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MA - Education

This dynamic full-time programme offers the opportunity to extend professional knowledge appropriate to enhancing your career profile and prospects in a range of roles relevant to your context and interests. It will give you a deeper understanding and expertise in a field of education and the global outlook, cultural fluency and importance of social change prized in today’s employment market.

Appropriate to educators in a range of contexts, a focus on employability and career advancement skills explore how skills and knowledge acquired within the programme can optimise employment opportunities. Employer-led events, career guidance and introductions to organisations offering optional voluntary practical experience opportunities, mean you develop your professional profile and become well equipped to identify, accelerate and navigate career progression opportunities.

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Course Overview

Our full-time MA Education is designed to help you gain the mastery you need, in terms of knowledge, understanding and skills, in order to respond effectively to the changes and challenges in the world of education today. It will provide a choice of themes for study and an approach to extend and develop your educational knowledge, skills and interests for specific career development paths in teaching, leadership, governance and consultancy. Modules draw on current international research, within a focused and dynamic academic community on campus and include supported opportunities to submit for publication.

You get develop a deeper understanding of the field of education including the global outlook, cultural fluency and importance of social change prized in today’s employment market. Employer-led events, career guidance and introductions to organisations offer optional voluntary practical experience opportunities; develop your professional profile while studying.

On this course you will...

Join an established, world-class education department.
Be guided by tutors who are experts in their field.
Belong to an academic community that has a reputation for excellence.
Complete a one year research informed masters level qualification that is recognised around the world.
Enjoy career progression and graduate outcomes that lead to new employment opportunities.

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Key Details

Recruiting toUK / RoI / Settled in UK
EU / EEA / International
Course LocationLancaster
Institute Institute of Education, Arts and Society
Mode of DeliveryFace to face
Course DurationFull-time: 1 Year
Course Start PointSeptember
AwardMA
More informationProgramme Specification
Prospectus
Open DaysLancaster
All

Minimum entry requirements

Bachelor Hons Degree 2:2 or equivalent

Honours degree

UK Tuition fees

£6,900

Entry in academic year 2025/26

£7,100

Entry in academic year 2026/27

International Tuition fees

£14,900

Entry in academic year 2025/26

£16,000

Entry in academic year 2026/27

Tuition Fees Policy

Course Structure

What you will learn

This is an internationally recognised one-year advanced study master's degree (QAA, 2020). It is three semesters long (36 weeks) and consists of four, short 30 credit modules and one longer 60 credit dissertation module. You will learn to critically evaluate current research, scholarship and practice to systematically address a range of complex issues in education. They critically engage with this complexity, develop skills and knowledge in relation to quality of education, communicate ideas and share findings.

This MA is specifically designed to support your professional development and enrich your contribution or accelerate career development in your chosen context. On this programme you will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of research in a chosen field of professional practice and educational enquiry, enhancing your capacity to show originality in the application of knowledge and practical understanding.

Year one

This one year programme provides you with critical and sophisticated understanding of different contexts, partnerships and agencies relevant to the field of education. It develops comprehensive, critical understanding of techniques applicable to the investigation of practice in education, and a critical knowledge and understanding of how techniques of research are employed to create and interpret knowledge in your chosen field of professional enquiry. Through interactive workshop seminars, you'll acquire advanced knowledge and understanding of the concepts underpinning research and scholarly activity in the wider field of professional educational enquiry; engaging with critical evaluation of current research, relevant methodologies and ethical dimensions to education research.

Theories of Education Learning
During semester one, this module aims to help you to develop your understanding of theories relevant to the way that people learn. You will consider factors that contribute to good professional practice and select an aspect of this for further exploration throughout your MA journey. It will provide you with an understanding of the importance of the interplay between theory and practice and critically evaluates findings from published research. At its heart, is an opportunity for you to develop professional understanding in an area of your choosing and to consider the implications of this for your own career development.
Education Policy
This module aims to critically examine the dynamic policy environment in which education operates; to consider a range of perspectives and theoretical frameworks relevant to the participant’s interests and to use these to critically analyse educational leadership in an age of marketization, performativity and system leadership.
Leading Advanced Professional Learning
Evaluate academic discourse that underpins current issues in the leadership of Professional Learning for all educationalists. It evaluates literature and theoretical frameworks to reflect critically on the facilitation of professional learning the relationship between theory and current practice This module considers approaches that may impact on evaluation, quality assurance and continuous quality improvement in professional learning contexts.
Challenging Disadvantage
Moving into semester two, your focus will be on challenging disadvantage and evaluate academic discourse that underpins current issues in the leadership of Professional Learning; to evaluate the literature and theoretical frameworks; to reflect critically on the facilitation of professional learning the relationship between theory and current practice. This module considers approaches that may impact on evaluation, quality assurance and continuous quality improvement in professional learning contexts.
Critical Analysis of Theory and Practice
This final, longer dissertation module spans semesters two and three. The aim of this module is for students to develop a comprehensive knowledge in an area of practice that is relevant to their own interests and career progression. Identifying a topic and conducting a literature review is intended to draw together learning from previous modules and enhance their future employability through creative and critical thinking.

Teaching & Assessment

How you will learn

This MA is designed to run as full-time face-to-face experience. We seek to create a stimulating and innovative community of learning that is facilitated by an expert tutor team. You will experience a learning environment that is well equipped, flexible, and stimulating. This provision will also allow you to access material and appropriate learning activities on programme and module virtual learning environments.

The programme is delivered using a range of teaching and learning strategies appropriate to adult learning (andragogy). The intention is to ensure you have a sense of being part of a learning community and that you are able to engage in learning experiences that are intellectually stimulating and enriching.

Learning and teaching on this course integrates a variety of methods and resources that support the needs, preferences and interests of different learners. Explicit models of design will support students in understanding the process that they are engaging with. Expert knowledge contributions are combined with effective use of learning technologies to promote powerful social and individual learning opportunities.

Research-informed teaching on the programme draws on sector specific knowledge and expertise in a global/international context. Tutors supporting this programme are experts in their field and the team has substantial experience in tutoring MA and research students.

Academic, digital and professional graduate skills development sessions are built into the programme’s modules and the University’s academic skills team also provide support specifically designed for Master’s level study throughout the year.

International applicants will benefit from specific guidance and support relating to studying in the UK, developing English language proficiency and career, employability and CV development for the UK and international market.

How you will be assessed

Students engage in a variety of different forms of authentic assessment, to provide a creative and balanced strategy across the programme. A range of engaging and challenging opportunities, that are relevant to the needs of the workplace, allow for effective feedback to enable student success.

The focus of assessments is particularly designed to be relevant to the needs and interests of you as an individual with an emphasis on the interaction between theory and practice. The programme promotes the concept of ‘assessment for learning’ through formative and summative assessment opportunities in each module.

Formative Assessment is designed to help you learn more effectively by giving you feedback on your performance in order to indicate how it can be improved and sustained. The formative assessment tasks included in each module help students to make progress in terms of preparation for the summative assessment. There is a direct relationship between the formative and the summative assignment and academic skills/research skills development.

Each module in semester one has a short final, summative assignment. These summative assignments draw on a range of strategies and during the course of the year. You will be assessed through literature review, construction of a critical reading log, academic poster and presentation. This aligns to the University-wide Learning Teaching and Assessment plan moving forward in terms of authentic assessment that will contribute to professional understanding and employability.

The assessment of skills culminates in the longer dissertation module. At this stage in the MA, a detailed module guide will ensure that your supervisor and Personal Tutor can track and monitor your progress and provide interim feedback to support and help you.

Career Outcomes

Current and future career prospects for successful graduates of this programme are excellent. This is based on the University’s employment data for our existing part-time programme (100% in the last academic year). This programme is designed for you to achieve significant career progression. This informs programme curriculum content, which supports career progression options. The programme’s learning, teaching and assessment strategies that intentionally focus on knowledge, skills and understanding that support career advancement.

Fees & Funding

Tuition Fees

UK Tuition fees

£6,900
Entry in academic year 2025/26

£7,100
Entry in academic year 2026/27

International Tuition fees

£14,900
Entry in academic year 2025/26

£16,000
Entry in academic year 2026/27

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs.

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible.

International Finance

At the University of Cumbria, we offer affordable tuition fees for international and EU students looking to study at one of our main four campuses. No matter your choice of course or career path, our International Team is here to support you.

More Information

We have a wide range of scholarships, bursaries, grants and funds available to support you throughout your studies with us. This includes the Cumbria Bursary - a non-repayable bursary designed to support first year students with a household income of less than £25,000..

Student Finance

Additional Costs

Stationery, printing and digital storage

Approximately £30 to £40 per year

RequiredPer yearStationery

You should budget for stationery and consumables for personal use. These may include notebooks, pens and pencils, digital storage devices, printing and photocopying. The amount you spend will depend on your study preferences.

Books and journals

Approximately £50 to £300 over the course of your studies

OptionalThroughout the courseBooks and journals

Most core textbooks and journals are available through the University library. You may choose to purchase personal copies of books or other resources used to support your studies.

Some courses recommend particular books or provide an estimated annual budget for purchasing personal copies. Search for your course below for details.

Technology requirements

Cost depends on the equipment and internet service you choose

RequiredThroughout the courseDigital learning and IT

You will need regular access to a laptop or computer capable of accessing the internet and running software such as a word processor and Microsoft Teams. Microsoft 365 is provided as part of your studies. You will also need a reliable internet connection. The amount you spend will depend on the equipment and internet service you choose.

Information on borrowing university laptops

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Location
Lancaster Campus
Lancaster is the Red Rose heartland, a student haven full of history and culture. With iconic stone architecture, parkland, and a caring community, this is the place to get involved. The campus houses top-quality facilities tailored to the needs of life-savers, world changers, and future leaders.
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MA - Education