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The MA Education encourages and enables students to think deeply and critically about education as a field of study. We recognise this as a rich field that encompasses a wide range of contrasting philosophical, disciplinary and political positions. Our stimulating programme supports students to begin to articulate, explain and justify their own position within this complex and diverse field.
Key information
Programme starts
September 2019
Modes and duration
Application dates
Tuition fees (2019/20)
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.
Entry requirements
A minimum of a second-class Bachelor's degree from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. (Please note: one or two optional modules may have additional, specific entry requirements).
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.
Visa information
For students starting in October, this programme is suitable for international students on a Tier 4 visa - study must be full-time, face-to-face, starting October only.
For students applying through the University of London International Programmes: international students can apply for a Student Visitor Visa to study the face-to-face parts of this programme if required.
International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below.
Select your country:
About this degree
This programme supports practitioners and beginning educational researchers to make a contribution to the field based on a grounded understanding of their own position. In order to do this it introduces such themes as curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, relationships between education and society, and the importance of education research, whilst encouraging students to relate these to their own contexts.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of two compulsory modules (60 credits), two optional modules (60 credits) and a dissertation (60 credits).
Compulsory modules
- What is Education?
- Understanding Research
Optional modules
Students choose from over 25 modules - a selection of modules is listed below. The list indicates the kinds of modules we have on offer. Please be aware that we cannot guarantee that every module will run every year.
- Critical Perspectives on Teaching and Learning
- Curriculum, Policy and Practice
- Communicating Knowledge: Possibilities and Opportunities
- Education and Identities: Citizenship, Rights, Narratives
- Assessment: Issues and Practice
- Education and Development in Asia
- Gender, Sexuality and Education
- Education, Ethics and Imagination in a Globalising World
- International Perspectives on Education Reform: Curriculum and Assessment
- Gender, sexuality and education
- Assessment for Learning
- Contemporary Issues and Debates in Primary Education
- Development Education in the Era of Globalisation
- Teaching Controversial Issues
- Education Traditions and Systems in Europe
- Shakespeare in Education
- Contemporary Issues in English Education
- Education, Values and Identities
- Early Childhood Education
- Philosophy of Education: Knowledge, Mind and Understanding
Visit the UCL Institute of Education website for more information, including module descriptions, which can be seen by clicking on the module title.
Dissertation/report
All students submit a written dissertation.
Teaching and learning
Modules are available as distance learning, face-to-face or mixed-mode (please note that some modules are not available in all modes). The programme is flexible, so you can take one or two modules a year, or maybe more, and spread your studies out as you see fit.
Funding
Scholarships relevant to this department are displayed below.
IOE Centenary Masters Scholarships
- Note:
- Deadline is 5 April 2019
- Value:
- Accommodation plus tuition fees (1 year)
- Eligibility:
- Overseas
IOE Fulbright
- Note:
- Now closed for 2019/20
- Eligibility:
- Overseas
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 from the MA Education have gone on to be successful in a wide variety of fields related to education. Those already in teaching positions report that they have been promoted, often to senior leadership. Others have gone on to find new jobs in their fields, including education at all phases (from early years through to higher education) as well as policy and research contexts. Many graduates go on to work internationally, some with NGOs on education and development projects, whilst others have developed plans to open their own schools. Other graduates have gone on to undertake further research on PhD programmes.
Employability
MA Education students will develop a wide range of skills including:
- Critical thinking and analysis
- Successfully applying principles from one context to another
- Building logical and balanced arguments based on careful consideration of evidence
- Offering creative solutions to complex problems
- Research skills (including the framing of research questions and the collection of evidence)
- Expressing ideas clearly in both writing and speaking
Why study this degree at UCL?
The MA Education is based in the UCL Institute of Education (IOE), and draws on the breath of expertise available in this world-leading centre for education research.
The MA Education's uniquely diverse student body comes together in compulsory modules for town-hall style lectures and debate and divides into smaller groups to study optional modules alongside students from other programmes.
We have a very strong generalist core MA Education team deeply committed to the aims of the programme and passionate about the development of their students’ understanding.
Department: Curriculum, Pedagogy & Assessment
What our students and staff say
"My academic ability has been enhanced not only by this MA programme, but also by a myriad of academic seminars, workshops and conferences regularly held at the IOE. This has helped me not to be confined to my own studies, instead it encouraged me to open my mind to welcome all different voices and opinions. I also highly appreciate the support from UCL Careers. I attended different career workshops, which helped me to familiarise myself with the global working context. Weekly email notifications provided access to recruitment and vacancies for a vast array of positions, which paved the way for students to find internships and temporary or permanent jobs."
Xiaoyun Huang
Education MA
"Before I studied this programme, I didn't think very much about teaching – I cared about how to help students improve their grades. However, during the process of studying this MA, I began to think deeply about the purpose of education, especially after attending lectures and sharing opinions with professors and classmates. What’s more, I pay more attention to analysing the phenomenon behind students’ behaviours and considering how to improve the efficiency of pedagogy, which encourages me to explore this field. Professors who did this research were invited to our class. For instance, when the topic is about the purpose of school, Professor Michael Young was invited and had an excellent discussion with students, so we had a deeper understanding of the required materials."
Yan Liang
Education MA
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 £75 for online applications and £100 for paper applications. Further information can be found at: www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught/application.
Who can apply?
This programme suits educators interested in leadership, promotion and career development in a wide range of educational contexts. It is also appropriate for those interested in education policy and development. Since the MA Education does not include a practice component, it is unlikely to satisfy teacher certification requirements.
Application deadlines
- All applicants
- 6 September 2019
We are not usually able to consider late applications.
For more information see our Applications page.
Apply nowWhat are we looking for?
When we assess your application we would like to learn:
- why you want to study Education at graduate level
- why you want to study Education at UCL
- what particularly attracts you to the 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.
Contact information
- Rebecca Spencer, Programme Administrator
- ioe.ma.education@ucl.ac.uk
- +44 (0)207 612 6125
Page last modified on 5 June 2019 by UCL Student Recruitment Marketing