Program Overview

Education (Mentoring and Coaching) MA

Overview

The MA Education (Mentoring and Coaching) is a flexibly taught masters course designed primarily for those who work or aspire to work in any field of education and training.

Key Features

• Reflect on your own coaching and mentoring skills, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of provision within an education institution
• Relate theory to practice, and consider how your own practice – and that of your institution – could be enhanced
• Learn in a variety of ways, including through reflective practice, paired exercises, coaching practice, group discussions, reading, and individual research
• Share your own experiences, and learn from other people’s some of whom will work in different sectors of education
• Develop valuable coaching and mentoring skills, which you can put into practice and highlight in future job applications and interviews
• Be taught by an experienced and highly qualified professional coach who, as well as working as a part-time lecturer, runs her own coaching company
• Flexibility: The programme of study can be completed on a full-time or part-time basis. Modules are delivered at weekends, in the evenings and online to maximise accessibility and to allow students to retain their other professional and family commitments
• International and full-time route: This route meets the needs of professionals wishing to study and familiarise themselves with the UK educational environment alongside their own contrasting experience. The programme consists of two taught modules in each of the first two terms and a dissertation in the first half of the second year

Entry Requirements

General Admission Requirements

• A good honours degree (2.2 or above) and a significant interest in education and/or equivalent professional qualifications, experience and evidence of continuing professional development
• International students must hold a qualification equivalent to a UK first or second class honours degree
• All International student for whom English is not their first language are required to achieve IELTS 6.5 or equivalency – with no less than 5.5 in any element

Other Information

• Students with relevant previous study at postgraduate level or with extensive experience may be considered eligible for recognition of prior learning
• Further information on Recognition of Prior Learning can be found on our Registry Services pages

Course Content

Awards

• In many cases it is possible to gain credit for previous study or experience
• Previous study at the same level in other institutions is recognised as transferred academic credit, and professional learning can be analysed through the completion of an Independent Study
• Up to 50% of taught elements of the award for which you are registered may be achieved through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
• This is normally applicable to the generic MA route
• It is possible to study towards a Masters award (five modules) or either of the interim awards:
  • Postgraduate Certificate
  • Postgraduate Diploma

Programme Structure MA Education (Mentoring and Coaching)

• To complete the Mentoring and Coaching pathway the following modules are required:
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Mentoring and Coaching)
    • An Introduction to Coaching and Mentoring
    • The Practice of Coaching and Mentoring
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Mentoring and Coaching)
    • An Introduction to Coaching and Mentoring
    • The Practice of Coaching and Mentoring
    • Contemporary Issues in Education: Theory, Policy and Practice
    • Optional Module
  • MA Education (Mentoring and Coaching)
    • An Introduction to Coaching and Mentoring
    • The Practice of Coaching and Mentoring
    • Contemporary Issues in Education: Theory, Policy and Practice
    • Any additional module from MA Education
    • Dissertation in Education

Teaching and Assessment

Teaching

• You are taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and the university VLE
• Seminars enable the discussion and development of understanding of topics covered in lectures
• Tutorials offer additional support both during taught modules and significantly through offering supervision for the dissertation
• The VLE is employed to support face-to-face sessions with additional resources and is also utilised to deliver online modules, on both a synchronous and asynchronous basis, where journals and discussion forums are also hosted
• Four modules are delivered online to add to the flexibility and accessibility of MA provision; these are available to all students (MAED4118, MAED4119, MAED4101 & MAED4106)
• Online modules mirror the content of their face-to-face counterparts whilst adding additional activities, which offer online interaction including formative and summative feedback on assignments, blogs, and discussion fora
• Reading Lists, including direct links to many of the required / recommended sources, are available online through Talis Aspire
• Assessment grades and written feedback are likewise made available via module VLEs

Contact Time

• Modules for the MA in Education are delivered in a number of ways; consequently, the precise contact time depends on the options selected and the mode of delivery
• Modules are offered during the weekends on Saturdays, during the evening or online
• In a typical week full-time students will have around four to ten contact hours of teaching, and part-time students two to five contact hours of teaching
• The precise contact hours will depend on the optional modules selected
• During completion of the dissertation students are supported through supervision, which as a minimum includes six hours of one-to-one support

Independent Self-Study

• In addition to the contact time, FT students are expected to undertake around 30 hours of personal self-study per week and PT students 15 hours of personal self-study per week
• Typically, this will involve weekly tasks, reading, and VLE engagement
• Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including the Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources

Teaching Staff

• You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course
• Teaching is informed by research and consultancy, and 100 per cent of course lecturers have, or are working towards, a higher education teaching qualification or are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy

Assessment

• The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or ‘formative’ assignments
• Each module has one or more formal or ‘summative’ assessment, which is graded and counts towards the overall module grade
• A range of assessment methods are used to provide students with the maximum opportunity to achieve success
• These include: essays, critiques and analyses which encourage critical thinking; critical reviews; individual and group seminar presentations; poster presentations; reflective accounts and case studies and presentations of cases

Feedback

• You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework
• Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with module tutors as appropriate
• We aim to provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in

Careers

• The course has a tradition of improving the career profiles of participants, as many case-studies of former students demonstrate
• This award is intended to prepare students to deepen their engagement with issues in the educational workspace, fostering transformative personal and organisational learning for those involved
• The programme additionally offers preparation to continue study for some participants wishing to go on the professional doctorate (EdD) award or to an MPhil/PhD
• The University maintains close links with education providers locally and regionally and meeting workforce need is the ethos of a number of modules and pathways in the MA Education
• In addition, the course is also designed to enable those with an intention of working in an education context to deepen their understanding of education in a range of contexts and building the skills which will enhance their career opportunities

Fees and Funding

Full-time Tuition Fees

• UK and EU students: £9,450 per year
• International students: £17,900 per year

Part-time Tuition Fees

• UK and EU students: £788 per 15-credit module, £1,575 per 30-credit module, £2,363 per 45-credit module, and £3,150 per 60 credit module
• International students: £1,492 per 15-credit module, £2,983 per 30-credit module, £4,475 per 45-credit module, and £5,967 per 60 credit module

Postgraduate Loans

• The Government will provide a loan of up to £12,471 if your course starts on or after 1 August 2024 per eligible student for postgraduate Masters study
• It will be at your own discretion whether the loan is used towards fees, maintenance or other costs

Additional Costs

• Every course has day-to-day costs for basic books, stationery, printing and photocopying
• The amounts vary between courses
• If your course offers a placement opportunity, you may need to pay for an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check