Program Overview

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MA Education

Overview

The MA Education online degree is designed to help you improve your professional expertise or progress into a more senior role. This research-informed programme will equip you with knowledge and critical awareness of contemporary issues relating to education.

Specialist Pathways

We offer an exciting range of options to personalise your studies to suit your current role, professional interests, and career ambitions. You can complete a broad-based Masters degree in Education or pursue one of the specialist pathways leading to a named MA Education. You can choose from:

• MA Education
• MA Education (Leadership and Management)
• MA Education (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)

Enriching Your Career

Our online MA Education degree is not a teaching qualification but can transform the way you approach your professional practice. Previous graduates have reported that this degree helped them to gain more senior roles, enriched their teaching, challenged their preconceptions, and boosted their confidence.

Study Options

• Part-time: 2-3 years
• UK fee: £7,875 (2024/25)
• International fee: £7,875 (2024/25)
• Start dates: September, January, May
• Location: Online

What You Will Study

To complete the MA Education you will need to complete six 20 credit modules and an Independent Study module worth 60 credits, totalling 180 credits. You must complete the following modules:

• Designing Social Research (20 credits)
• Independent Study (60 credits)

You can then choose five optional 20 credit modules to make a total of 180 credits. Please contact us to discuss your options.

Core Modules

• Designing Social Research

Optional Modules

• Developing Leadership Capacity
• Leadership and Management Strategies
• Curriculum Challenges
• Learning and Ability Theories in Action
• Measuring and Evaluating and Learning
• Innovative 21st Century Teaching
• Language Learning: Theory and Practice
• The Principles of English Language Teaching
• Principles and Practices of Coaching and Mentoring

Module Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the module, you will be able to:

• Present and communicate a critical understanding of a research proposal
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of the philosophy, ethics, design, and practice of social research

Module Content

The module examines research design with the goal of producing a research proposal which will support you in conducting research as part of a Masters’ dissertation.

Indicative content will therefore include:

• Developing a research question
• Ontological and epistemological assumptions of social research
• Methodological approaches
• Designing ethical research and dealing with ethical dilemmas
• Methods of data collection and analysis
• Data management and curation
• Communicating and presenting ideas about research and responding to feedback

Teaching and Learning

Modules within this course will be delivered by expert academics who are practising professionals too. This ensures that module content remains up-to-date and highly relevant and brings through pertinent examples from the business world which are current and topical.

Delivered entirely online through our user-friendly student portal dashboard and intuitive digital learning environment, you will interact with your tutors and fellow students and through a mix of virtual live classrooms, tutorials and guest lectures. Group discussions and debate are held through forums and community spaces and the use of collaborative tools such as wikis for group projects and assignments. Digital texts, ebooks, journals, databases and more are available electronically via our library.

Study Skills

Many of our students are mature learners and have not studied academically for many years. To help you to become an effective student, able to study at postgraduate level, there are a number of advanced study skill resources available to you covering areas such as research skills, critical evaluation in academic context, literature search, referencing, plagiarism and so on.

Pace of Study

The academic year is made up of three 10-week terms, known as trimesters. We recommend around 20 hours of study per week to complete one 20-credit module over a 10-week trimester for the standard study plan.

If you opt to undertake the accelerated study plan whereby you will study two modules in one trimester, we recommend 40 hours of study per week.

Assessment Method

This course is assessed entirely through coursework. You will undertake formative and summative assessments to demonstrate that you have met the module and programme learning outcomes.

Formative assessment opportunities will be available throughout your modules to provide structured learning, feedback, and guidance. Formative assessment strategies include, but are not limited to, tutorials, discussions, and feedback on proposals for summative assignments.

More formal summative assessments which count towards your grades, will consist of written assignments, project reports, presentations, and portfolios.

The final assessment on the MA is the independent study, a triple module worth 60 credits. This is a major research project applied to a workplace, or you may choose to produce an academic paper for publication. You will be supported by an academic supervisor who will guide you through this process towards your final submission.

Student Support and Guidance

Whilst we encourage our students to become independent, life-long learners, we also recognise that offering the right support and guidance will help you to achieve your goals. There is a wealth of support available to you at the University, from your dedicated Personal Tutor and Online Learner Advisor, through to our:

• Library
• Health and Wellbeing Centre
• Careers and Employability Service
• IT Support
• Union of Students
• Develop@Derby for study, personal and employability skills

Who Will Teach You

Melody Harrogate

Programme Leader

Melody Harrogate is a programme leader for Education and a senior lecturer for postgraduate studies at the University of Derby. Her fields of interest are around leadership and management, education and teaching and learning. As part of her role, she is responsible for the development and delivery of the MA Education programme.

Careers

This research-informed programme will equip you with knowledge and critical awareness of contemporary issues relating to education and has been designed to prepare you for a range of professional careers within the education sector.

It might make your CV stand out enough to get you an interview for that more senior role you’ve been looking for, or just give you the confidence to apply for positions you normally wouldn’t have considered. Previous students reported that they performed better at work as a result of this course - bringing greater recognition and respect from peers.

It is important to note that the programme does not lead to qualified teacher status (QTS), however it is suitable for any person wishing to undertake roles in the following:

• teaching
• support work
• leadership roles such as Head or Deputy Head
• educational business
• lecturing
• research
• working in Local Authorities (LA)
• nursery work

Our graduates have gone on to become advanced skills teachers, nursery managers, assistant head teachers, disability coordinators within universities and national trainers for charitable organisations.

You may also wish to go on to further study such as a Doctorate of Education.

Entry Requirements

You will usually need one of the following:

• A good undergraduate degree (2.2 or above), or
• an equivalent level 6 qualification (equivalent overseas qualifications which will be verified by NARIC)

You will be asked to provide a CV/resume detailing your academic and work experience. The Admissions Tutor reserves the right to interview an individual to ascertain the relevance of their work and life experiences as an acceptable entry for the programme.

English Language Qualifications

If English is not your first language, or you have not successfully completed your highest level of qualification in English, you will need an English language qualification. For this course you will need at least one of the following:

• Average IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent
• TOEFL 87 (minimum 20 in Speaking and 19 in all other elements)
• Pearson Test of Academic English: 71 (minimum 65)
• Cambridge English: 184 with no element below 169
• International GCE O Level English Language: Grade C
• International GCSE English/English as a Second Language: Grade C

Fees and Funding

2024/25 for new entrants

Starting between September 2024 and August 2025.

Per 20 credits	Modules	Cost
UK/EU/International	Per 20 credits £875	Modules 7 (six 20 credit modules and one 60 credit module)	Cost £7,875

2025/26 for new entrants

Starting between September 2025 and August 2026.

Per 20 credits	Modules	Cost
UK/EU/International	Per 20 credits £880	Modules 7 (six 20 credit modules and one 60 credit module)	Cost £7,920

About Your Fees

This figure would be the total cost of this course based on the fee in the current academic year. However, please note that fees normally increase in line with inflation and the University's strategic approach to fees, which is reviewed on an annual basis. The total fee you pay may therefore increase if your course lasts longer than one year.

If you are required to undertake any associate study or additional study as a condition of your offer for the programme, please be aware that the cost for this may be in addition to the programme cost stated above.

Flexible Payment Plans Available

Choose from two payment plan options:

• Pay monthly and only for the modules you are studying
• Pay your full course fees upfront and avoid annual increases

Masters Funding Options

Depending on where you are from in the UK or EU, and on your pace of study, you may be eligible for a postgraduate student loan. Accessible through Student Finance, this is a non-income based loan to help with living costs and tuition fees whilst studying your masters programme.

If you are considering applying for a student loan, please also see our additional guidance on Loans for Online Students.

Alumni Discount for Derby Graduates

We offer a discount on postgraduate course fees for all Derby alumni.