We offer the unique opportunity to study for England’s first Integrated Master’s Degree in Physical Education with QTS! You can opt to study at one of two levels – BA (Hons) Physical Education (with QTS) or MPhysEd (Integrated Master’s) (with QTS)
Train for a career where you will inspire and influence young people - giving them the motivation, confidence, competence and understanding to lead a physically active life.
Develop your understanding of teaching and learning, and apply it in practice via placement in each year of study, supported by a mentor and university-based staff.
Become an outstanding teacher of Physical Education with recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), competent to teach a range of physical activities to children aged 11-16 (16-19 with enhancement).
This course is accredited by the Department for Education (DfE).
The assessment strategy is based upon the premise that critical evaluation of theoretical perspectives as they apply to your own teaching is an intrinsic element of best teaching practice. Throughout the course, therefore, you will continually be encouraged to explore what is known about teaching and learning, and to demonstrate independence and creativity in evaluating the relevance of that knowledge in your own context. Assessed work will be directly applicable to your future role as a teacher and predominantly include essays, reflective writing, reports, presentations and portfolio. During your placements you will be assessed directly against the Teachers Standards. In years one and two you will complete in-class tests to assess your developing knowledge and understanding. Sound subject knowledge is a fundamental quality of an effective teacher and you will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to ongoing development of that knowledge throughout the course.
Also key to the course is a focus on the development of research informed teaching, culminating in an extended systematic study of your own practice (action research project/dissertation). By embedding the professional requirements for Qualified Teacher Status within the academic requirements of the degree, the course supports you in developing the qualities which define the University of Bedfordshire Graduate Teacher: an independent, reflective, creative, innovative, collaborative and resilient professional who is committed to ongoing personal and professional development.
The assessment for this course seeks to support you in developing your understanding of the interplay between theoretical perspectives and practice based experience. You will be developing your skills of research and evaluation, critical thinking, creativity and independence.
The themes for your reflective writing are developed from local and national priorities and, therefore, allow you to develop the evidence of your understanding of values and principles underpinning the Teachers Standards as they apply to your working context. (Superficial statements of performance against the standards oppose the principles which underpin this course and are not accepted). By building your reflections around these themes, you will generate rich evidence which can contribute to the assessment of your professional performance. Hence, the assessment items are intrinsically connected and, in combination, allow you to demonstrate your achievement of all learning outcomes. The Profile Review Point is the process by which the mentor reviews your progress in your teaching practice.
The Teachers Standards (2012) provide the framework by which this progress is judged and are supplemented with descriptors which support you in understanding the qualities which define the level at which you meet the standards. The Teachers Standards Descriptors are included in School Experience documentation.
Formative use of assessment is embedded throughout the course and is a principle which we would expect you to adopt in your own teaching. You will be supported to become familiar with self- and peer-assessment approaches and to make effective use of feedback on both academic and practice-based aspects of the course, to identify targets for your ongoing development and plan actions to address them. Engagement with published research is a fundamental aspect of the course and you will be supported in developing skills of critical analysis of the literature.
Rigorous attention to referencing conventions is, therefore, essential and you will be required to adopt the Harvard system. You will be supported in developing your understanding of plagiarism and poor academic practice to ensure that your work meets the highest standards of ethics.
We will consider you as an individual and take into account all elements of your application, not just your qualifications. We are looking for breadth and depth in your current studies and enthusiasm for the subject you wish to study.
You can work out how many UCAS points your qualifications are worth with the UCAS tariff calculator
Contact the Admissions Team for additional guidance on whether the qualifications you currently hold or are taking would be suitable for entry.
T: +44 (0)1582 743500
E: admission@beds.ac.uk
As a general guide, to apply for a place on an undergraduate course (BA/BSc) at the University you need to have completed your high school education and have the required English qualification.
We have students from all the European Union member countries so we are quick to make decisions on most qualifications. See your country page for more details
Check Your Country page to confirm that your local qualifications are suitable or contact your International Admissions Team
All candidates are interviewed and this process consists of: an individual verbal interview and a practical test for games, gymnastics and dance.
Local and national demand for University of Bedfordshire graduate teachers is high. Recent annual destinations surveys show that typically 95-100% of graduate teachers will have secured full-time teaching posts to begin in the year of graduation.
For those who wish to gain promotion within schools, evidence shows that this is highly likely, with many graduates securing a variety of leadership responsibilities. Recent graduates are now in roles such as Head of Department, Head of Year, Head of House, Assistant Head, Deputy Head and even Head Teacher. Other graduates who wanted to work in education internationally are now in teaching and leadership positions around the world.
If you decide that school teaching is not for you there are opportunities for you to use the skills that you have gained in other areas of training, coaching and adult education as well as more broadly in sports or education organisations. Occasionally, other graduates use their transferable knowledge, skills and understanding in unrelated fields and industries.
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2020/21 is £9,250 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs.
See www.gov.uk/student-finance
The University of Bedfordshire offers a number of scholarships and bursaries to help you finance your studies.
See www.beds.ac.uk/scholarships
The University reserves the right to increase tuition fees by no more than inflation.
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2020/21 is £9,250 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees.
See www.gov.uk/student-finance
The University of Bedfordshire offers a number of scholarships and bursaries to help you finance your studies.
See www.beds.ac.uk/scholarships
The University reserves the right to increase tuition fees by no more than inflation.
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2020/21 is £12,350 per year. A prompt payment discount is available if you pay the full Year 1 fee before or at registration. There are also special scholarships available.
The University reserves the right to increase tuition fees by no more than inflation.
You will need to pay £44 for the initial Disclosure and Barring Service check plus an annual update charge of £13.
For this course you need a tracksuit and PE kit. We estimate that the total spend would be around £100.
Travel costs
You need to budget for travel costs to your teaching placement. The cost can be from £30 up to £1000 depending on the location of your school placement.
*The information above is for guidance only. Exact costs may vary.
Find out more about additional costs while studying at Bedfordshire. Click here
The Gateway Building located at the entrance of the Bedford campus holds a wide range of facilities including the main reception, student information desk, a café on the ground floor, large lecture theatres as well as a range of study rooms & breakout spaces on all floors.
Part of the University's 'greening of the campus' initiative, the £25m investment in the Gateway includes a number of sustainable and low carbon technologies such as rainwater harvesting. The project team are aiming towards a BREEAM sustainability rating of 'excellent'.
The Bedford Campus Centre holds the large 280 seat professional theatre on the ground floor and the 80 seat studio theatre on the first floor as well as a box office just inside the entrance where students, staff and the wider community can get tickets for the variety of student performances that are held by our School of Media & Performance.
Also on the ground floor is the main campus café which offers a wide variety of tasty food & drink and is a great social space for meeting friends and group working.
The University guarantees accommodation to all new students.
Choose from Liberty Park's en-suite study bedrooms or the Student Village which offers standard rooms with shared bathroom facilities, and en-suite rooms with a private shower. All have fully-equipped kitchens.
Our rooms are on-campus and have easy access to the town centre and train station.
Our specialist labs give students a fantastic environment to develop their research skills and expertise, where a student can explore the biology of an elite athlete who could be performing simultaneously within the sports hall.
Few Sport Science courses in the country offer students such unique discipline leading research experience and skills, alongside intimate access to world leading researchers within their field. Students are regularly offered the opportunity to be involved within discipline defining Sport, Health and Exercise Science research
Our state-of-the-art laboratories are purpose built for research and teaching in the fields of exercise and nutrition science. This includes specialised equipment and facilities for assessing human health risk and delivering exercise and diet interventions for health promotion.
Set within the Campus Centre is a 260 seat professional theatre on the ground floor with industry-standard lighting, media desk, roll-down screen, full backstage comms system and large dressing rooms with en suite showers. On the first floor there's also a well-equipped 80 seat studio theatre.
Our theatres welcome new and existing audiences to see a range of student work including contemporary dance, theatre and performing arts; holding regular performances.
The Aspire Gym has state of the art cardiovascular equipment with smart phone compatibility.
There is also an extensive range of fixed resistance machines and a small free weights area.
Changing rooms with showers and lockers are available for members to use.
The teacher education centre is set out over a number of blocks on campus containing realistic mock classrooms for students to learn and train within.
As part of this our Forest School also provides the opportunity for teachers to be trained in outdoor learning and the educational benefits of outdoor play.
We have a long-established history in teacher training and education with over 500 partnerships with schools, colleges and other organisations.
The sports hall is an integral space in the School of Sport Science and Physical Activity, complementing discipline leading Sport and Exercise Science and modern biological analysis laboratories, all co-located on the Bedford campus.
The sports hall is proud to host all Bedfordshire Bulls students' sports matches as well as national standard sporting events including British University College Sports championships – one of the few indoor sporting venues in the county to host prestigious tournaments all year round.
The facility also plays host to a number of University promoted Get into Sport activities which are open to all University students and staff.
Alongside the large sports hall the campus is surrounded by sports fields and a multi-use games area for the University's Sport and Physical Education degree students.
The Bedford campus is located just outside the centre of town within easy walking distance. For students and staff travelling by train we also run a free regular bus service from Bedford Station to the Campus. Bedford has excellent transport links to the rest of the UK as it sits between the M1 and the A1. The town connects by train to Luton (20 minutes) and London (40 minutes).
Application for most full-time undergraduate and foundation courses is via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
We expect to receive UCAS applications between 1 September and 15 January for courses starting in the following academic year, but may consider applications received after this date should places be available.
Please contact admission@beds.ac.uk for further details.
All UK schools and colleges are registered with UCAS to manage their students' applications. Advice on how to submit your UCAS application is available from your school or college.
If you are not at school or college (including mature students) you should apply independently via UCAS
EU students applying for a full-time undergraduate degree at the University of Bedfordshire should apply via UCAS or direct using our admissions form
International students applying for a full-time undergraduate degree at the University of Bedfordshire should apply direct using our admissions form or via our representatives in your home country
You can also apply online
Find out more about how to apply as an International student