Physical Education

Our degree offers an excellent route into physical education careers both in the UK and abroad. After you graduate, you can register with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).

Wherever you go on to work, our programme will leave you well-positioned to articulate, advocate and take action toward what it means to teach for a better world.

Three reasons to study Physical Education at the University of Edinburgh

1. Our vibrant community

* We have over 400 passionate students currently studying Physical Education with us, the highest number of undergraduate PE student teachers in the UK.

* Our dedicated staff and student teams work to promote a strong sense of community and belonging in our Physical Education cohort.

2. We are committed to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)

* We embrace the University’s vision, fostering an environment where every student thrives.

* We actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds, cultivating a rich and varied teacher workforce.

3. High-quality staff and teaching

* You will join a dynamic, interdisciplinary team that leads cutting-edge research at our school.

* Staff are engaged in world-leading physical education research projects, exploring diverse topics that are shaping the future of teaching and learning.

* Our teaching is connected with the real-world demands of contemporary physical education through partnerships with schools and external agencies in research hubs at Moray House.

How we teach

The four principles of our degree are:

* applied learning

* opportunity

* connection

* community

You will build your knowledge, skills and vision of education in various ways, including:

* placements in our partner schools (and others) that offer opportunities to apply theory to practice

* learning underpinned by values of social justice, inclusion, sustainability and professional inquiry

* opportunities to take courses from across the University to broaden and develop your learning and interests

* connections with students in other years and on other programmes

* our sense of community, including good links with schools, guest lectures, awards and a peer support network

We support you to become a confident, creative, reflective practitioner.

We aim to produce graduates with a critical awareness of their own teacher identity, ready to work in 21st-century education systems.

Mental health and wellbeing partnership

Student teachers at the University of Edinburgh also engage with our mental health and wellbeing programme.

This is provided through our unique partnership with children’s mental health charity Place2Be and helps you to support mental wellbeing in your classrooms and yourself.