Education MA

Our Education MA offers you the opportunity to develop and enhance your professional skills and understanding of contemporary practice in a wide range of educational settings including schools, further education and higher education.

The course is designed for developing your expertise and knowledge, whether you’re a classroom teacher or in a managerial or leadership role, whether you have years of experience behind you or you’re at the start of your career.

Studying our online Education MA will nurture your continuing professional development and gives you the opportunity to tailor your studies and carry out research to focus on your particular interests and apply the new theories you learn directly to your everyday practice, enhancing and improving the pupil or student experience in your place of work.

It is an excellent route for teachers and lecturers at all levels, as well as leaders and managers within the educational system. The course is also ideal if you are recently qualified and want to advance your learning alongside developing your teaching practice. This course can also be the first step towards working in research or university lecturing and can be a pathway to a PhD or EdD.

The successful completion of the MA can support a wide range of career opportunities in a variety of sectors, enhancing your existing role and supporting your future career aspirations.

Modules

Due to the structure of this course, there will be instances where you will study two modules simultaneously during a trimester. You will be supported by your tutors to help manage your workload and assessment deadlines.

Please contact one of our advisers to discuss the pacing of this course and the options available to match your circumstances

Exploring Educational Research
Designed to familiarise you with the various research approaches that you may read about, critique and use during your Master’s course and beyond. It’ll provide a forum for exploring, discussing and evaluating different types of educational research. You’ll have the opportunity to: look at a range of research methodologies; to find, read and review research studies; and to discuss the relevance of research for practice in education across different sectors (from birth to life-long learning). You’ll be encouraged to learn about research methodologies and methods through critical reflection on published work.

Specialist Studies in Learning and Teaching

This module is designed to enable you to explore a subject that is relevant to your role as a teacher in compulsory or post-compulsory education. You will be required to focus on one of the specialist areas provided by the course team and to work with other students to successfully achieve the learning outcomes. You will choose from a range of subject specialisms which will include but not necessarily be limited to: Developing Assessment for Learning in the classroom context; Enhancing learning and teaching using learning technologies; Supporting students with Special Educational Needs; Outdoor Learning; Critical Education and Social Justice.

Key Issues and Themes in Education

This module examines current key issues and themes in education. It explores principles of teaching and learning, the derivation and design of the curriculum and the role of schools and other education settings within the wider community. The module will engage with national strategies, frameworks and international dimensions and you'll be encouraged to explore the processes and complexities of teaching and learning. The module will cover the following broad themes and will prepare you for the postgraduate major project: Learning and Teaching; Leadership, Mentoring and Coaching; Learning and Knowledge Technology; Social Justice and Equality in Education and Including Vulnerable Learners.

Developing Educational Research
You’ll be supported to develop a high-quality research proposal to implement for your postgraduate major project. A workbook approach will guide you through the various elements that need to be considered during the process of planning and preparation for a small-scale educational research study. There will be opportunities to discuss your ideas with your tutor and peers and to present your developing research proposal for feedback. You’ll also learn by giving constructive feedback to your peers. By the end of the module, you’ll be prepared to submit an application for ethical review, to the appropriate research ethics panel, and to embark upon research for the postgraduate major project.

Postgraduate Major Project in Education
The Major Project enables you to demonstrate your ability to raise significant and meaningful questions in relation to your specialism which may involve working at the current limits of theoretical and/or research understanding. It’ll involve the ability to develop solutions to ethical dilemmas likely to arise in your research or professional practice. Gaining an understanding of an appropriate methodology, appropriate methods and an ability to draw meaningful and justifiable conclusions from information that may be complex or contradictory. Expand or redefine your existing knowledge, to develop new approaches to changing workplace situations and/or to contribute to the development of best practice. You’ll communicate these processes in a clear and elegant fashion, and evaluate your work from the perspective of an autonomous reflective learner. Research topics will be negotiated with your appointed supervisor. The project may take the form of a written dissertation, a formal presentation and full research paper, an exhibition, a performance, an artefact or the development of software, or other written, aural or visual material. The project may be formed from a combination of these modes but will normally include a written component.

Assessment

Instead of sitting exams, you’ll benefit from preparing high quality written assignments. These build up throughout each module, with opportunities for peer and tutor feedback as you learn. You’ll develop core strengths in valuable appraisal methods, such as the ability to carry out individual and collaborative critical reflections. You’ll also carry out enquiries applied directly to your specific interests and context. Each assignment will progress your learning, assessing your ability to communicate with clarity, both verbally and in written reports aimed at a range of audiences.

Modules are subject to change and availability.

Our Education MA is studied 100% online.
You’ll study through Canvas, our world-class online Learning Management System (LMS), which can be accessed from your phone, pc or tablet at home or on the move. Canvas provides instant access to study materials, forums, and support from tutors and classmates, as well as enabling easy submission of your assignments.
On successful completion of your studies you’ll be invited to attend a graduation ceremony on campus. If attending the ceremony in person is not possible then we’ll arrange to have your certificate sent to you.

What could an Education MA do for my career?

With an online MA in Education, you’ll learn a range of new skills, as well as building on your own existing experience.

As well as expanding your professional knowledge and awareness, this course will also help you develop valuable interpersonal skills. This course will teach you how to approach leadership in the field of education, giving you the power not only to provide the best education possible for students, but to offer guidance to your peers and unite teams behind the mission of learning.

With our online education MA, you’ll expand your capabilities in and out of the classroom to enact change, further your own personal development and deliver the highest standard of education for your students. And as well as empowering you with the skills to have greater influence in your current role, this course can also be an avenue to more senior positions, enabling you to progress and succeed.

What job roles can I consider with an Education MA?

An Education MA can lead to a wide range of career opportunities within the education sector such as management and leadership roles, specialist co-ordinators, subject leads, heads of curriculum, mentoring or education consultants.

What skills will I get from an Education MA to help my career?

Choosing to study an Education MA will give you many transferable skills; here are just some of them:

• Work independently as well as part of a team
• Improve your verbal and written communication skills
• Develop your critical and creative thinking skills
• Master your presentation skills
• Hone your research and project management
• Increase your self-confidence.

What can I study after an Education MA?

Depending on your long-term goals and interests you may decide to explore a doctorate qualification. Having a master’s degree under your belt is a key entry requirement in opening doors to study at this level.

Careers Advice Service

Once you become an ARU student you’ll be able to access our Employability service to help you whatever stage of your career, whether that’s landing your dream job or the next progression step.

We offer:

• careers advice, including one-to-one online and telephone appointments with our experienced advisers
• help with your CV, job searches, applications and interview preparation
• an online portal packed with useful careers resources
• our Employability Programme, which helps you hone the skills employers say they want in graduates.

You’re expected to have at a first degree, with honours, at a minimum final classification of Lower Second (2:2) or equivalent.
You will be required to obtain a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check through the University.
If you have lived outside of the UK for 6 months or more within the last 5 years, then you will need to provide a police check from the country/countries previously resided in.
If you are completing placements overseas you will be required to obtain a police check/certificate of good conduct from the relevant country.
If English is not your first language you will be expected to demonstrate a certificated level of proficiency of at least IELTS 6.5 (Academic level) or equivalent English Language qualification, as recognised by ARU.
As a distance learner, you’ll also need a suitable computer with internet connection, together with sufficient IT competence to make effective use of word processing, internet and email.
Please note: Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements. Other equivalent qualifications may be accepted for entry to this course.

Fees

The full tuition fee for this course is £7,700.

The tuition fees you pay each year will be between £3,850 and £7,700 depending on how long you take to complete the course. You can choose to study our Education MA in either 1 or 2 years.

Accredited Prior Learning may reduce the tuition fees. This will be confirmed once your application has been submitted.

Funding

Your course can be fully funded by the Postgraduate Student Loans now available (subject to eligibility).

We offer payment by instalments, so you can spread the cost of studying with us.

For military students: You can use your ELCs towards this course. ARU is a recognised ELCAS provider (number 1007). Please contact your Learning Centre for details of ELC, eligibility and how to apply.

For more information on how you fund your studies please see our funding page.

A career in education is a vocation – one which empowers inquisitive minds and gives you, our students the power to build your own future. The role of education is not only to inform but inspire, and with our online Education MA, you’ll experience opportunities for growth and inspiration in your own role whilst developing the skills to nurture learners in any environment. 

If you’re currently working in education and want to boost your potential, this Master’s course is an opportunity to explore the field in greater depth, expand on your existing skills and reach the next steps in your career.  

This course is also a chance to specialise in your areas of interest and further your expertise in educational specialisms that appeal to you, allowing you to hone and perfect your skills to enable your next career move, or simply develop and achieve your ambitions as an educator. Wherever you’re going, this course will have a fantastic impact on your career and give you the tools to improve the experiences of your students in any learning environment.

Some of the subjects and skills you’ll explore on this course will cover familiar territory in greater depth as you build on your existing experience in the field of education. However, you’ll also study new concepts and perspective to broaden your understanding and enable you to pursue specialist areas of interest. 

This course gives you the chance to examine research in greater depth as a force for change in education. You’ll explore research methodologies to understand how research is crucial to the direction, development and improvement of solutions in education, whilst examining existing studies to inform your own perspective and laying the foundations for your own research. 

Meanwhile, our Specialist Studies in Learning and Teaching module gives you the chance to learn in greater depth about an area of education relevant to your interests and ambitions. This may include learning technologies, outdoor learning, Special Educational Needs, developing assessment for learning in the classroom, critical education and social justice. You’ll have the chance to consider your chosen specialism in greater depth through your Major Project, where you’ll examine ethics not only in the practice of education, but in research, and assess the concepts you’ve learned through the lens of practical application in the workplace. 

In short, this course will build not only on your existing knowledge but your ambitions as an educator to prepare you for the challenges of the field at every level of study, including Further and Higher Education.

Our online Education MA is designed to fit around your schedule – education is a demanding profession, and for our students, flexibility is key in handling the challenges of your everyday role alongside the requirements of a Master’s course. 

With our distance learning degrees, you can study whenever and wherever suits you. By placing you in complete control, our course is designed to fit around your career and your ambitions, to help you progress from day one at a pace that suits you. 

If you’re passionate about education, take the next step with an online Education MA from Anglia Ruskin University. 

Want to know more about what distance learning can do for you? Take a look at the following blogs: 

• What Can I Do With An Online Degree?
• Can Distance Learning Replace Traditional Classes?
• 5 Reasons Career Progression Is Crucial for Personal Development