Program Overview

MA Education (DL)

Overview

The MA Education (DL) course is delivered entirely through distance learning, making it a flexible way to achieve a master's qualification, whether you're studying in the UK or overseas. The degree will enable you to develop your own professional practice and provide you with the opportunity to acquire advanced research and study skills. The course will equip you for various roles within teaching and educational management.

Why us?

• Have the opportunity to study an Early Years Teaching route
• Study in a flexible, independent and yet well supported manner that enables you to achieve a master's qualification whilst also being busy as a full-time teacher or trainer
• Carry forward 60 credits from a University of Sunderland PGCE to our MA and enjoy both the academic and financial benefits of continuing your studying
• You're able to share and benefit from being a member of a global ‘community of learning and educational practice’ within each of your modules
• Graduate from a UK university which has been training teachers for over 100 years

Course structure

If you're studying for the MA Education (DL) degree, you can learn from anywhere in the world that has good internet access, as learning materials will be e-books, online journal papers and other online resources.

Compared to an undergraduate programme, you will find that a master's degree requires a higher level of independent working. Assessment methods include written assignments and a 15,000-word master's dissertation.

Course modules

Core modules:

• Introduction to Criticality (30 credits)
  • Gain an understanding of the importance of critical thinking as the basis of your study, located in the belief that critical thinking and analysis in the broader context of education is the model for educating critical professionals. Develop your skills in self-assessment, mental flexibility, creativity, interpretation, and argument.
• Research Methods in Education (30 credits)
  • Explore the principles and practice of conducting educational research, including research design, data collection, management and analysis, use of I.T. tools and resources, conducting literature surveys, writing for the academic research community, the politics and ethics of educational research, theoretical perspectives, and current debates relating to research. Generate and evaluate your own research tools and engage in depth with relevant critical literature.
• MA Thesis (60 credits)
  • Complete a substantial piece of research within your chosen field of study and related to your designated route. Gain an in depth understanding of your specialist area by answering a research question, the proposal for which will have been examined in the Research Methods in Education module.

Optional modules (Generic route, choose two):

• Mentoring and Coaching (30 credits)
  • Explore the principles, concepts, theories and models relating to the development of coaching, guidance and mentoring skills. Evaluate the impact these might have on teaching and learning. Demonstrate the development of related skills, the personal qualities that underpin effective learning relationships and the ability to integrate these skills into your professional practice. Develop supportive relationships, both personal and professional, as well as awareness of the potential of all learners.
• Leadership, Leader Identity and Educational Organisations (30 credits)
  • Critically explore leadership models and how these are influenced by the micropolitics of organisations. Evaluate and self-analyse personal and professional development of the strategic leaders in this context. Consider leader identity by exploring values, motives and goals for developing and enhancing strategic leadership. Develop interpersonal awareness through critical reflection and evaluate leadership style in terms of impact on others and the organisational context.
• Curriculum in the Contemporary World (30 credits)
  • Examine the key drivers that influence curriculum development in Britain and across the globe. Gain a theoretical and practical understanding of the curriculum and its design and development over time. Critically examine how decisions made about the curriculum have become crucial to how inclusive the provision is and how progress and attainment are achieved through the teaching and learning strategies chosen in light of change. Explore ways in which we can utilise research data to influence practice and select the most appropriate pedagogies for a specific subject area.
• Gender and Diversity (30 credits)
  • Examine the concept of gender and diversity in relation to inclusive and representative education for all pupils, including transgender and cisgender children. Learn about gender and diversity in a way that develops your reflective and analytical ability to be adaptive and flexible in response to a dynamic and fast-evolving field. Develop contemporary knowledge as well as the skills to foster an inclusive, representative, and supportive pedagogical approach and learning environment for all students.
• Inclusive Education from Policy to Practice (30 credits)
  • Examine a selection of ideological standpoints in relation to the inclusive education of a range of learners. Investigate the background to current inclusion debates, contextualised within the current legislative framework. Discuss a range of issues pertaining to inclusive education and in particular, how the concept of 'inclusion' is conceptualised.
• Supporting Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs (30 credits)
  • Explore the impact of supporting and working with children, young people, families, and stakeholders in the area of social, emotional, and mental health. Examine models of mental health and wellbeing in relation to diagnosis and treatment directions, and the impact on life outcomes. Undertake a critical examination of the rights and needs of children with SEMH difficulties, including childhood adversity and the impact of school policies and procedures in supporting participation and learning and preventing school exclusion.

Optional modules continued (Generic route, choose two):

• Causes and Implications of Barriers to Learning for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (30 credits)
  • Critically explore the cause of the barriers to learning that SEND can engender, including the impact of Government policy, adverse childhood experiences and day-to-day practice within a range of health, education and care contexts. Examine the impact of evidence-based staff knowledge, understanding and skills, and the importance of co-production with caregivers, learners with SEND, and professional organisations to improve participation and outcomes across the life course.
• Advanced Professional Practice in Subject Related Disciplines (30 credits)
  • Develop a critical understanding of how an aspect of your specialist subject can be further enhanced through pedagogical practice and theoretical research. Critically examine your subject within a professional context and seek to analyse existing provision, improving that provision through theory, research, and practice. Carry out substantial practitioner research which will be further enhanced by in depth analysis of practice in relation to existing research and critical evaluation.
• Leading Organisational Effectiveness in Education and Training (30 credits)
  • Examine the issues relating to the human elements within the audit, planning and implementation of organisational change in an educational establishment. Explore topics such as the complexities of the principles of leadership, leadership roles and responsibilities, when determining the need for change in an educational establishment. Investigate the issues relating to effective human and material resourcing, the implications of human resistance to change and the influence of motivational skills when attempting to resolve under-performance.
• Assessment Theory into Pedagogical Practice (30 credits)
  • Examine educational assessment theory in relation to the practice which you are involved in your own educational setting. Consider current assessment theories and trends, as well as the construction and development of assessment policy around these theories and trends. Design, implement and evaluate specific assessment instruments within your own context.
• The Nature of Teaching and Learning (30 credits)
  • Gain knowledge of current research around children’s learning and associated modes of teaching. Reflect upon your own professional practice and consider the potential of introducing alternative teaching and learning experiences. Consider the nature and contribution of different types of assessment and explore major psychological theories of learning with reference to the social foundations of cognitive development.

Early Years Teaching route modules:

• A Critical Analysis of a Curriculum for the Early Years (30 credits)
  • Evaluate ways in which the curriculum you currently work with relates to theoretical models of an Early Years curriculum and identify strengths and limitations. Critically consider how key themes of the curriculum you work with affect the quality of the educational experiences and holistic development of children. Explore the impact of culture and society on the curriculum and evaluate the way in which competing demands of different social worlds can influence content and processes. Examine how children of all abilities from different backgrounds can access the curriculum on an equal basis.
• Negotiated Individual Study in Early Years Teaching (30 credits)
  • Undertake a piece of independent academic study related to your professional development in leading change and engage in intellectual challenge and dialogue. Develop both general and specific knowledge and skills, identifying the key skills that will enhance your ability to transfer learning to further study and to the workplace.

Facilities

This distance-learning course can be studied from anywhere in the world. You'll need good internet access to use our Virtual Learning Environment, where you will access specially designed learning materials, e-books, e-journals, relevant websites and multimedia.

Entry requirements

Our typical offer is:

• Qualification: a bachelor's degree (3 years)
• Minimum grade: 2:2 classification

If you already hold a postgraduate qualification, please see our Applying for additional postgraduate degrees Help and Advice article.

If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.

If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at for further advice.

We usually require applicants to hold at least a second class honours degree (usually a 2:1) or equivalent.

We also expect you to have experience of teaching or training, following your graduation from your first degree. If you've previously studied a PGCE with us, you can transfer 60 credits over to this master's course.

Applicants whose first language isn't English must achieve a minimum IELTS band score of 6.5, with 6.5 in writing, and no less than 6 in Reading, Speaking and Listening.

Fees and finance

Fees are £8,500.

A £250 deposit must be paid prior to the start of the course. This deposit is refundable up until the point of enrolment.

Please note, if you're a UK student, you can apply for SLC funding if you choose to study the part-time course, on campus, over two years or the full-time course over one year. If you elect to take longer to complete the course or bring any Level 7 credits from prior study with you, you're likely to be ineligible for SLC funding.

Career ready

On completing the MA Education (DL) course, your skills and understanding will be enhanced for roles in teaching, educational management, and other educational settings. In the UK, higher salaries are available for those who develop their professionalism and achieve the status of Excellent Teacher or Advanced Skills Teacher.

The ability to specialise the content of the course offers opportunities in particular fields of education, such as Early Years Teaching. If you select this route, you'll study modules that will allow you to examine the context of young children's learning and development. You will explore how to critically construct an Early Years Curriculum and identify skills that will enhance your ability to transfer learning to further study and to the workplace.

Please note that this course does not qualify you as a teacher. Read more about possible career opportunities with an MA Education degree.