爱丁堡玛格丽特女王大学

Are you are a health sciences, food or science-related graduate looking for an inspiring, challenging and socially empowering career? This new one-year course will give you an internationally recognised qualification to become a secondary school home economics teacher.

The course will take you way beyond the kitchen to explore vital contemporary issues in home economics such as the correlation between nutrition, wellbeing and cognitive/emotional development. You’ll learn how to help build resilient and sustainable communities through a better understanding of the basics of nutrition and health equality.

Why QMU?

• On graduation you will be guaranteed a job for one year in a Scottish secondary school as a home economics teacher (Scottish or EU students).
• QMU is well known for its work in food research, and hosts the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation.
• Learn to teach a subject with the power to shape individuals’ private lives and society’s public health As a graduate of this course you will be a standard bearer for good food and health, vital to the happiness and wellbeing of students.

Course overview

Are you passionate about helping young people build a better future? This course will prepare you as a teacher to inspire students to care about their own wellbeing and that of ­others. This is about more than reinventing how young ­people learn to cook. Through practical classroom experience and research-driven academic learning you will learn how to help young people become ­citizens of a planet in which food security is under threat, resources are finite and health challenges persist.

The curriculum aims to develop knowledgeable consumers with an awareness of global citizenship and its responsibilities. The world needs people who are able to make sound judgements, appreciating the impact that developments in technology, materials and resources have on their choices and wellbeing. You will be encouraged to interrogate prevailing assumptions, practices and policy. You will explore interconnected topics including food poverty, body image, eating disorders and social media, and debate issues such as the impact of food bank use on people and their communities and how we can understand the obesity-poverty paradox.

The course will collaborate with local organisations and charities so you can gain hands-on experience and real-world knowledge. School counsellors, school nurses and other health ­specialists will run workshops on topics including cyber bullying, child exploitation, neglect, welfare and rights.

Placement

You will complete an 18-week placement in two different schools in Scotland. Placements are an invaluable way of building on your theoretical learning and seeing the evidence of how it can benefit young people. Placements are generated through the GTCS Student Placement System (SPS) and are based on a student’s term time address. Students could be required to travel no more than 90 minutes to their placement and are required to pay for any additional expenses which may occur whilst on placement (eg travel, accommodation). Under no circumstances should students source their own placement.

Careers

Scottish or EU students will be guaranteed a job for one year in a Scottish school following graduation as part of the GTCS Teacher Induction Scheme. After graduating, candidates register with the GTCS for provisional registration and on successful completion of a probationary teaching year will be awarded full registration.

Exit awards

PGDE (120 credits)