Education with Leadership and Management MA

Leadership and management in education has never been more important. This course will grow your understanding of educational leadership within a broad context, and explore and critique varying approaches to driving education forward.

You’ll explore both national and international research in educational leadership and related fields, learn to reflect on the connections between theory, policy and practice, as well as carry out your own project.

Our specialist tutors will support you in enhancing your critical thinking and creating sophisticated academic arguments.

You'll have the opportunity to tailor your studies and carry out research to focus on your particular interests, as well as finding opportunities to link the new theories you learn with your everyday practice. By studying with us, you’ll learn to question and justify your everyday actions, increasing your own enjoyment and job satisfaction, as well as improving the pupil or student experience in your place of work.

This course will support your career progression within your existing role and open up new opportunities in a wide range of roles including management, mentoring, lecturing and consultancy. This could include specialist progression in subject, year group or phase leadership, as well as broader leadership as a deputy head teacher or principal / head teacher. Early career teachers who take the course may progress to become specialist coordinators.

No prior experience in leadership and management is necessary for this course, although experience in these areas will benefit your application and evaluation of the principles taught.

Part of the assessment for this course requires reflection upon and analysis of a current place of work within a wider educational context, although this does not need to be your own.

Modules

Leading Education
Designed to deepen your understanding of educational leadership both nationally and internationally. Engage in theory and wider research with relation to leadership and management, including change management, performance evaluation and improvement planning. You’ll use key indicators and knowledge and understanding of benchmarking performance in order to identify an area of practice that would benefit from improvement. This practice does not necessarily need to be within your own organisation and can be linked to education in a broader sense. By the end of the module, you’ll have a rooted understanding of key principles within educational leadership, leadership for social justice and the importance of context within leadership.

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 will 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
Build on developments in learning technologies and explore the context and issues of the pedagogy of technology-enhanced learning. Following an initial consideration of learning, teaching and assessment issues and practices of technology-enhanced learning. Consider issues underpinning the development and design of learning materials for electronic delivery such as multimedia learning and learning using different learning technologies. Particular attention will be paid to developing, monitoring and evaluation skills and procedures to ensure the quality and suitability of a flexible technology-enhanced experience. E-learning or technology-enhanced learning can be defined as the use of electronic technology and media to facilitate, support and enhance learning, teaching, assessment and research. You’ll take this module if you join us in January.

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 you’ll need to consider 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 will 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 individual and collaborative assessments, including research projects and presentations. You’ll also complete an extended evaluation of issues applied directly to your specific interests and context.

Our Education with Leadership and Management 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 with Leadership & Management MA do for my career?

With our course, you’ll build the foundations for your next career move and gain skills that will allow you to progress into senior roles.

This course will give directions to your ambitions by equipping you with the knowledge to handle the challenges of leadership in education. You’ll explore factors like change management, performance evaluation and improvement planning, and learn to identify areas for improvement, as well as responding to opportunities for change and evaluating situations to find solutions.

And with your Major Project, you’ll not only have the opportunity to put into practice your learning regarding research methodologies, but a chance to explore areas of interest relevant to your ambitions and develop your specialist knowledge.

As your study through our distance learning platform, you’ll develop skills and explore concerts which will help you grow in your current role whilst sowing the seeds for future development and progression. As this online Master’s in education leadership fits flexibly around your work, you’ll be able to implement your learnings in your workplace as your study, whilst gaining the skills to pursue your future career. Whether you aspire to managerial or consultancy positions, or are aiming for a Head of Subject, Head of Year, Principal or Headteacher role, this course will equip you with a range of essential skills to lead in education.

Whether you have extensive experience in education or are newly embarking in your career in education, this course will hone your existing abilities to prepare you for a promising future in management and leadership.

What job roles can I consider with an Education with Leadership & Management MA postgraduate degree?

An Education with Leadership & Management MA can lead to a wide range of career opportunities. For those already working in an education leadership role, this MA will strengthen their knowledge and authority. Subject or phase leaders will deepen their understanding of leadership and may look towards management, mentoring or consultancy roles. Teachers starting their careers could use this course to help springboard them to specialist co-ordinator positions and advance their career.

What skills will I get from an Education with Leadership & Management MA to help my career?

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

• The ability to 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 with Leadership & Management 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 will 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 with Leadership & Management 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.

At ARU, we offer a range of postgraduate distance learning courses in the field of education that will develop your specialist knowledge and help you advance your career, whatever your goals. 

But if you have aspirations towards management, our Education with Leadership and Management MA is the course for you. 

This online Master’s degree is designed to nurture your ambitions and give you the necessary leadership skills to succeed in a range of educational environments, broadening your understanding of the field and giving you the tools to make an impact as a leader, driving change in a vital sector. Through examining different educational perspectives and contexts, you’ll be prepared for a wide range of roles and have the chance to focus on developing your skills in areas that matter to you.

Throughout this course, you’ll build on your existing experience in education to further your current skillset, whilst exploring new disciplines to further your potential, and open doors to the next step in your career. 

This course will explore national and international perspectives and approaches to education, to expand your understanding of current issues in the sector. You’ll also learn about theory and policy, and the impact of these in practice to build a full picture of external factors which affect your role as a leader in education.

Our online Master’s in education leadership also gives you the chance to explore existing research, and the role that research plays within the field of education, to better understand your role as an educator or education leader, and explore possibilities and potential in the development of the sector. 

This course will also examine contemporary issues in education, such as the impact of technology, and how it can be used to further teaching methods. You’ll also learn a range of additional skills to complement your practical knowledge in the field – for instance, in certain modules you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate remotely with peers on group projects. This is crucial, as a key part of leadership and management is to facilitate teamwork. 

With a broad range of practical and personal skills, this course will equip you for the challenges of educational leadership and management.

Distance learning is designed to be fully flexible around your career. As well as giving you the freedom to set your own study schedule, you’ll also have the chance to apply your learning in your day-to-day role and improve your effectiveness as an educator and team player. 

Our online Master’s in educational leadership and management nurtures independent learning while giving you the full support of your tutors to rely on. And with an online Master’s in Education with Leadership & Management, you’re in complete control of your learning, your time and your career.

Take the next step with ARU.

Want to know more about this and other courses? Take a look at the following blogs 

• 5 Reasons To Study a Master’s in Education
• 5 Essential Skills For The Education Leaders of Tomorrow 
• What Does Distance Learning Look Like?