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MA Education

Welcome to the Masters in Education.

This course is designed to enhance the ongoing professional development of educators, preparing them for leadership roles, Headship qualifications, and advanced study at the professional or doctoral level. At University Centre Colchester, we take pride in offering extensive support to our students while fostering the development of critical research and analytical skills needed to explore contemporary issues, concepts, and debates.

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Course IntroductionModulesEntry RequirementsGraduate CareersAdditional

Your profile

You are passionate, patient and driven to inspire the next generation. You don’t just meet expectations – you exceed them. Now you’re ready to take the first step towards a fulfilling lifelong career in education.

Your subject

In education, you have the opportunity to make a lasting impact on people’s lives. Every day, you’ll have the change to inspire students and colleagues, using your unique skills to give back to the community. Careers in this sector are diverse, ranging from teaching in various settings – such as schools, sixth forms, colleges, prisons, and hospitals – to becoming part of the next generations of managers and leaders.

Your course

You will develop the knowledge, understanding and expertise to ensure you have a successful career in the field of education. Your course will provide you with an understanding of the scope within the sector, while preparing you for a sustainable career. Modules reflect the multi-disciplinary nature of education and offer you valuable insight into the sector. Placements on some programmes will allow you invaluable practical experience and enable you to apply theory to real-life situations. You will learn from academics with extensive experience as practitioners and benefit from guest speakers across a range of educational organisations to broaden your understanding of current issues, along with teaching and management practices.

Your future

You will graduate as a confident and skilled advocate for education. As a newly qualified professional in the education sector, you could progress into a middle or senior management role in a school, college or university. You could also benefit from a career in administration, careers guidance, special needs, a role in an education authority or other associated organisations. Upon completion of an initial teacher training qualification, you will be eligible to follow a process of professional growth through the Society for Education and Training to gain Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status.

Course Overview Course Modules
  • A degree at 2:1 or above or substantial vocational and/or industrial experience
  • Satisfactory completion of the application and interview process
  • Two satisfactory references, one academic and one vocational

*UCAS Tariff points where shown, are for entry on to higher education programmes starting from September 2024.

International applicants

If English is not your first language you will need an IELTS score of 6.0, with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component (Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking), or an equivalent English Language qualification.

Additional requirements for International Students:

  • You must provide evidence of having been in general education for at least 10 years and of having studied within the last five years
  • a face-to-face or video call interview is required before an offer is made

Typical progression routes after the course could include middle management of a school, senior administrator within the Education Sector as well as PhD or EdD level study. (This course is being developed in consultation with the Association of Secondary Head Teachers, Essex).

Timetables: Timetables are normally available one month before registration. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week. Part-time classes are normally scheduled on one or two days per week.

Teaching and Learning: You are taught through a combination of lectures, seminars and practicals. Seminars enable smaller group discussions to develop understanding of topics covered in lectures.

When not attending lectures, seminars and practicals or other timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-directed study. Typically, this will involve reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library, learning zone or technical learning resources, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for examinations

Assessment: The course provides you with opportunities to test your understanding of the subject informally before you complete the formal assessments that count towards your final mark. Each module normally contains at least one piece of practice or ‘formative’ assessment for which you receive feedback from your tutor. Practice assessments are developmental and any grades you receive for them do not count towards your module mark.

There is a formal or ‘summative’ assessment at the end of each module. Assessment methods include written examinations and a range of coursework assessments such as essays, reports, portfolios, performance, presentations and your final year major project. The grades from formal assessments count towards your module mark.

 Feedback: You will receive feedback on all practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback is intended to help you learn and you are encouraged to discuss it with your module tutor.

 

ApplyPart-Time
UCAS Tariff Calculator
MA Education - Part-time
LevelLevel 7
LocationColchester
Duration2 years
Course CodeZU2MAEDP01
Academic Year2025-2026
Study ModePart-Time
Campus / Adult Skills CentreUniversity Centre Colchester
Start DateSeptember 2025
ApplicationsApplications for September 2025 are open now
Fee(s)2024-25: £3,625 per year
Awarding/Validation BodyUniversity of East Anglia
CertEd, PGCE and MA Applications
Course Overview

The aim of the MA Education is to give a more in depth look at the world of education and some of the forces that act upon it whilst enabling educators to critically review their own practice in a range of teaching related disciplines before embarking on a piece of major research to improve either their own or their learners’ education.

The aims of the course are to:

  • Widen participation of Masters level education in this field within North Essex, to enhance the continued professional development offered to teachers and prepare middle leaders in education for progression to doctoral level study or the National Progression
  • Qualification for Headship (which requires evidence of recent masters levels study for one of the admission criteria) and to update skills of existing teachers and educators to enrich the classroom experience for their learners.
Course Modules

Module title: Research Methodology (30 credits)

What’s it about?

This is the first module undertaken by all students and serves as an introduction to understanding and applying different research methodologies. It will enable students to develop an understanding of research philosophy and methodology, and to apply this knowledge in three different written submissions.

What do I learn?

Using individual and group activities, students will explore different research methodologies, research ethics, examine methods and critically analyse the appropriate choices to make in relation to a chosen research topic. Students design a small-scale research project, informed by focused research aims, objectives and questions, and consider appropriate research methods to achieve the project’s aims.

Academic tutorial support provides guidance on preparing the overarching research questions. Students’ existing knowledge of research is identified, and they are encouraged to learn from key texts by sharing learning with their fellow students.

What’s the assignment?

  1. Research abstract: A 500 word outline of the main aim, proposed sample group, findings (based on a critical literature review), methods to collect data. Demonstrate how you will present your findings, analysis and limitations.
  2. A written critique of a research report (1500 words).

You will select a research report that explores a similar topic to analyse for this task.

  1. The research proposal (2000 words)

Want to know more?

To see the module description, please click here

Module title: Mentoring, Managing and Leading in Education (30 credits)

What’s it about?

In this module, students will explore leadership theories, concepts and models, and apply them to a familiar educational context in order to assess their relevance. Students reflect on and evaluate their own leadership potential, and facilitate their development as independent and critical thinkers.

What do I learn?

The purpose of the module is to enable participants to develop analytical and self-reflective insights into educational leadership and management. This will involve an examination of different models of educational leadership and of contemporary manifestations of both leadership and management in educational contexts. Module participants will be exposed to, and study, practices designed to develop their understanding of leadership and management in areas including coaching and mentoring.

What’s the assignment?

Research Project: The research project is an opportunity to apply both theory and practice to a topic of your choice. It may involve documenting a small-scale research project to evaluate what a creative and reflective leader and a manager is in contemporary educational organisations.

Want to know more?

To see the module description, please click here.

Module title: Critical Review of Teaching, Learning and Assessment (30 credits)

What’s it about?

The module content enables students to explore formal and informal educational contexts, including their own and other educational structures, by examining the values and practices underpinning a range of organisations. The module is designed to introduce students to key aspects and perspectives about social justice and education, and how these may impact on teaching, learning and assessing.

What do I learn?

The module explores general philosophical perspectives about the nature of education and social justice (exploring the purposes of education in relation to such theoretical perspectives as human capital theory, liberation theory etc.); overarching conceptual considerations to do with social justice in educational contexts (e.g. achieved by exploring educational issues through the lens of inclusion, equality, diversity); the contributions made to debates about social justice in education by empirical researchers; achievement and attainment in a variety of contexts (reflections of who gets what from education in teaching, learning and assessment); the issues associated with the pedagogical approaches proposed by advocates of social justice in education.

What’s the assignment?

Manifesto: The manifesto should concern itself with a single current issue in education that you feel strongly about. It should articulate what you would like to say, do or change about a particular situation in the contemporary education sector.

Essay: The essay will be informed by critical literature review

Want to know more?

To see the module description, please click here

Module title: Technology in Teaching, Learning and Assessment (30 credits)

What’s it about?

This optional module enables students to design a module of study, reflecting the identified requirements for contemporary educators to embed computational thinking in teaching, learning and assessment.

What do I learn?

This module will encourage the development of transformational competencies through innovate pedagogy by students designing and creating an independent digital teaching and learning programme on a topic of their choice.

What’s the assignment?

Produce and present a research project in the form of an online blended module or a MOOC (Massive open source online course) digital course, detailing the work you have undertaken to critically review the findings of evidence-based research and practice, and relate them to professional practice and values in your curriculum area.

Want to know more?

To see the module description, please click here

Module title: Mental Health and well-being in Education (30 credits)

What’s it about?

The module introduces theories and core values of mental health when considering the experience of mental health problems across the key stages, from Primary through to Higher Education, and focusing on students, teachers and leaders. A key theme is the professional experience and ethical practice in relation to supporting all social agents involved in widening participation, inclusivity, promoting social justice and sustainable education.

What do I learn?

The differing manifestations of mental health, distress, including diagnosed mental health problems, substance misuse, eating disorders, early intervention and co-morbidity will be explored and the direct impact on education as well as the broader impact this circular causality has on education. Students will critically appraise models of support with a focus on anti-discrimination and empowerment in their practice.

What’s the assignment?

Assessment is through the production of a Research Project.

Want to know more?

To see the module description, please click here

Module title: Dissertation (60 credits)

What’s it about?

The dissertation is a major piece of academic writing, which consists of two elements: a significant literature review, followed by the student’s contribution to the subject, which can be either primary research and an analytical evaluation, or a detailed, scholarly juxtaposition and subsequent reconciliation of research perspectives.

What do I learn?

The module seeks to enable students to draw on academic skills developed to date, and to provide a platform for professional practice, scholarly insights and academic evaluations to be combined in one larger-scale study.

The writing of a dissertation on a topic of the student’s choice is both the culmination of L7 study, and the identification of potential research topics for further study.

What’s the assignment?

Dissertation.

Want to know more?

To see the module description, please click here

Disclaimer

All Fees and prices shown on the website are for courses starting in the 2024-25 academic year and are correct at the time of entering/printing information, however these may be subject to change. The College cannot accept legal or financial liability as a result of any such changes.

The course information describes programmes offered by University Centre Colchester at Colchester Institute. The College takes all reasonable steps to provide courses as described, but cannot guarantee provision. The information is for guidance and does not form any part of a contract.

The College reserves the right to update and amend information as and when necessary. University Centre Colchester at Colchester Institute will do its best to provide the courses shown, but may have to modify or withdraw a course depending on customer demand and other factors.

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