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Education, Gender and International Development MA

London, Bloomsbury

The Education, Gender and International Development MA will deepen your knowledge and understanding of the gender dimensions of research, analysis, policy and practice in relation to education in low- and middle-income countries. It will encourage you to consider the relationships and power dynamics between poorer and wealthier regions of the world.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£13,500
£6,750
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£29,800
£14,900
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 27 Jun 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 29 Aug 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

The minimum requirement for entry to this programme is a second class Bachelor’s degree from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. As the academic content on this MA programme is demanding, we are particularly looking for applicants who can demonstrate commitment to, knowledge of and genuine interest in issues relating to gender, education and international development. Applicants will normally have a minimum of six months’ relevant work experience in a low- or middle-income country. Applicants who do not meet these criteria will occasionally be considered on the basis of an excellent personal statement that clearly demonstrates how other experience relating to gender, education and/or international development supports their application.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

This programme is suitable for international students on a Student visa – study must be full-time, face-to-face, starting September.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

This programme is unique in the UK. If you join us, you will explore a range of contemporary current issues and debates relating to, including:

  • gender inequalities in access to schooling, and in experiences and achievements within and through school and other forms and sites of education
  • femininities, masculinities and gender relations within education
  • links between gender, education and work
  • how state and society  shape the politics of gender, education and development
  • approaches to social justice, gender and education

This programme can be taken on campus, online (distance), or a combination of both (mixed mode). Please select the relevant mode of study at point of application. Note that distance and mixed mode options are not available to students who require a student visa.

Who this course is for

This programme is suited to professionals with an interest in gender, education and development, who would like to reflect and build on their experience of working in these areas.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

The Department of Education, Practice and Society at IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society is the well-established home of an interdisciplinary grouping bringing together high-quality teaching and research in the history, sociology and philosophy of education and international development.

The department has extensive experience and expertise in education planning, health and gender in Africa, Asia and Latin America; 'policy sociology'; education, equality and human rights; issues of gender, 'race', sexuality, disability and social class. Policy seminars and a vibrant student/alumni group provide excellent networking opportunities.

Students on the MA EGID programme benefit from an extraordinarily powerful learning community which links research, policy and practice.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Recent graduates from this programme have taken up posts including in United Nations agencies, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), International NGOs such as Oxfam or ActionAid, local civil society organisations, schools and universities. Other graduates have gone on to pursue further study.

Employability

Graduates of this programme work across a broad range of areas and in a range of contexts worldwide. Some graduates work as specialist professionals in NGOs and international development organisations, while others have jobs as teachers and education managers. Graduates also work as government officials, civil servants and university lecturers.

Networking

During your time at UCL, you will be able to build networks with fellow students on this programme and the other programmes in the Education and International Development cluster, academic staff and alumni in the Centre for Education and International Development, as well as the broader IOE and UCL communities.

Teaching and learning

Teaching is delivered by lectures or other structured inputs by staff; participant-led presentations and discussions based on selected readings or a clearly specified project; tutor-led seminars; workshops; problem/issue-based individual, paired and small-group work; occasional debates and invited speakers; reflections on film and video inputs.

Assessment is via various forms of coursework, depending on your module choices. Different types of assessment include discursive essays, group presentations, reflective blogs, critical analysis of empirical research, reviews of literature, policy or other relevant documents, and the dissertation.

For each 30 credit taught module you are expected to contribute 300 learning hours (8 hours a day for just over 37 days). Direct teaching accounts for 30 hours, assignment tutorial(s) 1 hour, and the remaining hours consist of your own self-directed study such as, preparation for classes and online learning activities, reading (individual and with other students), searching for new literature related to your area of interest, assignment preparation and completion.

Modules

This programme can be taken on campus, online (distance) or a combination of both (mixed mode). Please select your mode of study at the point of application. Note: Distance and mixed mode options are not available to students who require a student visa (international students).

If you study the programme full time, you will need to undertake modules to the value of 180 credits within a one-year period (Sept - Sept).

The programme consists of two compulsory modules (60 credits), two optional modules (60 credits) and a compulsory dissertation module (60 credits).

Compulsory modules are:

  • Education and International Development: Concepts, Theories and Issues
  • Gender, Education and Development

You can select your compulsory modules in either term 1 or term 2.

This programme can be taken on campus, online (distance) or a combination of both (mixed mode). Please select your mode of study at the point of application. Note: Distance and mixed mode options are not available to students who require a student visa (international students).

If you study the programme part time, you will need to undertake modules to the value of 180 credits split over the two-year period, e.g., 90 credits in each year.

The programme consists of two compulsory modules (60 credits), two optional modules (60 credits) and a compulsory dissertation module (60 credits).

Compulsory modules are:

  • Education and International Development: Concepts, Theories and Issues
  • Gender, Education and Development

We advise you to select the compulsory modules in your first year. You must select the Dissertation module in your second year.

This programme can be taken on campus, online (distance) or a combination of both (mixed mode). Please select your mode of study at the point of application. Note: Distance and mixed mode options are not available to students who require a student visa (international students).

If you study the programme on the modular flexible route, you will need to undertake modules to the value of 180 credits split over a maximum of 5 years.

The programme consists of two compulsory modules (60 credits), two optional modules (60 credits) and a compulsory dissertation module (60 credits).

Compulsory modules are:

  • Education and International Development: Concepts, Theories and Issues
  • Gender, Education and Development

We advise you to select the compulsory modules first. You must select the Dissertation module in your final year of study.

Compulsory modules





Optional modules











Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

You will need to undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Education, Gender and International Development.

Fieldwork

You may undertake fieldwork in relation to your research for your dissertation, but it is not a requirement. If you do undertake fieldwork, it must be self-funded.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Education and International Development

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Are you passionate about shaping global contemporary practice and policy? We welcome you to book your place at our Virtual Open Event. You will meet our Programme Leaders, hear about the programmes you are interested in and have the chance to ask any questions you might have. These sessions are free and open to all. Be part of a world-leading centre for research and teaching working to make a difference in the world.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £13,500 £6,750
Tuition fees (2025/26) £29,800 £14,900

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

For flexible/modular offer holders a £500 fee deposit will be charged.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

Students are responsible for covering any travel, accommodation, and other expenses involved in conducting research for their dissertation, and should account for these costs when planning their finances.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme (CSSS)

Deadline: 12 December 2024
Value: Full fees, flights, stipend, and other allowances (1 year)
Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need
Eligibility: EU, Overseas

GREAT Scholarship

Deadline:8 May 2025
Value: £10,000 towards tuition fees (1 year)
Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need
Eligibility: EU, Overseas

IOE-Clarke Scholarships

Deadline: 5 May 2025
Value: Tuition fees, return flights and stipend (1 year)
Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need
Eligibility: EU, Overseas

IOE-ISH Centenary Masters Scholarships

Deadline: 5 May 2025
Value: Tuition fees and accommodation at International Students House (1 year)
Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need
Eligibility: Overseas

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you would like to study Education, Gender and International Development at graduate level
  • why you would like to study this particular programme at UCL and what experience you bring
  • how your academic and professional background will meet the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

We strongly recommend you to write your own personal statement, as we value genuine, personalised submissions over generic AI-generated content.

A good personal statement will include your reflections  on how you think your interests and experiences are relevant to the MA EGID programme. This should include clearly outlining the nature and length of your relevant experience of living and working in a low- or middle-income country.  

Early applications are encouraged.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2025-2026

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Education, Practice and Society
Education, Practice and Society

ioe.ma.egid@ucl.ac.uk

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