Education
- Number of students per year: approximately two
- Typical offer: A*AA or equivalent
- Essential subjects: none
- Useful subjects: none
The Education degree at Cambridge is a rigorous and rewarding interdisciplinary degree that allows you to draw on social scientific, humanities, and scientific knowledge and explore education research and practice.
Teaching and support
Jesus College has a long history of education as a field of research and professional study.
We will want you to identify your own interests within this degree so that we can help you select courses which reflect your present concerns and your future aspirations. The breadth and depth of study on this course allows you to continue with a broad mix of subjects and engage with a range of new humanities and social scientific disciplines, perhaps for the first time.
We provide you with an environment where you can develop high level skills in analytical writing, research methods, evaluations of practice, critical engagements with policy, as well as dramatic productions, creative art, and music.
We have considerable success in helping our students achieve top grades in education by ensuring they have the best supervision in some of the traditional core disciplines of education (philosophy, psychology, sociology, and history of education) so that they may address the fundamental questions about the aims and values of education and its relationship to societies.
Studying Education at Jesus
At Jesus, we have built up a thriving UK and international education community which consists, on average, of over 30 students in total comprising undergraduates, teacher trainees, and postgraduates. We often bring everyone together, for example for an annual Education Dinner attended by leading educationists in addition to other gatherings during the year.
Our undergraduates make a significant contribution to College life, for example, by singing in the choir, writing and directing plays, or by becoming student ambassadors to encourage widening participation with school applicants.
Requirements
Given the breadth of this degree, students who take the Education degree will have a wide range of subject backgrounds and experience.
We're looking for candidates who are able to reach the high standards required by the degree, aiming to excel in the variety of education and other disciplinary papers they choose, and willing to engage with the intellectual challenge of education as a field of study. They will be able to develop their skills as they progress through the degree.
Jesus College welcomes applicants from both the UK and other countries and will consider all combinations of subjects at A-Level or equivalent.
Conditional offers are normally made at A*AA at A-Level or equivalent level of international qualifications. We welcome applications from students with qualifications comparable to A-Level, such as Scottish Certificate of Sixth Year Studies, the International Baccalaureate, and other school leaving examinations. Offers are normally made for the International Baccalaureate at 42 points, with 776 at Higher Level.
Interviews
In 2023-24, we’ll be interviewing shortlisted applicants virtually, with interviews taking place in December.
The interview process aims to assess your intellectual ability, potential, and commitment to the subject. Candidates are typically interviewed by at least three subject specialists, including the Director of Studies, and total contact time will be between 35-50 minutes in total. This could be in a single interview, or in two separate interviews. Further details will be made available to candidates closer to the time.
Find out more about the interview process on the University website.
Written assessment
There is currently no written assessment for Education.
Preparation
No specialist knowledge is required but it is valuable to explore your interest in education by reading around contemporary education debates in the news, and by reflecting on your own educational experiences, and those which you might have acquired helping others learn.
Written work
All applicants are required to submit two pieces of written work. These should be in essay format (not science coursework or a timed exam) and can be extracted from an EPQ.
Deferred and post A-Level entry
We're happy to consider deferred applications and post A-Level applications from those who have achieved A*AA at A-Level or equivalent. If you choose this option, you'll go through the normal competitive process with the other applicants. We'll also consider second time applicants without prejudice.
Find out how to apply to study at Jesus.
