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Education MA

London, Bloomsbury

The Education MA encourages and enables students to think deeply and critically about education. This stimulating programme supports students in the process of beginning to articulate, explain and justify their own position within the complex and diverse field of education studies.

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)
£36,500
£18,250
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

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).

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

We support students in their development as educational practitioners and researchers in various ways. We encourage and assist them to think deeply and critically about education and support them in the process of beginning to articulate, explain and justify their own position within the complex and diverse field of education studies. We encourage students to make a contribution to the field of education studies based on a grounded understanding of their own position and drawing on their own contexts. To do this we introduce various themes, such as curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and relationships between education and society, whilst encouraging students to relate these to their chosen contexts.

Who this course is for

The Degree is a broad based, generalist programme suited for those with a serious interest in education practice, policy and research. It suits those aiming to work in education policy, development or research as well as educators looking for career development in a wide range of contexts. The Education MA is not a teacher education programme and, since it does not include a practice component, it is highly unlikely to satisfy teacher certification requirements.

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

What this course will give you

The Education MA is based in IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, and draws on the breath of expertise available in this world-leading centre for education research. The Education MA team is deeply committed to the aims of the programme and passionate about the development of their students understanding.

Our students develop a wide range of academic and transferable professional skills that are of great benefit to them in their professional lives and our graduates are well placed to develop their careers further in exciting ways.

With this programme, it may be possible to reduce the cost of studying to two-thirds of the total if you already have PGCE Master’s credits. This is valid for up to 5 years after the completion of your PGCE. For more information, please contact ioe.ma.education@ucl.ac.uk.

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

The foundation of your career

Our Education MA programme assists students to develop a wide range of transferable skills including the ability to:

  • think critically 
  • apply principles from one context to another
  • build logical and balanced arguments based on careful consideration of evidence
  • offer creative solutions to complex problems
  • frame research questions, gather evidence and analyse it
  • express ideas clearly in both writing and speaking

This year has shown me more possibilities for my life, helped me to learn more about myself, my research interests, and my philosophy of education. Also, I think I will gradually achieve my aims step by step.

Yuxin Liu, Education MA student

Yuxin Liu

Education MA

Q&A with Yuxin Liu

Employability

Graduates from the Education MA have gone on to be successful in a wide variety of contexts related to education. Those already teaching have often been promoted, sometimes to senior leadership positions. Others have found new opportunities in a different educational phase (from early years through to higher education) or in education policy or research. Some graduates go on to work internationally on education and development projects, whilst others have developed plans to open schools in their own contexts. A good number of graduates undertake further research on PhD programmes.

Read more about careers and employability and the careers support UCL provides

Networking

You will work with other students and tutors drawn from across the faculty and university.

Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning depend on whether you study the programme on campus or on a distance-basis. On campus there are a mixture of lectures, seminars and workshops which are supported by independent study and a rich online learning environment. For distance-based students teaching and learning takes place online, with a mixture of ‘live’ or synchronous sessions (which are normally also recorded) and asynchronous activities. In both cases there are opportunities to engage with the lecturing team and fellow students throughout.

Students will have a dissertation supervisor to support them through the development, execution, and writing of their dissertation project. The module includes workshops, lectures, and seminars that provide a foundation in research skills and methods.

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 also offered flexibly, allowing students to take one or two modules a year and spread their studies out as they see fit.

Assessments include individual and group work; they vary across different modules and might be comprised of essays, presentations, creation of blog or video posts etc., depending on the module's focus and topic.

Please note that the dissertation module listed below will change its name to 'Dissertation in Education with Integrated Research Methods' starting in 2025/26. This module supports students in undertaking an original, independent scholarly investigation in the field of education. Students often choose a dissertation topic relevant to their personal and professional interests, typically involving some fieldwork or empirical data collection.

In terms one and two full-time students can typically expect between six and eight contact hours per teaching week through a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops, crits and tutorials. In term three and the summer period students will be completing their own dissertation research, keeping regular contact with their dissertation supervisors.

Our diverse student body has come together in compulsory modules for town-hall style lectures, small group seminars. Students can choose to study from a range of optional modules alongside students from other programmes. At the heart of teaching and learning is the professional relationship between the student and their tutor. The tutor provides academic tutoring across the compulsory modules as well as personal tutoring and support.

Modules

The programme consists of two compulsory modules (30 credits each), and two optional modules (30 credits each) and a dissertation (60 credits). The overall structure of the programme is as follows:

  • What is Education? (Compulsory)
  • The Future of Education (Compulsory)
  • Dissertation in Education with Integrated Research Methods (Compulsory)
  • Optional module 1
  • Optional module 2

The Education MA can be studied full-time in one academic year. If you complete the programme full-time you will usually take two modules in the Autumn term and two in the Spring term. 'What is Education?' runs in the Autumn term, and 'The Future of Education' runs in the Spring term.

The programme consists of two compulsory modules (30 credits each), and two optional modules (30 credits each) and a dissertation (60 credits). The overall structure of the programme is as follows:

  • What is Education? (Compulsory)
  • The Future of Education (Compulsory)
  • Dissertation in Education with Integrated Research Methods (Compulsory)
  • Optional module 1
  • Optional module 2

Part-time students typically complete the programme as below:

Year 1 – Students complete three 30 credit modules - ‘What is Education?’ in term 1, ‘The Future of Education’ in term 2 and one option module. The option module can be taken in any term, although students usually find it easier to complete one module per term.

Year 2 – Students complete one remaining 30 credit module and the Dissertation.

The programme consists of two compulsory modules (30 credits each), and two optional modules (30 credits each) and a dissertation (60 credits). The overall structure of the programme is as follows:

  • What is Education? (Compulsory)
  • The Future of Education (Compulsory)
  • Dissertation in Education with Integrated Research Methods (Compulsory)
  • Optional module 1
  • Optional module 2

Modular/flexible students have up to 5 years to complete the programme. We require that ‘What is Education?’ is the first module to be completed and in normal circumstances the Dissertation should be completed last.

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.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Education.

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.

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Graduate Open Events: Education MA (all routes)

Are you interested in furthering your career in education and making a difference in the UK or worldwide? 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 inspired by our wide-ranging and flexible programmes run by leading academics.

Watch on demand event

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) £36,500 £18,250

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

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 programme of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

Prospective 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.

You are required to submit a personal statement, typed and no longer than two sides of A4 paper, which can be uploaded on the admissions portal.

The personal statement should clearly address the questions below.

It should not include descriptive biographical detail that does not directly help you answer these questions.

  1. Why do you want to study Education?
  2. Why do you want study the Education MA degree at IOE?
  3. How does your academic and professional background prepare you to meet the challenges of studying for our degree?
  4. What professional and personal benefits do you hope to gain from your studies with us?

We are not usually able to consider late applications.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes in any application cycle.

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

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Got questions? Get in touch

Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment

ioe.ma.education@ucl.ac.uk

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