BA (Hons) Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Professional Practice (top-up)
Course Overview
The BA (Hons) Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Professional Practice (Top-up) provides a valuable way to use your existing qualifications and knowledge to obtain a degree at the University of Bolton. You’ll have the chance to study a balanced combination of current educational policy and issues, and draw in relevant aspects of sociology, philosophy and psychology. It’s a great opportunity to explore in-depth some of the key current issues affecting education in the UK and abroad.By thinking about how we learn, we’ll guide you in an exploration of how formal learning, alongside acquired knowledge, shapes our lives, interests and value structures. We’ll also encourage you to research and analyse a range of educational practices, reflecting on your own and others’ experiences of education. This will help you think critically about teaching, learning and assessing and how education is perceived and received.
Highlights
- Our Education courses are ranked first in the UK for student experience and seventh in the UK for teaching quality by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022, so you can be assured that we offer high standards of tuition and pastoral care.
- Also, our Education courses are top in the UK for course and feedback satisfaction, according to the Guardian University Guide 2022.
- This course offers you the opportunity to use your existing qualifications and knowledge to obtain a University degree by completing only one year’s extra study.
- Small class sizes mean more keenly focused attention on your learning needs and strategies for success.
- Our experienced professional and approachable tutors will guide and support you throughout your course, delivering online sessions and offering attentive one-to-one support.
- You’ll be studying at a University known for its supportive atmosphere, and get to study alongside students from a variety of backgrounds, each with an individual and unique perspective on education.
Key Features
- You’ll have the chance to take on a systematic and reflective study of education that’s illustrated and informed by the diversity of teaching and learning approaches in different sub-sectors of education.
- You’ll reflect on your current roles and responsibilities to build on the experience you’ve gained in educational settings and learn from the learning and teaching you’ve observed.
- Our teaching draws on your own experiences of learning as a starting point for understanding the formal educational process. You’ll be expected to contribute to research and discussion through critical reflection on your own education and by listening to the experiences of others.
- On successful completion of this course, you’ll be awarded the BA (Hons) Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Professional Practice from the University of Bolton.
Entry Requirements
- You’re normally expected to have successfully completed a relevant qualification at Level HE5, such as a foundation degree or HND, or a professional qualification at an equivalent level.
- You must have current relevant employment teaching your area of professional practice.
- You’ll be required to attend an interview and provide a portfolio of work evidence.
- If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Career Opportunities
The University of Bolton’s BA (Hons) Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Professional Practice (top-up) course offers you the opportunity to top-up your existing Level 5 qualification, such as a foundation degree or HND, to honours-level. Gaining honours-level skills and knowledge in education and research can help you to advance in your teaching career or widen your career horizons.
What can I do with this qualification?
You will not be limited to working in education, however. Possessing an honours degree opens new doors and offers the possibility of changing your career completely. For instance, as a graduate of this course, you would be able to apply for postgraduate study allowing you to qualify as a Social Worker, or you could undertake master’s degrees in Data Analytics and Technologies or Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Completing an honours degree is an investment in your future that can unleash your potential.
Alternative career options
Graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers where entry may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. Some of these careers include:
- Education officer
- Family liaison
- Educational psychology
- Educational administration
- Educational writing
- Careers guidance
- Training and development
- Quality standards
- Community engagement
- Youth work
- Social work
- Play therapy
- Human resources
- Publishing
- Market and policy research
- Librarianship
Fees & Funding
Home/EU Fees
| Year of study | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry Year | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | |
| 2025-26 | £9,535 | - | £9,535 |
| 2026-27 | - | ||
International Fees
| Year of study | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry Year | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | |
| 2025-26 | £17,500 | - | £17,500 |
| 2026-27 | - | ||
Bursaries
Important note regarding tuition fees: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
How to apply
Home Applicants
If you wish to apply for multiple institutions or multiple courses at Bolton for September entry, then apply through UCAS
You can apply for up to 5 courses through UCAS (at the same or different institutions) for a fee of £27. Alternatively, if you only wish to apply for a single course at a single institution then a reduced applicant's fee of £22.50 is applicable.
The online application form and guidance notes are available on the UCAS website.
You will need the following information to complete your UCAS application form:
Institution Code Name: BOLTN
Institution Code Number: B44
Tel: 0870 1122211
Web: www.ucas.com
If you wish to apply for a single course offered by the University of Bolton for any intake, you can apply directly
If you have carefully considered your course and institution choices and decided that this course is the best option for you, you may apply directly to the University using our online application form shown below.
A direct application to Bolton provides the following features:
Free of charge to apply
Secure, simple and streamlined
Contact us directly for any admissions queries
Regular updates on your application directly from the University
Invites to offer holder events and taster sessions where you can meet your future tutors and get a flavour of university life
NOTE: You cannot apply both through UCAS and directly to Bolton. Submitting an application to any university through UCAS during the same academic year will void any direct application you make to Bolton.
For courses starting in September, please be aware that we are required to share your information with UCAS if we accept you on this course. We will create a simplified UCAS acceptance record on your behalf and return this to UCAS. By submitting your application directly to the University of Bolton, you agree to these terms.
If you are ready to apply directly, please select your chosen start date from the list below.
Before applying, please read the entry requirements section of this page.
If your course runs at multiple locations or has various start dates, please be sure to select the correct application link from the list below.
Before beginning your application, you should have the following information to hand:
Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
Details of any employment history, including name, address, dates and role
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already inputted.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
-
Apply online: University of Bolton BA(Hons) Learning Teaching and Assessment in Professional Practice (Top Up) - 22 September 2025
International Applicants
Thank you for your interest
In order to determine your suitability for this course as an international student and also to confirm you meet any initial eligibility criteria, we need you to answer a few short questions.
Partner Organisation Applicants
University of Bolton Group Partners
Bolton College
University Collegiate School
Alliance Learning
University of Bolton
For valued members of the University of Bolton Group and progressing students, we try to make our application process as simple and as fast as possible.
If you have carefully considered your course and institution choices and decided that this course is the best option for you, you may apply free of charge to the University. By selecting the appropriate link from the list shown below, you will be taken directly to our online application form. Please read the user guidance before completing this, and ensure you upload all supporting documents such as certificates and your personal statement when you apply.
When you are asked to add a contact email address, please ensure you add your college/university email account address as well as your personal address. If you do not add your college address as your contact address, we will be unable to identify you as a partner and offer you the benefits of being part of our group.
NOTE: You cannot apply both through UCAS and directly to Bolton. Submitting an application to any university through UCAS during the same academic year will void any direct application you make to Bolton.
For courses starting in September, please be aware that we are required to share your information with UCAS if we accept you on this course. We will create a simplified UCAS acceptance record on your behalf and return this to UCAS. By submitting your application directly to the University of Bolton, you agree to these terms.
If you are ready to apply directly, please select your chosen start date from the list below.
Before applying, please read the entry requirements section of this page.
If your course runs at multiple locations or has various start dates, please be sure to select the correct application link from the list below.
Before beginning your application, you should have the following information to hand:
Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
Details of any employment history, including name, address, dates and role
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
Details including email addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already inputted.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
-
Apply online: University of Bolton BA(Hons) Learning Teaching and Assessment in Professional Practice (Top Up) - 22 September 2025
We look forward to receiving your application and you continuing your academic journey with us!
Teaching & Assessment
This course is taught largely online, supported by a combination of tutor-led, face-to-face sessions and access to online resources. We’ll help you develop your research skills while you mould your own approach to individual learning and independent research. You’ll also have lectures, seminars and group work to help you progress successfully. One-to-one tutorial support will also be made available to you as appropriate. All activities are designed to offer you a great learning opportunity.
Assessment tasks will be linked to the learning outcomes for each module. All assignments will be based on course work and will vary from academic essays to e-discussions, portfolios, presentations and seminars. The assessment tasks will involve research exercises, and possibly the use of reflective journals and case studies. Reflective activities, including using relevant theories and reflective tools, will help you to relate theory to practice. Formative assessment feedback on written assignment preparation will be given orally in tutorials and immediately following presentations, with practice presentations encouraged in some modules.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
- The Illusion of Inclusion
- Psychology of Education
- Professional Practice in Education
- Developing Professional Practice and Promoting Wellbeing
- Supervising Research
Assessment methods
| Level | Assessment method |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Coursework 100% |
| Level 2 | Coursework 100% |
Learning Activities
| Level | Activity |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Guided independent study 70% Placement/study abroad 9% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 21% |
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
