MA/PgDip/PgCert Education
Attendance
Part-time
Part-time – typically one year to certificate, two years to diploma and three years to masters, maximum six years
Starts September
At a glance
About this course
This course offers you flexible professional and personal development opportunities. It is ideal if you are a teacher, either experienced or recently qualified, or another educational practitioner working in • an educational setting • a role supporting some aspect of learning • an education care role.
The course is practice-oriented so your work is focused on your workplace or community setting. You develop a reflective and critical approach to issues arising from your practice. You draw on your professional experience and link this to research, policy and new approaches to develop your knowledge base and critical evaluation skills. Through this learning you are able to develop and influence practice in your current and/or future context.
We advise you on the best route through the course by helping you to select modules most appropriate for your context and requirements. These are often delivered at the University on Saturdays or in the evenings. In the enquiry phase, the final stage to achieve a masters award, you undertake a substantial enquiry into an area of professional concern.
There is considerable flexibility in the delivery of our accredited professional development packages for groups of staff in schools and other educational institutions. For example, we can customise the modules in the course to your needs and can often deliver aspects of the course off-site.
The course helps you to develop your • professional knowledge and understanding of practice in your context • enquiry and practitioner research skills • academic skills • employability skills that link closely to your education specialism and career aims.
You can focus your studies on
• primary or secondary education
• further education and/or higher education
• professions allied to education such as learning mentor, arts education officer or those responsible for professional development
You develop the following knowledge and skills
• building a knowledge base to enable critique of policy and practice
• professional work-based learning
• professional reflection
• practitioner enquiry
• developing practice and innovation
• leadership of change
Your employment opportunities following this course are many and varied. The changing education context creates opportunities for postgraduate professionals who are able to
• lead change in complex work environments
• work across different agencies and teams to secure improvements in learning and inclusion
• draw on a broad knowledge base to develop and influence practice and policy
• use reflection and research skills to understand the needs of learners, colleagues and partners in education
There is also a full-time version of this course.
Associated careers
This course provides you with an opportunity to develop your skills in • effective teaching and learning • leadership • team working • curriculum development • research.
These skills are relevant to your personal development and career progression in a range of roles in education in both formal and non-formal settings.
Course content
Core modules
Enhancing learning and teaching across educational contexts
In this module you examine current practices in supporting and enhancing learning in educational contexts and consider the implications for your own practice. Your assignment is a review of learning and teaching practice in your own workplace, placement or personal context and a rationale for the development of practice.
Curriculum development: critical issues of policy and practice
In this module you look at issues of policy and practice in relation to curriculum development in UK and international contexts. Your assignment includes a review of a curriculum issue and reflection on your plans and/or the outcomes of a curriculum development project in your workplace, placement or personal context.
Collaboration, partnership and team working
In this module you examine theories, models and research focused on working effectively with others in educational contexts. Your assignment includes a report on an enquiry into an aspect of collaborative, partnership and/or team working relevant to your workplace, placement or personal context.
Participation, diversity and inclusive practice
In this module you examine the concepts of participation and inclusion, exploring strategies to enhance the participation of learners and plan for inclusive education. Your assignment includes a review of an aspect of provision relevant to your workplace, placement or personal context, addressing issues for participatory and/or inclusive practice.
Developing others through mentoring and coaching
This module is for people engaged in a formal mentoring or coaching relationship in the context of an education workplace, such as initial teacher training, newly qualified teachers, Masters in Teaching and Learning coaches, peer coaching or pupil mentoring schemes. It is practice-orientated and gives emphasis to your skills and attributes in mentoring and coaching.
You are introduced to mentoring and coaching theories, models and research, which you then apply to your own practice. Your aim is to develop reflective and creative approaches to issues and concerns arising from your own and others' mentoring and coaching practice. Your assignment is a critical commentary on the mentor-mentee relationship focussing on a chosen specific aspect of mentoring and coaching interest.
Reflecting on professional learning (by negotiation with your tutor)
In this module you use an appropriate professional activity or independent investigation related to your workplace or setting as a vehicle for professional learning. The assignment is a critical reflection and a report of your study, placing your learning in a wider context informed by current theory, research and policy development.
You are advised about your options for the final enquiry phase to gain a masters award. This is often through completing the following two modules
Practitioner enquiry
This module introduces you to the nature and process of practitioner enquiry in preparation for your masters project or dissertation. Content includes reviewing literature and trialling a method. Your assignment is a pilot study and proposal for your major project or research dissertation.
Enquiry-based project
This module is your masters project and requires you to formulate, research and carry out a major piece of enquiry into an aspect of educational practice. It might be an implementation project or a more traditional research dissertation. The assignment is the project report.
Alternatively, it may be appropriate for you to select a further core module before doing a shorter enquiry phase. This core module is
Developing practice through research
In this module you undertake critical practice-based enquiry activities. This involves undertaking your own research activities and using the research of others to develop an informed approach to challenging and developing practice in an area of professional concern. The assignment is a critical commentary on your activity, evaluation and reflection.
Assessment
Assessment is by 100% coursework and includes • presentations • reflective accounts • individual and group activities • essays • research reports.
Entry requirements
You normally need a BA (Honours) degree or equivalent. We take account of your degree classification and may ask to see an example of academic writing.
You normally need to be employed in a professional role relevant to your study.
If English is not your first language, you need an overall IELTS score of 6.5 with 6.5 in reading and 6.5 in writing. We may undertake a face-to-face or telephone interview to ensure your spoken language skills meet the requirements for working with learners in an educational setting or context.
Accreditation of Prior Credit and Learning (APCL)
If you have existing masters level credit from previous postgraduate study, you may be eligible for exemption from some elements of the early stages of this course.
Fees
Home and EU students
2013/14 academic year
Typically £5,355 for the course
International students
2013/14 academic year
Typically £10,980 for the course
2014/15 academic year
Typically £11,250 for the course
How to apply
Complete the application form available at www.shu.ac.uk/study/form