Program Overview

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Education Management and Leadership (MSc)

Award: Master of Science Typical Offer: 2:1 degree Duration: 1 year Course Type: Full-time Campus: Highfield Next course starts: September 2025

About this course

Become a clear, confident and comprehensive educational leader with our Masters in Education Management and Leadership pathway. Learn about professional development with strategies to overcome challenges faced by leaders in education all over the world.

This educational leadership course is for teachers and those working in administrative positions in education who are looking for the leadership and research skills to make a positive change. Learn about professional development with strategies to overcome challenges faced by leaders in education all over the world. You’ll learn how to identify opportunities for improvement within an educational institution, making decisions based on research and with a focus on outcomes.

Leaders in education are expected to introduce continuous change within their organisation, you’ll understand how this impacts an academic institution or school and the people within it. To give you versatility in the profession, we look at a variety of learning environments within the public and private sector, as well as how educational leadership theories can be used by both teachers and leaders in schools, and educational practitioners outside of schools.

During this MSc educational leadership course, you’ll learn how to:

• examine different teaching and learning methods
• conduct reliable education research and reflect upon emerging research
• apply your learning of leadership theories to your practice
• assess contemporary issues in the area of educational leadership
• examine core management practices to educational institutions

You’ll learn about policies and research on a national and international level. During the course, you'll collate and evaluate the research you’ve found in order to communicate outcomes in a clear and convincing way.

We offer 3 pathways on our MSc Education degree.

Your other MSc Education pathway options are:

• Education - you'll learn teaching & learning methods, and how to conduct & analyse educational research.
• Education (Practice and Innovation) - study different teaching and learning methods and learn how to conduct and analyse educational research in the fields of innovation and inclusive practice.

We regularly review our courses to ensure and improve quality. This course may be revised as a result of this. Any revision will be balanced against the requirement that the student should receive the educational service expected.

Our courses are regulated in England by the Office for Students (OfS).

Course lead

Dr Cristina Azaola is a Lecturer at the Centre for Research in Inclusion at Southampton Education School. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and interested in educational inequalities, social inclusion and exclusion through schooling.

She convened the conference Lessons of resilience and social inclusion from the Covid-19 pandemic, funded by The British Academy and the Wellcome Trust. She is the principal investigator of the following projects:

• Teachers’ jury to improve school belonging in technical high schools, funded by the Higher Education Innovation Funding
• Enhancing reflective learning and school collaboration in rural Mexico, funded by The British Council
• Investigating staff and student belonging in a Further Education College with Dr Ran Peleg, funded by Research England Participatory Research Fund

She has published over eighteen papers in different high-quality peer-reviewed international journals.

“The MSc in education provides many diverse pathways which are perfect for any individual looking to gain or enhance their understanding about educational issues that really matter to them.” Nicholas Marco-Wadey, 2018 graduate

Learn more about this subject area

Education

Explore the latest theories underpinning the study of education. Apply what you learn to bring about positive changes in teaching, education leadership or policy and research. Whether it’s early years...

Course location

This course is based at Highfield.

Awarding body

This qualification is awarded by the University of Southampton.

Download the Course Description Document

The Course Description Document details your course overview, your course structure and how your course is taught and assessed.

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Entry requirements

You’ll need a 2:1 degree and a minimum of 3 months work experience which should involve interactions with groups of learners rather than individual tutoring. Experience of leadership or management is also desirable.

Find the equivalent international qualifications for your country.

English language requirements

If English isn't your first language, you'll need to complete an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to demonstrate your competence in English. You'll need all of the following scores as a minimum:

IELTS score requirements

• overall score: 6.5
• reading: 6.0
• writing: 6.0
• speaking: 6.0
• listening: 6.0

If you do not meet the English language requirements through a test or qualification, you may be able to meet them by completing one of our pre-sessional English programmes before your course starts.

If you don’t meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

Pre-masters

If you don’t meet the academic requirements, you can complete a pre-master's programme through our partnership with OnCampus. Learn more about the programmes available.

Got a question?

Please contact us if you're not sure you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.

Email:
Tel:+44(0)

Course structure

During this course, you'll study the following:

• 3 compulsory modules
• 2 pathway modules
• An optional module

The first semester sets out the theories of leadership to help you to sustain school improvement. You'll also learn about learning theories and how and when to use key research methods to develop good research practices.

In your second semester, you'll learn about managing education institutions and choose between learning about education and policy from a global perspective and learning about the social context of education and lifelong learning. You'll also prepare for, and write, your dissertation, which should focus on an area of educational leadership and management.

You can also attend a non-assessed enrichment programme, including study skills workshops, attendance at our professional themes lectures and research seminars.

Want more detail? See all the modules in the course.

Modules

The modules outlined provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. As a research-led University, we undertake a continuous review of our course to ensure quality enhancement and to manage our resources. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand. Find out why, when and how we might make changes.

We don't have module information for this course yet. Please check again later.

Learning and assessment

Learning

Through group work you'll collaborate with other students to discuss research articles, produce a group report or presentation.

You'll also work on research and case-studies analysing research designs, taking part in decision making and problem-solving activities within the topics of each module you study.

Assessment

You’ll be assessed by a combination of the following methods:

• written assignments
• academic posters
• research project reports
• dissertation

Explore course modules for full details of learning and assessment.

Dissertation

The dissertation builds on work undertaken across other modules and gives you an opportunity to take on a piece of independent research in a chosen topic. Normally, your dissertation will be individually supervised. The length of the dissertation will be between 15,000 and 17,000 words.

Academic Support

We can support your learning needs throughout your studies through an induction programme and individual support in study skills. You will also get a personal tutor to support your academic development.

Careers and employability

Employability skills

This degree will allow you to develop and evidence subject-specific and targeted employability skills. This includes the required skill set for a range of future careers, further study, or starting your own business.

The skills you can expect to focus on and gain from this course include:

• Research
• Critical thinking
• Self-management
• Leadership
• Communication
• Teamwork
• Creativity
• Networking
• EDI leadership
• Problem solving
• Resilience

The employability and enterprise skills you'll gain from this course are reflected in the Southampton skills model. When you join us you'll be able to use our skills model to track, plan, and benefit your career development and progress.

Download skills overview

Career pathways

Graduates commonly work in a range of organisations or sectors including:

• Administration
• Business
• Child care
• Community and voluntary
• Education
• Health and social work
• Hospitality
• Public Administration and Defence
• Retail
• Real estate
• Finance and Insurance
• Government

Careers directly related to this course:

• Community education officer
• Early years teacher
• Education consultant
• Education mental health practitioner
• English as a foreign language teacher
• Further education teacher
• Primary school teacher
• Secondary school teacher
• Special educational needs teacher

See more

Wider career opportunities:

• Careers adviser
• Community education officer
• Child psychotherapist
• Counsellor
• Family support worker
• Play therapist
• Social researcher
• Therapist
• Subject lead teacher
• Youth worker

See more

Example job titles of Southampton MSc Education Practice and Innovation graduates*:

• Assistant headteacher
• Primary school teacher
• Secondary school teacher
• Book editor
• College teacher
• Counsellor
• Admissions manager
• University lecturer
• Education support worker
• Centre manager

See more

Job prospects for MSc Education Practice and Innovation graduates

• Average professional salary: £29k
• In a skilled profession or further study: 86%
• Graduate employment rate: 94%

Source

*Example graduate job titles and job prospect statistics taken from The Graduate Outcomes Survey, which gathers information about the activities and perspectives of graduates 15 months after finishing their course.

Work experience opportunities

Choosing to do work experience is a great way to enhance your employability, build valuable networks, and evidence your potential. Learn about the different work and industry experience options at Southampton.

Read more

Careers services and support

We are a top 20 UK university for employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022). Our Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise team will support you. This support includes:

• work experience schemes
• CV and interview skills and workshops
• networking events
• careers fairs attended by top employers
• a wealth of volunteering opportunities
• study abroad and summer school opportunities

We have a vibrant entrepreneurship culture and our dedicated start-up supporter, Futureworlds, is open to every student.

Your career ideas and graduate job opportunities may change while you're at university. So it is important to take time to regularly reflect on your goals, speak to people in industry and seek advice and up-to-date information from Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise professionals at the University.

More about careers support

Fees, costs and funding

Tuition fees

Fees for a year's study:

• UK students: £9,250
• EU and international students: £25,400

Check fees for other versions of this course.

Deposit

If you're an international student on a full-time course, we'll ask you to pay £2,000 of your tuition fees in advance, as a deposit.

Your offer letter will tell you when this should be paid and provide full terms and conditions.

Find out about exemptions, refunds and how to pay your deposit on our tuition fees for overseas students page.

What your fees pay for

Your tuition fee covers the full cost of tuition and any exams. The fee you pay will remain the same each year from when you start studying this course. This includes if you suspend and return.

Find out how to pay your tuition fees.

Accommodation and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees. There may also be extra costs for retake and professional exams.

Explore:

• accommodation costs
• living costs
• budgeting advice
• fees, charges and expenses regulations

Southampton Education Postgraduate International Scholarship

A scholarship of £3,000 is available to international students studying for a postgraduate master’s in Education.

Find out more about the Southampton Education International Scholarship, including eligibility and conditions.

Other postgraduate funding options

A variety of additional funding options may be available to help you pay for your master’s study. Both from the University and other organisations.

Funding for EU and international students

Find out about funding you could get as an international student.

How to apply

1. Use the blue 'apply for this course' button on this page to take you to our postgraduate admissions system.
2. Create an account which gives you access to your own application portal. .
3. Search for the course you want to apply for.
4. Complete the application form and upload any supporting documents.
5. Pay the £50 application assessment fee, (there are some exemptions, check terms and conditions).
6. Submit your application.

For further details of our admission process, read our step by step guide to postgraduate taught applications.

Application deadlines

UK students

The deadline to apply for this course is Tuesday 9 September 2025, midday UK time.

We advise applying early as applications may close before the expected deadline if places are filled.

International students

The deadline to apply for this course is Tuesday 26 August 2025, midday UK time.

We advise applying early as applications may close before the expected deadline if places are filled.

Application assessment fee

We’ll ask you to pay a £50 application assessment fee if you’re applying for a postgraduate taught course.

This is an extra one-off charge which is separate to your tuition fees and is payable per application. It covers the work and time it takes us to assess your application. You’ll be prompted to pay when you submit your application which won’t progress until you've paid.

If you're a current or former University of Southampton student, or if you’re applying for certain scholarships, you will not need to pay the fee. PGCE applications through GOV.UK and Master of Research (MRes) degree applications are also exempt. Find out if you’re exempt on our terms and conditions page.

Supporting information

When you apply you’ll need to submit a personal statement explaining why you want to take the course.

You’ll need to include information about:

• your knowledge of the subject area
• why you want to study a postgraduate qualification in this course
• how you intend to use your qualification

You'll also need to submit two academic references.

Please include the required paperwork showing your first degree and your IELTS English language test score (if you are a non-native English speaker) with your application. Without these, your application may be delayed.

What happens after you apply

You'll be able to track your application through our online Applicant Record System.

We receive a high volume of applications for this course. This means you may not receive a response to your application for up to 12 weeks.

If we offer you a place, you will need to accept the offer within 30 working days. If you do not meet this deadline, we will offer your place to another applicant.

Unfortunately, due to number of applications we receive, we may not be able to give you specific feedback on your application if you are unsuccessful.

Equality and diversity

We treat and select everyone in line with our Equality and Diversity Statement.

Got a question?

Please contact us if you're not sure you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.

Email:
Tel:+44(0)

Related courses

Education Management and Leadership (MSc) is a course in the Education subject area. Here are some other courses within this subject area:

• MSc Education
• MSc Education (Online)
• MSc Education Practice and Innovation
• PGCE Art and Design
• PGCE Biology
• PGCE Chemistry
• PGCE Design and Technology
• PGCE English
• PGCE English with SEND
• PGCE Geography
• PGCE History
• PGCE Mathematics
• PGCE Modern Languages
• PGCE Physical Education
• PGCE Physics
• PGCE Primary
• PGCE Secondary
• PGCert Widening Participation and Evaluation