Special Education BA (Hons)

This course is in clearing

Overview

Course options

Select year

Degree

UCAS code: XC61 112 UCAS points
  • BA (Hons) Special Education, home applicant, full time

    • Home Applicant
    • Full time, 3 years
    • Pound 9250 per year. You don't need to pay this up front.
  • BA (Hons) Special Education, home applicant, part time

    • Home Applicant
    • Part time, 6 years
    • Pound 2310 pro-rata full time fee

Degree with foundation year

UCAS code: XC60 48 UCAS points
  • BA (Hons) Special Education, home applicant, full time

    • Home Applicant
    • Full time, 4 years
    • Pound 9250 per year. You don't need to pay this up front.

What makes this course different

Highly rated by our students

96% of students surveyed on this course responded positively to questions on "Teaching on my Course” in the 2023 National Student Survey. (National Student Survey 2023, Results published 10 Aug 2023)

Read the full NSS survey results

Foundation year

Find out more about our flexible early childhood studies, education and special needs foundation pathways.

Learn about foundation years

3rd in London

Our Education courses rank 3rd in London in the Guardian University Guide 2025.

Course modules

NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.

Download course specification

Your future career

A career in special education might involve developing innovative teaching methods to support students with autism spectrum disorders in mainstream classrooms or working one on one as a special needs coordinator. Your degree can also be a good foundation for other roles working with children or adults with additional needs.

At UEL, we offer dedicated careers support, and further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking. Our education courses are created in collaboration with employers and the education industry to ensure they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future career and provide you with the essential skills needed. You can focus on building interpersonal skills through group work and benefit from our investment in the latest cutting-edge technologies and facilities.

Industry links

TBC

Graduate employers

Special education graduates have gone on to work for London boroughs, schools and NHS trusts. With a special education degree, you could work for a Local Education Authority, charity, the NHS, schools or an educational department in a university or government.

Job roles

A special education degree equips you with valuable skills to work with individuals of all ages who have a range of learning disabilities or special needs.

Typical roles which our special education graduates have gone on to are year group/ phase leader, teaching and behaviour support worker, and inclusion development officer.

We offer postgraduate courses for further specialisation and you can explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.

Further study

We offer a wide range of master's degrees in special education, early childhood or leadership in education, should you choose to specialise further. This could set you apart from other education graduates and give you specialist skills to develop your career further.

Docklands Campus Children's Garden
Without a doubt, the best thing about my course at UEL is the dedicated and knowledgeable lecturers that I've been taught by. I'm well supported in my learning. I feel valued in the classroom and inspired to learn and progress further in my field."
James Bennett

Special Education BA (Hons) undergraduate

How we support your career ambitions

We offer dedicated careers support, and further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking. Our courses are created in collaboration with employers and industry to ensure they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future career and provide you with the essential skills needed. You can focus on building interpersonal skills through group work and benefit from our investment in the latest cutting-edge technologies and facilities.

Career Zone

This digital platform provides you with careers and employability resources, including: 

  • Jobs board for internships, placements, graduate opportunities, flexible part-time work 
  • Mentoring programmes for insight with industry experts 
  • 1-2-1 career coaching services 
  • Careers workshops and employer events 
  • Learning pathways to gain new skills and industry insight

Mental Wealth programme

Our Professional Fitness and Mental Wealth programme issues you with a Careers Passport to track the skills you've mastered. Some of these are externally validated by corporations like Amazon and Microsoft.

Our Mental Wealth programme

We are careers first

Our teaching methods and geographical location put us right up top:

  • Work-based projects
  • Networking and visits to leading organisations
  • Support in starting a new business
  • London on our doorstep

How you'll learn

You'll be taught by staff with relevant experience and practice to ensure you learn from real-life experience and research. We encourage an educational experience that is active, social, collaborative, engaging, and student-owned. You will have access to a variety of resources ensuring your learning experience goes beyond the classroom.

Guided independent study

When not attending timetabled lectures you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This will typically involve reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for exams. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, Microsoft Teams, and Moodle.

Academic support

Students are supported with any academic or subject-related queries by an Academic Advisor, module leaders, and former and current UEL students.  If you need a bit of extra help with certain skills such as academic writing, English, maths, or statistics, our Academic Tutors offer workshops, drop-in sessions, and one-to-one appointments to help our students achieve their potential.

You can receive advice and guidance on all aspects of the IT systems provided by the university from our IT Service Desks located on all three campuses. Our Student Support hubs in Docklands and Stratford feature centralised helpdesks to cater to your every need. 

We are investing in key areas beyond your studies including our career services, library, and well-being, to be available both face-to-face on campus and online with many of these available 24/7. 

We have new, modern library facilities on both campuses offering inspirational environments for study and research. Libraries contain resources in print and digital formats, a range of study spaces, and a dedicated librarian who can assist with your learning. 

UEL provides also support and advice for disabled students and those with specific learning difficulties (SPDs).

Dedicated personal tutor

Our aim is to prepare our students for a broad range of careers so that they can make amazing contributions to their communities. When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. This is the member of staff who will provide academic guidance, be a support throughout your time at UEL, and who will show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer. 

Workload

Your overall workload consists of class and online tutor-led sessions, individual learning, and practical activities.

Your timetable

Coursework will include assignments, self-reflective assignments, presentations, and group work.

The approximate percentages for this course are:

  • Year 1: 100% coursework
  • Year 2: 100% coursework
  • Year 3: 100% coursework

Class sizes

Class sizes are approximately 30.

How you'll be assessed

The approximate percentages for this course are 100% course work. Assessment tasks are mainly spread across the year to make the workload manageable. More details will be included in the student handbook and module guides. You will always receive detailed feedback outlining your strengths and how you can improve. We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 15 working days, although you will receive immediate feedback following many of our face-to-face assessments.

Campus and facilities

Water Lane, Stratford

Who teaches this course

This course is delivered by School of Childhood and Social Care

The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.

DiscoverUni

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Select year

Statistics for BA (Hons) Special Education Degree, Full Time

Statistics for BA (Hons) Special Education Degree, Full Time

What our students and staff say

Happy Students
I enjoy the variety of topics we cover on my course. They have raised my awareness of current issues and relevant theories that explicitly relate to the education sector and situations that I might face in a classroom in the future."

Diane Griffiths

Third year student