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Education (History) MA

In the MA Education (History), students explore educational, political and philosophical debates that have influenced curriculum and the learning and teaching of history in schools, colleges and related settings. Students are encouraged to critically reflect on principles, practices and issues that shape and relate to policy and professional practice in history education and to develop theorized and evidence-informed perspectives on policy and practice.

Covid-19 programme updates

Due to COVID-19, there may have been updates to this programme for the 2020 academic year. Where there has been an update, these are indicated with a red alert and a link which will provide further information.

Key information

Programme starts

September 2020

Modes and duration

Full time: 1 year
Part time: 2 years
Flexible: up to 5 years

Application dates

All applicants
Open: 1 November 2019
Close: 4 September 2020

Tuition fees (2020/21)

UK/EU:
£8,940 (FT)
£4,605 (PT)
Overseas:
£20,110 (FT)
£10,240 (PT)


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

Location: London, Bloomsbury

Entry requirements

A minimum of a second-class UK Bachelor's degree in a relevant subject or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard and a developed interest in history education (usually evidenced by teaching experience or by experience related to education).

English language requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

The English language level for this programme is: Good

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

International students

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.

Select your country:

About this degree

Students explore the key concepts involved in understanding history education. They develop an understanding of contemporary issues and key research findings in history education and related areas, and are supported to apply this knowledge in practice in educational settings and related contexts.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of three compulsory modules (90 credits), and either one optional module (30 credits) and a compulsory dissertation (60 credits), or two optional modules (60 credits) and a report (30 credits). The dissertation or report must be taken with an ‘Integrated Research Methods’ element.

Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded a MA in Education (History).

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 is subject to change.

Compulsory modules

  • What is Education?
  • Effective Learning in History
  • Understanding Research

Optional modules

Students choose either one or two optional modules from a range available in the wider UCL Institute of Education offering.

The following list indicates the kinds of modules we have on offer. Please be aware that we cannot guarantee that every module will run every year.

Please contact the Programme Leader for further information.

  • Education and Identities: Citizenship, Rights, Narratives
  • The Holocaust in the Curriculum
  • Teaching Controversial Issues
  • Debates in the History of Education
  • Issues and Debates in Religious Education
  • Comparative Education: Theories and Methods
  • Contemporary Issues in English Education
  • Critical Perspectives on Learning and Teaching
  • Curriculum, Policy and Practice
  • Development Education in the Era of Globalisation
  • Transforming the Geography Curriculum
  • Global Citizenship Education: Research, Policy and Practice
  • Education and Muslim Communities
  • Education, Ethics and Imagination in a Globalising World
  • Gender, Education and Development
  • Philosophy of Education: Knowledge, Mind and Understanding
  • Philosophy of Education: Values, Aims and Society
  • Assessment: Issues and Practice
  • Minorities, Migrants and Refugees in National Education Systems
  • Sociology of Education

Visit the UCL Institute of Education website for more information, including module descriptions, which can be seen by clicking on the module title.

Covid-19 module updates
Due to COVID-19, there may be updates to the modules for your chosen programme of study this year. Some modules may not be available or may need to be moved to a later term or year of study. These updates are relevant for 2020-21 academic year only.  The full list of modules will be available in the module catalogue from late August.  From the first week of September, you will be invited to complete module selection from Portico, our student record system. There may need to be additional updates or changes to modules during the academic year to allow for new guidance from the UK Government and Public Health England. Your department shall keep you updated of these changes as they become available.

Dissertation/report

All students undertake a Dissertation with Integrated Research Methods (2,000-word proposal and a 17,000-word dissertation - 60 credits) or a Report with Integrated Research Methods (1,500-word proposal and 8,000-word report - 30 credits). In all cases, the focus of the dissertation or report must be history education.

Teaching and learning

The dissertation/report module includes an online ‘Integrated Research Methods’ course in term 1 of the module. 

Students are allocated a dissertation/report supervisor. For most of the module, teaching and learning takes place through regular one-to-one research supervision meetings with your supervisor. These supervisions can be conducted face-to-face and/or via distance learning. 

Each 30-credit module has 300 nominal learning hours. This is made up of formal learning and teaching events such as lectures, seminars, tutorials as well independent study.

During term time students are expected to study between 15-20 hours per module, per week, including personal time. Learning hours continue outside term and full time study on the MA and would amount to 40 hours a week over 45 weeks.

Covid-19 contact hours on campus
In Term One, while campus will be open, all the learning activity for the core content of your modules will take place online – including lectures, tutorials, seminars and assessments. By “core content” we mean everything you need to learn to complete the module successfully. In addition to these online contact hours, we will be offering some face-to-face educational activities for students on campus, and we will provide alternative online activities for those students unable to join us on campus. These activities, which will include contact with academic staff, will be relevant to your programme of study may include seminars, academic and employability skills workshops, small-group or individual tutorials, lab and practice-based teaching. UK Government safety guidelines will limit the amount of ‘in person’ activity we can offer and while it will vary from programme to programme, is likely to be no more than 1-2 hours per week. This will vary across departments, particularly if your programme includes laboratory/practical/studio/workshop sessions. You will be updated with more specific details as they are available and your timetable will indicate which sessions will be on campus and which will be available online.
Covid-19 assessment updates
There may be changes to the format of assessments for modules in this programme due to COVID-19. These will be summarised for each module on the module catalogue from 17 August 2020.   If any changes to assessments need to be made during the academic year due to updates in government guidance, these will be communicated to you as soon as possible from your department.    
Communicating further Covid-19 mitigation plans
We are continuing to follow UK Government guidance, as well as the expertise of our researchers, including specialists in health, education, human behaviour and infection prevention, to make sure UCL is as safe as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. If it becomes necessary to make further changes to your programme as a result of new guidance/regulations, UCL and your department will communicate these as soon as this becomes clear. We will keep you up-to-date with our plans throughout term one, so you have the information you need to be able to take decisions that are right for your circumstances. Please ensure that you keep in touch with your department by regularly checking your UCL emails, Moodle courses, the Coronavirus FAQs for Students page and any UCL online groups or social media you follow.

Additional costs

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Accessibility

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

Funding

Scholarships relevant to this department are displayed below.

IOE-Clarke Scholarships

Note:
Deadline Monday 25 May 2020 (5pm London time).
Value:
Tuition fees, stipend, flights (1 year)
Eligibility:
Overseas
Criteria:
Based on both academic merit and financial need

IOE-ISH Centenary Masters Scholarships

Note:
Deadline: Monday 18 May 2020 (5pm London time).
Value:
Full tuition fees and accommodation (1 year)
Eligibility:
Overseas
Criteria:
Based on both academic merit and financial need

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

Careers

Graduates of this programme are currently working across a broad range of areas. Some are working as teachers, senior leaders in schools in the UK and internationally, while others work in a range of other educational settings and for governments in curriculum design and related areas.

Employability

The programme develops students' ability to think critically and analytically about theory and practice in educational settings and the ability to organise and evaluate empirical and theoretical claims and arguments about educational aims and practices. Students learn to organise, evaluate and present data and argument in robust and critically informed ways and to read, design, conduct and evaluate educational research, taking account of relevant practical, theoretical and ethical issues.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The MA Education is located in the Department of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment, a world-leading centre for subject-specialist education. By studying the history education route, you will have the opportunity to reflect on practice in history education and, through assignments focused on contemporary subject-specific teaching and learning, you will have opportunities to develop and evaluate interventions to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in history in educational settings and related contexts.

You will be encouraged to read widely in specialist literature and be introduced to world-leading theory and research in history education and in education studies more broadly. You will be encouraged to innovate and test ideas and to contribute to ongoing discussions about improving history education.

Our programme offers students the opportunity to study face-to-face, to combine online study with face-to-face sessions, or to pursue their studies entirely by online learning. Online learning and blended learning provide access to our courses for students studying at a distance.

Department: Curriculum, Pedagogy & Assessment

Application and next steps

Applications

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 £80 for online applications and £105 for paper applications. Further information can be found at: www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught/application.

Who can apply?

This programme is suited to teachers of history, to policy-makers working in history education, to museum educators, and to others interested in history education working in NGOs and other organisations with educational remits. 

Application deadlines

All applicants
4 September 2020

For more information see our Applications page.

Apply now

What are we looking for?

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study history education at graduate level
  • why you want to study history education at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to your chosen programme
  • how your academic and professional background meets 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.

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.

Page last modified on 13 August 2020