The Student Room Group

Psychology degree into maths teacher

Ok, I need some serious advice guys.
I have posted this question in a thread before but I didnt get a real answer so I thought id make it more public for more to see.

My situation, I dont know whether to do a maths or psychology degree, I think I would enjoy Psychology more but I know a maths degree would look better undoubtadly.
Now as for my future career I am still undecided, teaching is a definite appeal to me but I am not sure about it so I am not doing a teaching degree. The thing is, if I was to go into teaching I would like to teach maths, so my question to you lot is,

If I was to do a Bsc in Psychology at Bristol or Cardiff, would I be able to do a maths PGCE if I decided teaching was my thing, or if not, would I be able to do the conversion course, and if so, do all universities offer that, and what would we need to be allowed on that course.
Also is their funding for the conversion course, or just the PGCE and finally is there any truth in the rumour that Maths is soon not to be a shortage subject?


Thank you for any help you give me, I really do appricatate it as this is a massive decision in my life. Its really worrying me.
Cheers :tsr2:
Reply 1
I can see were your getting at, I would only be worried about discrimination in that - I would expect that whenever a school hires a Maths teacher, they actually look for maths graduates who have the neccesary education qualification to teach. I havn't seen a Maths teacher who doesn't have a degree in Maths, so I would keep that in mind.
Reply 2
I thought I heard that there were quite a few maths teachers around without a maths degree, maybe I was wrong.

Does anyone else have thought or facts to add, if you do please help, I need all the help I can get!
Reply 3
BUMP!
Come on, surely some of you have some experience of this, or is it really something that never happens?
Reply 4
Hi,

All I know is that your degree needs to contain at least 50% of the subject you want to teach. Therefore, a person with a joint honours Psychology and Maths degree could teach maths as maths is 50% of the degree.

I think you'll find it hard to find a psychology degree genuinely containing 50% maths as I've just been filling out my PGCE application for Primary and only have 20% maths in my psychology degree, and personally I think we covered a lot of maths.

If you're in any doubt why don't you call up places offering the PGCE and ask their advice. Or is there any way you can do a Maths and Psychology joint honours?

HTH :smile:
Reply 5
You may be able to do a Psychology degree and then a 6 month enhancement course in maths before applying to do a maths PGCE. I think this would be possible, a friend of mine has just finished a degree in Psychology and is about to start a 6 month enhancement course in Physics before his PGCE to be a science teacher. You should be OK as long as you have A Level maths.

Try looking here:
http://www.tda.gov.uk/Recruit/thetrainingprocess/youroptionsinfull/pretrainingcourses/subjectenhancementextensioncourses.aspx
Reply 6
This is excellent stuff guys, im really starting to get somewhere, if anyone else has experience of thios area or knows someone who has please give me all the information you have?
I really appriciate it, thanks alot, Joe
they do a 2 year extension PGCE course at bham uni for people who havent done a major in maths at UG.
Reply 8
Would people who have to do the conversion course be disadvantaged when applying for jobs as theyd be competing against those with an actual maths degree?
No. cos u'd be doing the 2 year course. but the people with a maths degree will do the "normal" PGCE. you will be disadvantaged in that it shall take a year longer. but that's all. look on the bham webpage for FDs
The only maths teachers I know without maths degrees have degrees in engineering or mathematical physics.
Reply 11
ChemistBoy
The only maths teachers I know without maths degrees have degrees in engineering or mathematical physics.


One of my HL Mathematics teachers for IB did an accounting degree at Exeter. She was pretty good too. =/
Hey! I'm applying to do maths and did a degree in Physiology! There wasn't much maths involved, so I want to do an extension course. I think as long as you can show why you want to do maths, and why you did psychology. If you want any information about MEC's, feel free to PM me :smile:
Reply 13
Wow, this has bee bumped up from a long time ago.

I'm in my final year of a Psychology degree now, and have an offer to do a Mathematics PGCE in September, WITHOUT a MEC, so definitely not impossible!
Reply 14
Hi, i was just reading through your message and found it very interesting as im in the same situation. I would love to do a psychology degree, but also really enjoy maths and want to do this aswell. I think id find the psychology degree more interesting, but the maths degree more challenging, and maths seems to be more credited than psychology. I read you choose to do a psychology degree in the end as was wondering how you have found it?
K..W.Studd
I thought I heard that there were quite a few maths teachers around without a maths degree, maybe I was wrong.

Does anyone else have thought or facts to add, if you do please help, I need all the help I can get!



At my old school around half of the maths teachers that had a maths degree. One had an oxford maths degree and a couple of others had maths but the rest of the department was science, economics and business so you dont need a maths degree. Also the department thought they were pretty strong having half of them with matsh degrees.

I think you should be ok with the psyc degree becasue it was a route i considered myself. I have A-levels in Maths further maths and psyc but in the end chose maths. I always thought that if you were doing the Bsc in psych then your course is 50+% maths so you should be ok to do a PGCE in maths.

As for maths no longer becoming a shortage subject, i have no idea.
Reply 16
Hi im interested in doing a maths pgce with a psychology degree. where did you apply and could you give me any more information. thanks.
Reply 17
Original post by suniya23
Hi im interested in doing a maths pgce with a psychology degree. where did you apply and could you give me any more information. thanks.


You need to quote the people you are trying to speak to. After 3 years and 6 years respectively, they are unlikely to see your thread by chance.