Education BA at Cambridge
15
Hi all,
This is really a three-part question so I'll number them below.
1) I have been looking at interdisciplinary Cambridge courses for a while now as i have a wide range of interests (my A-levels being politics, history and English Lit but i have a strong interest in sociology) and was set on HSPS. However, i went on a zoom about Education and i am now considering it as it would allow me to focus on all of my interests including History, English and Sociology. I do like politics however and wondered if anyone knew how much politics is actually involved and how much policy I would be able to study?
2) I had never heard of an Education degree and it is not widely spoken about - being one of the courses with the fewest applicants at Cambridge. Would this degree be regarded as less than another degree (HSPS) which is perhaps more well known? - I want to either go into social research for the government or continue in academia
3) Due to it being a more niche degree I am struggling to find much information about student experience or general stories about admissions so any advice/links would help greatly
Thank you for reading and any responses are greatly appreciated.
This is really a three-part question so I'll number them below.
1) I have been looking at interdisciplinary Cambridge courses for a while now as i have a wide range of interests (my A-levels being politics, history and English Lit but i have a strong interest in sociology) and was set on HSPS. However, i went on a zoom about Education and i am now considering it as it would allow me to focus on all of my interests including History, English and Sociology. I do like politics however and wondered if anyone knew how much politics is actually involved and how much policy I would be able to study?
2) I had never heard of an Education degree and it is not widely spoken about - being one of the courses with the fewest applicants at Cambridge. Would this degree be regarded as less than another degree (HSPS) which is perhaps more well known? - I want to either go into social research for the government or continue in academia
3) Due to it being a more niche degree I am struggling to find much information about student experience or general stories about admissions so any advice/links would help greatly
Thank you for reading and any responses are greatly appreciated.
Reply 1
Hello! I am currently a student on the Foundation Year in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Cambridge and will be studying BA Education next year!
Although I am not on the course yet I have some insight into what studying the course is like through my friends/meeting with my future Director of Studies in the subject. In the first year of the course you study a broad set of papers covering all disciplines. In the second and third year you get a really good opportunity to specialise and delve into things like policy if you wish to! However, you can also continue to study a broad range of disciplines.
In relation to your second point, most employers aren't particularly bothered about the exact title of your degree. As far as recruiters are concerned in 99% of professions, having a degree in Politics isn't any more of an advantage than an Education degree. I am still in contact with some BA Education Alumni from Cambridge and they're in a very wide range of careers now (Banking, Marketing, Law, Teaching etc, the same range of subjects as HSPS grads really). The most important thing is to do a degree you're interested in, because it is what you are most likely to work hard at and succeed in: everyone I know doing a degree that they felt like they should do, rather than something they wanted to do is struggling. The most important thing a lot of the time (unfortunately, because its ridiculous) is the university that you attend and the networking you do while there.
Here are a few resources! I would also recommend attending an open day:
https://insideuni.org/blog/a-week-in-the-life-of-an-education-student-at-cambridge/
https://youtu.be/1CN_oOl3uPE?si=hIIzHQo2HxtccUsHsH
I'd also take a look at the faculty website!
Although I am not on the course yet I have some insight into what studying the course is like through my friends/meeting with my future Director of Studies in the subject. In the first year of the course you study a broad set of papers covering all disciplines. In the second and third year you get a really good opportunity to specialise and delve into things like policy if you wish to! However, you can also continue to study a broad range of disciplines.
In relation to your second point, most employers aren't particularly bothered about the exact title of your degree. As far as recruiters are concerned in 99% of professions, having a degree in Politics isn't any more of an advantage than an Education degree. I am still in contact with some BA Education Alumni from Cambridge and they're in a very wide range of careers now (Banking, Marketing, Law, Teaching etc, the same range of subjects as HSPS grads really). The most important thing is to do a degree you're interested in, because it is what you are most likely to work hard at and succeed in: everyone I know doing a degree that they felt like they should do, rather than something they wanted to do is struggling. The most important thing a lot of the time (unfortunately, because its ridiculous) is the university that you attend and the networking you do while there.
Here are a few resources! I would also recommend attending an open day:
https://insideuni.org/blog/a-week-in-the-life-of-an-education-student-at-cambridge/
https://youtu.be/1CN_oOl3uPE?si=hIIzHQo2HxtccUsHsH
I'd also take a look at the faculty website!
Reply 2
Lars360
OP
15
Hi,
Thank you so much for your detailed response. Which college are you attending?
Thank you so much for your detailed response. Which college are you attending?
Reply 3
Original post
by Lars360Hi,
Thank you so much for your detailed response. Which college are you attending?
Thank you so much for your detailed response. Which college are you attending?
Queens'! (When you do the Foundation Year, unless there are extentuating circumstances you remain at your college for both the duration of your Foundation Year and undergraduate degree)
Reply 4
Hello, I graduated from this degree!
On what you will study: there is lots of all the disciplines that you mention above. Often, whilst the papers themselves might have a particular 'focus', you can bring a very interdisciplinary approach to study them within e.g., supervision essays and exam answers. There is also lots of space for thinking about politics.
Take a look at the Faculty website and look at the kind of staff in the Faculty -- you'll see it's a very interdisciplinary group, and many people are working on 'political' questions in different ways (whether through political sociology, critical development studies, international relations, political economy or e.g., critical approaches to the arts).
On future destinations: People from this course have gone on to receive funded PhDs at some of the top unis across the world, work in government, become teachers, work in consulting, finance or a variety of other private sector fields. In short, I wouldn't worry about this!
You are thinking about the course the right way -- it's a bit like a Liberal Arts course where all the questions start with some relation to Education.
Not sure about interview prep material etc -- just general advice of reading critically at the intersection between your interests and education would be a good start (e.g., blogs/articles/books on politics/sociology/history of education).
On what you will study: there is lots of all the disciplines that you mention above. Often, whilst the papers themselves might have a particular 'focus', you can bring a very interdisciplinary approach to study them within e.g., supervision essays and exam answers. There is also lots of space for thinking about politics.
Take a look at the Faculty website and look at the kind of staff in the Faculty -- you'll see it's a very interdisciplinary group, and many people are working on 'political' questions in different ways (whether through political sociology, critical development studies, international relations, political economy or e.g., critical approaches to the arts).
On future destinations: People from this course have gone on to receive funded PhDs at some of the top unis across the world, work in government, become teachers, work in consulting, finance or a variety of other private sector fields. In short, I wouldn't worry about this!
You are thinking about the course the right way -- it's a bit like a Liberal Arts course where all the questions start with some relation to Education.
Not sure about interview prep material etc -- just general advice of reading critically at the intersection between your interests and education would be a good start (e.g., blogs/articles/books on politics/sociology/history of education).
Original post
by turquoise-settleHello, I graduated from this degree!
On what you will study: there is lots of all the disciplines that you mention above. Often, whilst the papers themselves might have a particular 'focus', you can bring a very interdisciplinary approach to study them within e.g., supervision essays and exam answers. There is also lots of space for thinking about politics.
Take a look at the Faculty website and look at the kind of staff in the Faculty -- you'll see it's a very interdisciplinary group, and many people are working on 'political' questions in different ways (whether through political sociology, critical development studies, international relations, political economy or e.g., critical approaches to the arts).
On future destinations: People from this course have gone on to receive funded PhDs at some of the top unis across the world, work in government, become teachers, work in consulting, finance or a variety of other private sector fields. In short, I wouldn't worry about this!
You are thinking about the course the right way -- it's a bit like a Liberal Arts course where all the questions start with some relation to Education.
Not sure about interview prep material etc -- just general advice of reading critically at the intersection between your interests and education would be a good start (e.g., blogs/articles/books on politics/sociology/history of education).
On what you will study: there is lots of all the disciplines that you mention above. Often, whilst the papers themselves might have a particular 'focus', you can bring a very interdisciplinary approach to study them within e.g., supervision essays and exam answers. There is also lots of space for thinking about politics.
Take a look at the Faculty website and look at the kind of staff in the Faculty -- you'll see it's a very interdisciplinary group, and many people are working on 'political' questions in different ways (whether through political sociology, critical development studies, international relations, political economy or e.g., critical approaches to the arts).
On future destinations: People from this course have gone on to receive funded PhDs at some of the top unis across the world, work in government, become teachers, work in consulting, finance or a variety of other private sector fields. In short, I wouldn't worry about this!
You are thinking about the course the right way -- it's a bit like a Liberal Arts course where all the questions start with some relation to Education.
Not sure about interview prep material etc -- just general advice of reading critically at the intersection between your interests and education would be a good start (e.g., blogs/articles/books on politics/sociology/history of education).
Would it be worth me applying if I am interested in: Arts, creativity, psychology, and sensory biology?
Reply 6
Original post
by jelllyfiiishWould it be worth me applying if I am interested in: Arts, creativity, psychology, and sensory biology?
That's exactly the kind of combination that would be well catered for in the faculty and on the undergraduate degree, yes! You may find that Education requires you to be a little broader than just these things, at least for the first year, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
You can see a bit more about people involved in Arts in the faculty here https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/masters/themes/arts/, and same for psychology here https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/masters/themes/psyched/.
Original post
by AnonymousThat's exactly the kind of combination that would be well catered for in the faculty and on the undergraduate degree, yes! You may find that Education requires you to be a little broader than just these things, at least for the first year, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
You can see a bit more about people involved in Arts in the faculty here https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/masters/themes/arts/, and same for psychology here https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/masters/themes/psyched/.
You can see a bit more about people involved in Arts in the faculty here https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/masters/themes/arts/, and same for psychology here https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/masters/themes/psyched/.
Thank you!
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