Psychology and Education programmes and it creates a really dynamic course where students can see the relationship between the subject of psychology and its application in our education system.”

Students will study a range of modules on health and wellbeing, the pedagogy of the classroom and how a child’s mind develops through life.

Dr Bending said, “The selected modules for the programme give students a clear progression and depth to their knowledge.

“In Psychology they’re studying cognition, thinking, learning, memory and language. Whilst in education they look at pedagogy and working with the child in the classroom, and students get a range of placement opportunities to further that learning.

“All the modules are written and delivered so that students can look at people across the whole lifespan when it comes to psychology. The course is designed so that students can select and write their own assessment questions so they can opt to study specific areas of education and psychology which interest them.”

Marjon has a long history of training in education, having started as one of the UK’s very first teacher training colleges, and has links with hundreds of schools across the South West and in London. Marjon’s expertise and contacts will enable students to take up placements in a wide variety of educational environments, where they can apply the skills they’ve learnt to classroom situations. Students will also learn key theoretical knowledge around mental health, the education system and how researchers operate in this area.

“What is unique about this course is the absolute applicability of everything the students study,” said Dr Bending.

“The way the modules are set up with a placement appearing in most years, students can directly switch between taught modules and placement within the same semester. It makes the whole programme come alive!”

As well as Dr Bending, students will be taught by psychology expert Dr Alister McCormick, education development specialist Dr Sue Wayman and Jan Gourd, who is a Senior Lecturer across Marjon’s education programmes. Dr Bending is excited about the career opportunities this broad degree can offer to students with such a breadth of knowledge supporting their learning.

Dr Bending continued: “A degree like this makes students knowledgeable across two subject areas and that broadens the places you can go after your studies. It’s perfect if you’re interested in the subject area but aren’t completely sure where you want to fit into that system yet.

“Students could go on to do a PGCE and become a qualified teacher. They could also do a conversion course and go in to educational psychology. They could also apply for broader roles in education or go into work helping to support young people.”

You can still apply to study at Marjon in 2019. Find out more about Education and Psychology at Marjon.

Register your interest for an Open Day here.