Education (Cognitive Science and Learning)

Program Overview

Education (Cognitive Science and Learning) MA

Overview

The MA Education (Cognitive Science and Learning) pathway is designed to help realise the life and career ambitions of a diverse body of professionals who are working in education and related settings. This programme provides opportunities to develop theoretical and practice knowledge and skills to positively influence the lives of learners across all age phases and of all types of learning needs and abilities.

What you'll study

• Course content
  • The overall focus of the course is on equipping you with comprehensive, theoretical, research-informed knowledge and an understanding of differing educational perspectives in diverse contexts.
  • Key themes include key concepts in cognitive sciences, exploring the relation between the disciplines of psychology, philosophy and neuroscience, and interrogating the extent to which they can be applied to educational practice.
• Teaching and assessment
  • Supporting your personal professional development and enhancing your research skills are essential elements of the course, preparing you for the completion of an independent research report on a relevant topic of your choice.

Compulsory modules:

• Dissertation
  • Provides an opportunity for you to synthesise, in a synoptic way, the knowledge, skills and understandings developed through the preceding modules, and in particular, the module Researching Education.
  • Module code: PRL4061
  • Credits: 60
  • Assessment: 100% Coursework
• Researching Education
  • Develops your understanding and critical appreciation of empirical and desk-based research methodologies, and the relationships and distinctions between them.
  • Module code: PRL4060
  • Credits: 30
  • Assessment: 100% Coursework
• Theorising Education
  • Develops your understanding and critical appreciation of seminal and contemporary educational philosophy and theory and of the approaches to analysis that it demonstrates and enables.
  • Module code: PRL4059
  • Credits: 30
  • Assessment: 100% Coursework
• Brain, Mind and Knowledge: exploring key concepts in the cognitive sciences
  • Explores the relation between the disciplines and interrogates the extent to which they can be applied to educational practice.
  • Module code: PRL4049
  • Credits: 30
  • Assessment: 100% Coursework
• Learning and Memory
  • Allows you to explore current psychological and neuroscientific models of memory, their classroom applications and limitations, and their relation to alternative or expanded theories and accounts of learning.
  • Module code: PRL4050
  • Credits: 30
  • Assessment: 100% Coursework

How you'll study

• The MA Education (Cognitive Science and Learning) pathway is available in a full-time and part-time mode of study.
• Taught sessions are built around dialogue, discussion and collaborative learning, with tutor support and expertise immediately at hand.
• Teaching is interactive, experiential and innovative, using a variety of technologies to enhance your learning, from presentation tools to mixed media, social media and mobile technologies.
• The programme will be tailored to enable you to focus your learning on your individual interests and professional requirements.

How you'll be assessed

• You will be assessed through a combination of 5,000-word written assignments, project work, portfolios and presentations, as well as a 10,000-word research report and summary.
• Opportunities to receive formative feedback are embedded into each module.

Who will be teaching you

• The programme is delivered by a team of research-active academic staff who have extensive expertise in education and its related disciplines.
• The work of the programme team has national and international impact, contributing to and informing education curricula and learning techniques, both in the UK and overseas.

Entry criteria

• An undergraduate degree (normally a 2.2 or above) in a field related to education or an equivalent qualification acceptable to Edge Hill University.
• Applicants, who come from a different academic background, which is equivalent to degree level, or have 2 or more years of relevant work experience, are welcome to apply.
• Or a Masters degree or equivalent in a relevant field.

English language requirements

• You are expected to have English language proficiency minimally equivalent to overall 6.5 with no element below 6.0.

Facilities

• The Faculty of Education enjoys the enviable position of being one of the country’s leading providers of transformative education, training and research for the teaching and education workforce.
• Housed in a state-of-the-art £9m building, the Faculty of Education enjoys a stunning setting from both its lakeside and piazza buildings.
• Facilities in the lakeside building include a 300-seat lecture theatre, five well-equipped ICT suites, and 18 teaching rooms complete with the latest technology.

Your future career

• Preparing you for a wide variety of roles across the education workforce in the UK and internationally, this MA can enhance your professional career opportunities and employability.
• On successful completion of the programme, you will be equipped with the knowledge and skills required to make a significant and positive contribution to a range of education settings and education-related contexts.
• You will graduate well placed to apply for more senior positions both within your current workplace and with other providers.
• The skills and experience acquired through this MA will also provide you with essential preparation for progressing onto research qualifications, such as a PhD or Professional Doctorate.