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Educational Leadership (International) MBA

London, Bloomsbury

The degree is for senior leaders in education in all phases of provision, from pre-school settings through to those working at the tertiary level, as well as those with a system-wide role. Participants are usually in or aspiring to executive leadership roles, which we define as having responsibility for multi-part or multi-site educational organisations. The learning outcomes of this MBA are aligned to AMBA (Association of MBAs) guidelines.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
Fees to be confirmed
£12,050
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
Fees to be confirmed
£14,900
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
Not applicable
2 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
All applicants: 14 Oct 2024 – 29 Aug 2025

Applications not yet open

Find similar courses still open

Entry requirements

A second-class UK Bachelor's degree from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, or equivalent senior leadership experience. Applicants who have earned the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) certificate within the last five years will gain 30 credits towards the MBA. Applicants who have successfully completed the National Professional Qualification Executive Leadership (NPQEL) certificate within the last five years will be exempt from compulsory module LCLL0064 - Executive Leadership in Educational Settings. All applicants must have relevant professional experience.

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.

You are permitted to study this programme on a flexible basis on a short-term study visa as long as each visit will be for less than six months, and there is a gap of at least one month between visits and you are still living in your home country.

Students' Union UCL Advice Service can help you with the visa application process.

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 provides you with the opportunity to develop as a strategic thinker, a leader of learning and educational improvement and a manager of resources, exploring important national and international debates in and around educational reform, leadership, teaching and learning.

Who this course is for

This programme is suited to senior and aspiring executive leaders across a wide range of educational contexts and sectors, as well as those within local authority, consultancy and policy-making roles.

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

What this course will give you

The research and development work carried out by the Department of Learning and Leadership (DLL) at IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society has an outstanding reputation. The department is at the forefront of promoting new knowledge for and about leadership, nationally, and internationally.

The department supports educational and public sector leadership to improve the life chances of individuals and communities, working in partnership with practitioners and policymakers at the critical edge of research and practice.

The Educational Leadership (International) MBA provides a full overview of contemporary education leadership issues and will allow you to apply that theory and research to practice.

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

The foundation of your career

Graduates of this MBA degree are currently working as:

  • executive leaders and trustees of academies and multi-academy trusts
  • headteachers/Principals of state-maintained, independent and international schools
  • heads of early childhood settings
  • senior education consultants working within national and international contexts
  • local authority leaders
  • senior leaders aspiring to executive leadership roles in education
  • heads of section/departments in Higher Education institutions

The dissertation created opportunities for networking and professional learning far deeper than I had expected. I gained a great deal from talking to a variety of leaders in schools and of national organisations. I was very well supported throughout my dissertation by a generous and knowledgeable supervisor.

Nick Cox, Educational Leadership (International) MBA Alumni 2021

Nick Cox

Educational Leadership (International) MBA

Q&A with Nick Cox

Employability

This MBA degree provides the opportunity for you to:

  • develop as a strategic thinker, leader of learning and educational improvement, and manager of resources
  • explore important national and international debates in and around educational reform, leadership, and teaching and learning.

Networking

The programme gives you the opportunity to build valuable professional networks with educational leaders from around the world. You also have access to UCL's academic networks, particularly via the Centre for Educational Leadership's programme of online seminars, and those offered more widely by IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society and UCL. Finally, your course tutors are themselves leading researchers and practitioners in your field of study; online discussion gives you ample opportunity to engage with them.

Teaching and learning

This programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, online materials and tutorial support involving module leaders and guest speakers. Assessment is through assignment submission and final dissertation. The programme is delivered through intensive two-day contact periods, online (asynchronous) learning activities, with tutorial support being offered in person or online.

Assessment is through a variety of assessment processes, including written assignments, presentations, project work and personal portfolio preparation.

Applicants who have successfully completed the National Professional Qualification Executive Leadership (NPQEL) certificate within the last five years will be exempt from compulsory module LCLL0064 - Executive Leadership in Educational Settings. All applicants must have relevant professional experience.

This is a taught face-to-face programme with additional pre-structured online (individual and group) activities and individual fieldwork to prepare for the final assignment. You will spend about a third of your time in lectures or engaging in directed online activities and the remaining two thirds of your time working with other students, undertaking field work, doing independent study and preparing the assessment tasks.

Please note that contact hours might vary depends on the modules you choose.

Modules

The programme can be completed in two years (part-time route), you are required to successfully complete the following modules:

  1. Executive Leadership in Educational Settings
  2. Leading People for Effective Learning
  3. Strategic Leadership and Resource Management
  4. Leading Education in the 21st Century

You are also required to complete either:

  • a dissertation which investigates a topic or issue that is relevant to business administration in the context of educational organisations or systems. There should also be a focus on the international perspective of your enquiry.
    or
  • a National Professional Qualification for Headship (within a five-year period prior to first enrolment on the degree) and a report which investigates a topic or issue that is relevant to business administration in the context of educational organisations or systems. There should also be a focus on the international perspective of your enquiry.

The modules do not have pre- or post-compulsory requirements, so can be taken in any order. The dissertation/report is normally the final stage of the degree.

The programme can be completed up to a maximum of five years (flexible/modular route), you are required to successfully complete the following modules:

  1. Executive Leadership in Educational Settings
  2. Leading People for Effective Learning
  3. Strategic Leadership and Resource Management
  4. Leading Education in the 21st Century

You are also required to complete either:

  • a dissertation which investigates a topic or issue that is relevant to business administration in the context of educational organisations or systems. There should also be a focus on the international perspective of your enquiry.

or

  • a National Professional Qualification for Headship (within a five-year period prior to first enrolment on the degree) and a report which investigates a topic or issue that is relevant to business administration in the context of educational organisations or systems. There should also be a focus on the international perspective of your enquiry.

The modules do not have pre- or post-compulsory requirements, so can be taken in any order. The dissertation/report is normally the final stage of the degree.

Compulsory 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 MBA in Educational Leadership (International).

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.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) Fees to be confirmed £12,050
Tuition fees (2025/26) Fees to be confirmed £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

Fee deposit information to be confirmed.

Students are responsible for covering any travel, accommodation, and other expenses involved in conducting research for their dissertation or report, 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

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 want to study Educational Leadership (International) at graduate level
  • why you want to study Educational Leadership (International) 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.

All applicants must have relevant professional experience.

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.

Got questions? Get in touch

Learning and Leadership
Learning and Leadership

Ioe.mba.leadership@ucl.ac.uk

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