Undergraduate

BSc (Honours) Secondary Education in Physics

On this page

• Description
• Planning your studies
• Career relevance
• Courses
• Learning outcomes
• Credit for previous study elsewhere
• Classification of your degree
• Regulations
• How to register

Description

Study for this degree will equip you to become a teacher of science in secondary schools, specialising in the teaching of physics. Your study at Levels 1 and 2 will provide you with a breadth of scientific knowledge that will support you in teaching science across the curriculum at Key Stage 3, and with a good basic foundation in physics and sufficient mathematics to support you in teaching physics to advanced level in schools.

You will then follow The Open University’s flexible modular course of initial teacher education (ITE). This course allows flexible patterns of study over up to three years. Distance learning study of the theory of teaching and learning is integrated with its practical application during sustained periods of teaching in two partner schools.

This degree is currently only available to students who are normally resident in England, who are leaving employment in a technical role in the armed forces. (You may choose to study any of the individual components, with the exception of the Level 2 physics courses (The physical world (S207) and Physics by experiment (SXR207)) and the ITE course, without being registered for the qualification.)

Planning your studies

In order to register for this degree, you will need to be offered a place following a selection process designed to explore your suitability for a teaching career. You will also need to meet government requirements, which may change as a result of government decisions.

At present you must:

• be able to attend school placements in England
• have (or expect to have by the time you begin the ITE element of the degree) a GCSE grade A–C, or the equivalent, in English language and in mathematics (note that most Level 1 OU mathematics courses, including Using mathematics (MST121), are considered to be acceptable alternatives to GCSE mathematics)
• show evidence in your application and at interview that you can communicate clearly and grammatically in written and spoken standard English.

If you cannot satisfy the English or mathematics requirements – most local colleges of further education offer GCSE courses both during the day and in the evening. Some schools also admit adults to their classes. You can find information about adult education in your local library. You might also consider taking OU courses that would both satisfy the requirement and give you valuable additional subject background to enhance your degree.

You should apply to study for this degree prior to registering on individual courses. Selection interviews will be held prior to the closing date for each registration of Exploring science (S104).

Once you have registered for the degree, you will be assigned to a personal tutor who is an experienced teacher of physics and who will support you until you complete your degree. You will also be able to register with the Institute of Physics, becoming part of a community of student teachers of physics.

You should start your studies with either Exploring science (S104) and the associated residential course Practising science (SXR103) or Using mathematics (MST121). If you have not previously studied mathematics you should consider taking Open mathematics (MU120) before MST121.

These compulsory Level 1 courses will give you a firm foundation for study at a higher level. You might also like to complement the compulsory Level 1 courses by studying one of the 10-point Level 1 science short courses.

You need to ensure that you have a minimum of 120 points at Level 2 or above, and sufficient science courses to bring your total points from science courses to 240.

You should note that The physical world (S207) and most of the Level 3 courses require a good pass in an applied mathematics course at the level of Mathematical methods and models (MST209).

If you have already studied some OU courses, it may be possible to link these courses towards the degree.

There is no time limit for obtaining the required credit points for this qualification unless you are including discontinued courses which may cease to be countable at some point after their final presentation.

Career relevance and employability

Successful completion of this honours degree leads to a recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) conferred by the General Teaching Council for England (GTCE).

The science courses studied for the degree will advance your subject knowledge, develop your problem-solving abilities, mathematical and communication skills, and use of computers for learning and communication.

There is more information about teaching as a career on the OU Careers Advisory Service website.

Courses

For this 360-point honours degree you require:

290 points from the following compulsory courses:

And at least 70 points from the following optional courses (of which at least 50 points must be at Level 2 or above) to bring your total points from courses with codes that begin with S to 240:

Or, subject to rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued courses S236, S246, S247, S267, S268, S269, S271, S272, S280, S281, ST291, MST207, MS323, ST240, T202, T235, T236, T265, at Level 3 the discontinued courses S357, S381,  MST322, T327, T331, T333, T354

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:

• Knowledge and understanding
• Cognitive skills
• Practical and professional skills
• Key skills

Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes, and how they are acquired through teaching, learning and assessment methods.

Credit for previous study elsewhere

If you have already completed some successful study at higher education level at another institution we may be able to give you credit that you can count towards the general science and mathematics elements of this Open University qualification. You can find out more on our Credit Transfer site. If you make a successful claim for transferred credit it may affect your choice of courses so you are advised to investigate this option as soon as possible.

We anticipate that students who have been employed in technical roles in the armed forces registering for this award may be able transfer credit from relevant professional or vocational study in relation to their role, for example from BTEC/Edexcel HNC/HND awards.

Initial Teacher Education: recognition of prior experience

While it is not possible to count credit for study you have done elsewhere towards the education component of this degree, if you have prior experience of teaching in UK schools or colleges, or in forces schools overseas, you may be entitled to exemption from study modules, blocks of school experience or end of level assessment.

Credit transfer details for this qualification:

• Essential Information Sheets - BSc (Honours) Secondary Education in Physics

Classification of your degree

On successful completion of the required number and type of courses you will be awarded a Bachelor of Science (Honours) Secondary Education in Physics degree. Your honours degree will be classified either as first-class honours, upper second-class honours, lower second-class honours or third-class honours. The class of degree is determined by the grades you achieve in the Level 2 and 3 courses studied for the award. You will have the opportunity to attend a degree ceremony to collect your award certificate.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Award Regulations and the Student Regulations.

Award Regulations

• Introduction to the Award Regulations
• Bachelor of Science (Honours) Secondary Education in Physics
• Schedule A to the Award Regulations

Student Regulations

The Student Regulations (including the Code of Practice for Student Assessment and the Code of Practice for Student Discipline) are available on our Policy Documents for Students website.

How to register

To register for this qualification, read the description and check you meet any specific requirements (for example, some of our qualifications, require you to be working in a particular environment, or be sponsored by your employer). Then select the course you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that course.

About this page

An undergraduate qualification in Education and Science.

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