So you pretty much know all the facts about studying a Bachelor of Education at MQ Uni, but curious about what people really think?
You’ve come to the right place! We’ve chatted with Jessica, who’s studying Education at Macquarie, about what it’s like for her.
Let’s take a look!
Why should you study a Bachelor of Education at MQ Uni?
Top 3 Pros of an Education Degree
Top 3 Cons of an Education Degree
Things to Know Before Starting a Bachelor of Education at MQ Uni
What Makes this Degree Different
Motivations for Studying a Bachelor of Education at MQ Uni
Potential Career Paths
Why should you study a Bachelor of Education at MQ Uni?
There are lots of reasons to study a Bachelor of Education at MQ Uni, from wanting to be a teacher to enjoying a subject so much that you want to share that with others! Jessica tells us why she chose to study Education alongside her Arts degree.
If you particularly enjoyed a subject in high school, a degree in Education offers you the opportunity to learn and understand it at another level! Macquarie is also located conveniently close to public transport, and has affordable parking, Jessica tells us.
Top 3 Pros of an Education degree
#1: Professional Placements
Studying Education at Macquarie also means going on professional experience placements where you are sent to a school to observe or teach in at various points in the degree. This ensures that you can apply the theory you learn and prepare you for the workforce!
“[Professional placement] changed how I saw the content and theories I was learning. I’ve always been a creative person, and it helped me apply that to all the different ways that people learn the same thing,” Jessica tells us.
#2: Straightforward Assessments
The lecturers won’t be out to get you in Education units at Macquarie — assessments are straightforward and all you need to focus on is keeping on top of the content! If you are unsure, your tutors and lecturers are always happy to help you out.
“The exams aren’t difficult so long as you know your stuff. Unlike in the HSC, where the whole year’s content is condensed, sometimes only half the semester is assessed — so it’s not intense,” explains Jessica.
#3: Low Contact Hours
“Education units usually only have 2 hour lectures and 1 hour tutorials, which means I don’t have to go to campus that often,” Jessica reveals.
Less contact hours means more time for other things — helping you keep a healthy balance in your life! While there will still be work at home to complete, you can do all of this from the comfort of your own bedroom.
Top 3 Cons of an Education Degree
#1: Content Can be Dry
An education degree teaches you how to be an educator and a lot of that is theory based. While this is a downside to any degree, a Bachelor of Education in particular has lots of content that may not appeal to everyone, even if you do have your heart set on becoming a teacher.
According to Jessica, “Lots of the pedagogies and strategies are theory-focused, and I found that pretty boring until I was able to apply that in my prac.”
#2: What You Learn May Feel Narrow
The content for most Education units is straightforward and this can sometimes mean there isn’t much space for discussion or ‘thinking outside the box’ when it comes to the theoretical concepts of teaching.
Speaking about her English major in her Arts Degree, Jessica explains, “I feel like there’s always a text for you… [but] in Education it’s just lots of theories you have to learn.”
#3: Lots of Independent Learning
There will be a substantial amount of at-home work to complete involving long, sometimes dense, readings. Your lecturers and tutors may not offer much support in this area, and it’s often up to you to make sure you’re on top of what you need to know.
“I’m pretty independent — that helped me keep on top of my content and do my assessments on time,” she explains as we spoke about the ups and downs of studying Education at Macquarie.
What do you wish you had known before starting a Bachelor of Education at MQ Uni?
#1: There’s More Than You Might Expect
“I got what I expected — learning how to teach others; only that there was a lot more content and perspectives you need to consider in Education,” she says.
As Jessica tells us, it’s good to keep in mind that although you have a good idea of what school is like from a student’s perspective, you’ll have to learn lots of content and will be prompted to consider different perspectives in the course of this degree.
#2: The Style of Writing is Different
Compared to the essay writing you learn in high school English, Education essays require lots of research and referencing and the style of writing may be challenging to adapt to at first. Keeping a keen eye on your marking criteria and assessment details may help you adjust to the shift in expectations!
As we chatted about writing essays in Education, Jessica says, “It’s so different from the way you write in English… with English it’s all about your own ideas but you have to reference everything in Education.”
What makes this degree different from the ones offered at other universities?
Compared to some other universities in Sydney, a Bachelor of Education at MQ Uni is on the shorter side at 4 years full-time. This means you can head out into the workforce earlier and have the same qualifications as someone who spent 5 years in the same degree!
The physical space of where you choose to study also matters! Study spaces that encourage productivity and minimise distractions is one of the great things about Macquarie University.
“The campus is also really nice — the new Arts building opened recently and it has lots of good study spaces,” Jessica reveals to us.
What inspired you to choose a Bachelor of Education at MQ Uni?
Jessica tells us about her love of English, “You get to learn about what you love a lot better and share that with others,” she says.
She also adds that job prospects are quite meagre for studying English alone, “There weren’t many options for English, and Education happened to be something I was also interested in.” Now she’s able to share her passion for English with others!
What are the possible career paths?
These are some of the career paths you might follow when graduating from a Bachelor of Education at MQ Uni:
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- Secondary/primary school teacher
- Education officer within a range of public and private institutions
- Educational adviser to government or other agencies
- Educational policy planner
- Educational researcher
It’s commonly thought that teaching is the only career path open for an Education degree, but that’s not completely true! There are paths to becoming an educational adviser, officer and a policy planner and depending on your teaching subject degree, there will be even more career options available!
We hope that hearing what Jessica has to say helps you figure out what you want to be doing after high school!
Millicent Tai hopes to one day become a full-time teacher and is currently studying a Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Science at UNSW. She enjoys tutoring students at Art of Smart in English and Maths and has loved reading and writing for as long as she can remember. In her spare time, you can find her avidly reading Christian biographies or fishing in Animal Crossing.
