Education MA

About the Course

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This award is designed for those with a broad interest in education and enables students to undertake a high-level, critical evaluation of educational theory and practice and develop the skills and confidence to enhance professional practice in learning organisations.

Aims

This course is available as the MA in Education, or the MA in Education with a specialism in:

• Educational Management 
• Gifted Education
• Special Educational Needs
• Science, Maths and Technology

The University reserves the right not to run a specialism where the numbers are insufficient to make it viable in a particular year.

The MA in Education award enables you to:

• identify problems and questions in areas of interest and to design study plans or research strategies to deal with them;
• undertake a high-level, critical evaluation of educational theory and practice;
• develop the skills and confidence to enhance professional practice in learning organisations;
• undertake a critical and informed evaluation of relevant research.

The MA in Education award is designed for those with a broad interest in education. Three core modules cover the central issues of educational research: Assessment, Learning and Teaching and Professional Education. Three option modules can be selected from those on offer in the programme. The Dissertation module allows you to undertake a substantial, critically-informed, independent research assignment in a particular area of educational study.

Candidates who are successful on the MA programme, particularly in their dissertation, may apply for entry to higher degrees, including the taught Doctorate of Education or the research-based PhD.

Enquiries

Course Administrator
Taught Programme Office
School of Sport and Education
Brunel University
Email sse-pgtcourses@brunel.ac.uk
Tel +44 (0)1895 267156

Related Courses

• Doctorate in Education EdD

Special Features

A distinctive feature of studying Education at Brunel is that the process of learning is informed by cutting edge research by staff. The MA in Education has been praised in particular by external assessors for the ways in which staff use their cutting-edge research in their teaching, making research integral to students’ experience.

The course also features:

• Enthusiastic tutors who combine broad-ranging expertise with the skills and knowledge needed to develop students’ academic and professional potential;
• Students who are encouraged to enhance their career opportunities and to develop their capacity for employment in complex professional environments that require sound judgement, personal responsibility and initiative;
• Possible exemption from two of the MA modules prior to the dissertation for teachers with a PGCert qualification with 60 M-level credits;
• The opportunity for international students to tailor their studies to their own national context.

Course Content

The programme has a flexible structure which meets individual student needs, and includes: core modules covering the central issues of educational study and research, option modules which provide breadth of study and a dissertation module which allows for specialist study in an area of your choice.

The organising principles which underpin the programme provide links between the MA modules and our research strengths. These research strengths are in the areas of:

• Professional Education
• Enhancing Teaching and Learning
• Inclusive Education

The MA in Education is designed to enable you to identify problems and questions in areas of interest and to design study plans and research strategies to deal with them. It will help you to develop skills and enhanced professional practice within learning organisations, and will offer you effective support undertaking research in a particular area of educational study.

Modules (all core)

Foundation Disciplines in Education

Literature and Policy Analysis

Action Research

Research Methods in Education
Main topics of study: the work of educational professionals as research-informed activity; beginning the process of inquiry; the idea of experiment; surveys; interpretative research, case studies and interviewing; ethnography and observation; evaluation; action research.

Dissertation
All students enrolled on the MA in Education award will be offered a choice of focus for their dissertation which allows them to opt for a specialist MA in Education award.

Recent examples of dissertations by students taking this course include:

• Evaluation of a project in ICT;
• An investigation of teaching programmes for children with dyslexia;
• Provision for gifted and talented pupils.

Assessment

Taught modules are assessed by an assignment which is submitted at the end of the term. You will complete a 5,000-word assignment (or equivalent) for each

30-credit module. Your final dissertation should be 15,000 words in length.

To be awarded a Master’s degree, you will have to:

Complete 120 taught credits and a dissertation with a value of 60 credits; achieve a minimum of grade C in 60 taught credits and a grade D or above in the remaining 60 taught credits; achieve a minimum of Grade C for the dissertation.

To be awarded a Master’s Degree with Merit, you will have to:

Complete 120 taught credits and a dissertation with a value of 60 credits; achieve a minimum of grade B in 60 taught credits and a grade C or above in the remaining 60 taught credits; achieve a minimum of Grade B for the dissertation.

To be awarded a Master’s Degree with Distinction you will have to:

Complete 120 taught credits and a dissertation with a value of 60 credits; achieve grade A in 60 taught credits and achieve minimum grades of B or C in the remaining 60 taught credits in which a minimum of grade C may be achieved in no more than 30 credits; achieve a grade A for the dissertation.

Students who terminate their studies after successfully completing 60 credits may be eligible for the award of a Postgraduate Certificate depending on grades achieved.

Students who terminate their studies after successfully completing 120 credits may be eligible for the award of a Postgraduate Diploma depending on grades achieved.

Fees for 2013/14 entry

For those admitted with APEL who have been awarded a PGCert with QTS from Brunel University, a 60 credit module fee reduction will be applied.

UK/EU students: £5,800 full-time; £2,900 part-time

International students: £13,500 full-time; £6,750 part-time

Read about funding opportunities available to postgraduate students

Fees quoted are per annum and are subject to an annual increase.

Entry Requirements

Usually a first degree with appropriate professional experience. Suitably qualified candidates from other related professions will be considered. Associate students who register for individual modules may progress to the Master's course by successfully completing four modules.

English Language Requirements

Brunel also offers our own BrunELT English Test and accept a range of other language courses. We also have a range of Pre-sessional English language courses, for students who do not meet these requirements, or who wish to improve their English.