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Education, Gender and International Development MA

London, Bloomsbury

Gender equality in education is a matter of social justice. It is crucial for peaceful, sustainable societies and individual wellbeing. Yet gender inequalities in education persist globally, their effects are worsened by multiple contemporary injustices related to climate, environmental, political, economic, and health issues. If you want to deepen your knowledge and build expertise in this area, the Education, Gender and International Development MA is for you. This interdisciplinary course will expand your understanding of deep-rooted, systemic barriers to gender equality in education, develop your capability to critically evaluate policies, practices and scholarship, and equip you with skills to work for transformative change. 

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2026/27)
£14,200
£7,100
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)
£32,000
£16,000
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2026
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 26 Jun 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 28 Aug 2026
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 course 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 course 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

Gender inequalities in education impact everyone. But their impacts are felt most acutely by the world’s poorest, most marginalised and most vulnerable people and communities. This MA course will provide you with crucial tools to understand, critique and respond to the many issues, practices, policies and theories that support or hinder vital progress towards gender equality in and through education within and across a wide range of contexts. You will explore how different ideas and everyday practices shape how we consider, reinforce, challenge or change forms of gender discrimination and injustice, how people experience them and what the role of education is. You will consider how different educational spaces and systems – formal, non-formal or informal – are shaped by different values, histories and struggles of individuals, institutions, communities and countries. And you will gain understanding of how different framings of international development have prompted different actions and mobilisations around education and gender equality.

This course can be studied on campus, online (distance), or a combination of both (mixed mode). You will need to select the relevant mode of study at point of application. Note that distance and mixed mode options are not available to students applying for a student visa. 

Who this course is for

This course 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

Consistently ranked World #1 for Education (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025), UCL Institute of Education (IOE), is located in Bloomsbury in the heart of cosmopolitan London. As part of the Centre for Education and International Development at the IOE, you will join a vibrant, interdisciplinary and diverse community of staff, students and alumni at the cutting edge of research and practice. You will learn together with world-renowned experts in education, gender, international development and related fields, who work collaboratively across the globe in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific region on pressing contemporary issues related to gender and education, including climate change, violence, conflict, health, migration and displacement.

You will benefit from high quality, research-informed teaching and being part of our extensive professional networks. You will be able to shape your studies to match your interests and build on your experiences. You will develop in-depth knowledge, skills and expertise in gender, education and international development that are crucial for working in international organisations, government ministries and civil society, or as a teacher, consultant, researcher or activist.

You will also benefit from being taught by leading researchers in the field of education and international development. You will learn together with a richly diverse body of students, who bring a wealth of experience and knowledge from around the world. You will be able to choose from a wide range of modules, depending on your interests.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme
Making an impact
Three young schoolchildren smiling and holding books, standing indoors in school uniforms, with one child in focus at the front and two children slightly blurred in the background.

Case study: Making gender equality in education count: improving data for global change

The Centre for Education and International Development transforms the ways data are collected and used globally to inform gender equality policy and practice.

The foundation of your career

Our graduates currently work in a wide variety of roles including in United Nations agencies, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Government Education Ministries, International NGOs, development consultancy, local civil society organisations, schools and universities. Other graduates have gone on to pursue doctoral study, some winning prestigious and competitive scholarships

A number of our students are mid-career professionals (including government ministry staff, teachers and NGO professionals) for whom the course forms part of their wider professional development, providing access to new or more senior roles, or a change of career direction.

Employability

Students who participate fully in our course should expect to develop a range of expertise, including: 

  • knowledge and understanding of issues, theories and concepts relating to education, gender and international development 
  • the ability to critically reflect on policies, practices and debates that shape gender, education and international development
  • skills in oral and written presentation, collaborative discussion, and individual and group work
  • knowledge, understanding and skills in research, and experience of conducting a small scale, independent research study

Networking

During your time at UCL, you will be able to build networks with fellow students on this course and the other Education and International Development MA courses, with academic staff and alumni in the Centre for Education and International Development, and across the broader IOE and UCL communities.

Teaching and learning

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

Students' work is assessed through a variety of methods, depending on the module. These may include coursework essays, other written assignments (such as project proposals or portfolios), presentations and other forms of oral assessment, group projects, and a sustained research study in the form of a dissertation. Details of individual module assessments are available in UCL’s module catalogue; however, please note that these are subject to annual change.

Full-time students should expect to dedicate 40 hours per week to their studies, including timetabled and independent study. For each 30-credit module, direct teaching typically accounts for 3 hours per week. The remaining hours will comprise your own self-directed study such as preparation and reading for classes and online learning activities, further reading (individual and with other students), searching for new literature related to your area of interest, assignment preparation and completion. You will also typically receive up to 1 hour (total) of tutorial support for each module's final assignment(s).

Modules

You can study this course full-time, over a 1-year period (Sept-Sept).

You will take the two compulsory modules, which are designed to strengthen your knowledge and skills in issues, theories and concepts relating to education, gender and international development. You will also select two optional modules, which will allow you to further your interests in related areas. At least one of these must be chosen from the education and international development module selection. You will also take the dissertation and research methods module.

You can study this course part-time over 2 years (starting in September).

You will take two compulsory modules, which are designed to strengthen your knowledge and skills in issues, theories and concepts relating to education, gender and international development. We advise you to take these modules in your first year. You must also select two optional modules, which will allow you to further your interests in related areas. At least one of these must be chosen from the education and international development module selection. You can take these in your first or second year. You will also take the dissertation and research methods module in your second year.

You can study this course over a period of 2 to 5 years. Note: this option is not available to students who require a student visa.

This course consists of two compulsory modules, which are designed to strengthen your knowledge and skills in issues, theories and concepts relating to education, gender and international development. We advise you to take these two modules first. You will also select two optional modules, which will allow you to further your interests in related areas. At least one of these must be chosen from the education and international development module selection. You will take the dissertation and research methods module in your final year.

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 required. If you do undertake fieldwork, it must be self-funded.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27) £14,200 £7,100
Tuition fees (2026/27) £32,000 £16,000

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course 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 with a fee status classification of UK, a fee deposit will be charged at 2.5% of the first year fee.

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

For modular/flexible offer holders with a fee status classification of UK, a £350 deposit will be charged.

For modular/flexible offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a £500 deposit will be charged.

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

Fieldwork is not required for the dissertation. If you decide to undertake fieldwork, it must be self-funded. You will be responsible for covering all travel, accommodation, and other expenses.  

For in-person teaching, 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 £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. 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

Now closed for 2025/26 entry
Value: £10,000 towards tuition fees (1 year)
Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need
Eligibility: EU, Overseas

IOE - Aziz Foundation Scholarships

Value: Full tuition fees (1 year)
Criteria Based on academic merit
Eligibility: UK

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 course 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 this particular course in Education, Gender and International Development at UCL and what experience you bring
  • how your academic and professional background will meet the demands of this challenging course
  • how you think this course will support you in your career   

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

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

A good personal statement will include your own reflections on how you think your interests and experiences are relevant to this particular course. This should include clearly outlining the nature and, length of your relevant experience of living and working in a low- or middle-income country, and/or any other relevant experience you have of working in the field or education, gender and international development.  

Early applications are encouraged.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses (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: 2026-2027

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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