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Introduction
Why choose this course?
Key features
 Learn a Mandarin while studying how people learn and perspectives on education, with the flexibility to specialise in your areas of interest through optional modules. Modules you can choose from include Creativity in Education, Radical Education and Music in the Life of the Primary School.
 Through block teaching, you will focus on one subject at a time instead of several at once. This means that you will be able to focus closely on each subject and absorb your learning material in more depth, whilst working more closely with your tutors and course mates.
 Successful completion of the course provides a foundation to progress onto ITT, enabling you to become a teacher in the UK.
 Engage with the local community and boost your CV through placements and volunteering opportunities at schools, art and learning centres or museums.
 Delivered by experienced academics and developed with input from sector professionals, ensuring learning is up to date with current practices and challenges in the sector.
 Placement opportunities offer you the chance to undertake work experience in local schools, where you can put your learning into practice and gain valuable real-world experiences.
 Our students have gained international experience related to their studies through our DMU Global programme. Education Studies students have previously explored museum education in Amsterdam, considered inequality and segregation in New York, and supported refugees in Berlin.
Overview
Did you know that Mandarin Chinese is currently the language with the greatest number of speakers in the world?
Competence in another language is fast become an essential skill for success in the global job market. By combining your study of Education Studies with Mandarin, you can develop your employability with a second language that helps distinguish you from other graduates. The skills acquired when learning a language are valued by employers and are transferable into many sectors.
You can start your study of languages at DMU in Mandarin at beginner, GCSE (intermediate) or advanced level and learn at a grade and pace that suits you and your needs.
Learning a new language not only helps to provide you with linguistic skills but can also enhance your skills in your native language and develop your presentation, written and critical skills.
You will cover Education Studies modules including Perspectives on Education, Inclusion and Diversity, Understanding Learning and Wellbeing, and Special Educational Needs, Disability and Neurodiversity. You will also take part in weekly language practice and conversation sessions, and intensive workshops, where you will develop your language skills through the study of the country and its society, culture and people.
Modules
Year 1
Block 1: An Introduction to Education: History and Academic Discipline
Block 2: Perspectives on Education
Block 3: Beginner or Post-Beginner Mandarin
Block 4: Contemporary and Evidence-Based Issues in Education
In Block 1 and 2, you will also have one hour (two hours for Beginners) of language conversation weekly.
Year 2
Block 1: Ways of Learning and Wellbeing
Block 2: Research Methods in Education
Block 3: Post-Beginner or Intermediate Mandarin
Block 4: Inclusion and Diversity
In Block 1 and 2, you will also have one hour (two hours for Post-Beginners) of language conversation weekly.
Year 3
Block 1 Select one of:
 Creativity in Education
 Radical Education
 Global and Comparative Education
 Music in the Life of the Primary School
Block 2 Select one of:
 The Practice and Policies of Primary Education
 Special Educational Needs, Disability and Neurodiversity
 Education and Equality: Class, Race and Ethnicity
Block 3: Intermediate or Advanced Mandarin
Block 4: Dissertation
In Block 1 and 2, you will also have one hour (two hours for Intermediate) of language conversation weekly.
Entry Criteria
ENTRY REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Home Office Share Code
For EU students only.
IF no Qualification
Please provide CV with at least 2 years of work experience, and employee reference letter.
Entry criteria
GCSEs
 Five GCSEs at grade C/4 or above including English Language or Literature
Plus one of the following:
A levels
 A minimum of 104 UCAS points from at least two A levels
T Levels
 Merit
BTEC
 BTEC National Diploma - Distinction/Merit/Merit
 BTEC Extended Diploma - Distinction/Merit/Merit
Access to HE Diploma
 Pass in QAA accredited Access to HE overall 112 UCAS tariff with at least 30 Level 3 credits at Merit. We will normally require students to have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course.
International Baccalaureate: 24+
Interview: No
Work experience: No
Personal statement selection criteria
 Clear communication skills, including good grammar and spelling
 Information relevant to the course applied for
 Interest in the course demonstrated with explanation and evidence
 If relevant for the course - work and life experience
English language requirements
If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.
English Language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.
DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check: Yes
You must submit an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service disclosure application form before starting the course (if you are overseas you will also need to submit a criminal records certificate from your home country), which needs to be cleared in accordance with DMU’s admissions policy. Contact us for up-to-date information.
We strongly advise that you opt for the DBS update service as it is possible that future placement providers may request a recent DBS and not one from the start of the programme. If you decide not to opt for this service then you will have to pay for the DBS again if requested by your placement provided – the university will not cover this cost.
Assessment
ASSESSMENT METHODS
1. INTERNAL ENGLISH TEST if you don't have an English accredited certificate
2. Academic Interview
Teaching and assessments
This is a full-time course. Each module is worth 30 credits. You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, independent research and self-directed study. In your first year you will normally attend around 9 hours of timetabled taught sessions (workshops and seminars) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 30 further hours of independent study each week to complete preparation tasks, assessments and research.
Assessment may include, but is not limited to:
 Presentations
 Micro-teaching sessions
 Contributions to electronic discussion boards
 Creating wikis and lesson planning
 Blogs
 Essays
 Negotiated assignment
 Research project
 Portfolio
 Co-production activities
Academic expertise
Education Studies staff have professional experience across all stages of learning and education from primary schooling through to adult learning, nationally and internationally.
Staff are members of a number of professional associations including the British Education Research Association and British Sociological Association, and are affiliated with research groups including the Centre for Critical Education Policy Studies at the Institute of Education; the Centre for Narrative Research at the University of East London, DMU Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development and DMU Institute of Research in Criminology, Community, Education and Social Justice.
The teaching team includes professors, associate professors, doctoral and post-doctoral researchers. The team have a number of notable awards and accolades including the Vice Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award and Director of the Institute for Research in Criminology, Education and Social Justice.
Staff are currently engaged in leading, internally and externally funded research projects relating to their areas of expertise, including:
 A Germ’s Journey: co-creation of resources for addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals in education & health in low-and-middle-income countries. This participatory research project evaluates whether specifically developed resources (‘A Germ’s Journey’) aid children in India’s understanding of hand-hygiene principles and discusses how the findings can inform the future development of culturally relevant resources for developing countries.
 Awarding of an Advance HE Good Practice Grant to re-develop our SEND module through co-production with students and practitioners who are disabled, neurodivergent and/or have special educational needs.
 Race, education and decolonisjng the curriculum
 Gender and education
 SEND
 Creativity and education
 Sustainability, the environment and wellbeing
 Technology and education
 Alternative education
 Social justice, childhood, youth and education
 Gypsy/Traveller education
 Music education and vocal pedagogy
 Global comparative education
 Educational transitions and transferable learning
Career Opportunities
Placements
During this course you will have the option to complete a paid placement year, an invaluable opportunity to put the skills developed during your degree into practice. This insight into the professional world will build on your knowledge in a real-world setting, preparing you to progress onto your chosen career.
Previous students have taken up placements in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, including some international posts, with leading companies such as our award-winning Careers Team can help to hone your professional skills with mock interviews and practice aptitude tests, and an assigned personal tutor will support you throughout your placement.
Graduate careers
This course helps develop skills that are invaluable for graduates who want to build a career working with young people and children. While this can open up opportunities for employment in primary schools, it can also include nurseries as well as other pre and after-school settings.
Many of our recent graduates have started their careers in teaching, education practice, nurseries, youth work, educational publishing and the creative industries. Graduates can also build on their knowledge with postgraduate opportunities, including an Education Practice MA, which opens up opportunities to work in a number of wider educational environments, including youth and community work, local authority employment, social and educational research and early years settings.
DMU Global
Our innovative international experience programme DMU Global aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons, helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world.
Through DMU Global, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK-based activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.
DMU Global has enabled our students to teach English language to children in Thailand and explore diversity and inequalities in Florida.
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