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Philosophy of Education MA

London, Bloomsbury

This programme is offered by the world-renowned Centre for Philosophy of Education, based within IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society. Teaching staff work at the forefront of philosophical research and scholarship concerning education policy, educational practice, and the interaction of education with minds, culture, technology, and society. Students are offered a comprehensive grounding in the field, an introduction to philosophical research methods, and insights into philosophy’s engagement with the broader social sciences. 

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)
£29,800
£14,900
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

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 our MA programmes is demanding, we are particularly looking for applicants with an academic background in philosophy or a related discipline, and/or with relevant professional experience in education.

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

The Philosophy of Education MA provides students from a variety of academic backgrounds with a broad literacy across different philosophical literatures and approaches. It aims to support students’ development as active and independent philosophical researchers and writers, able to bring philosophical thinking and methods to bear on a range of practical, policy-based and theoretical problems. While our students explore mainstream ideas in ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of mind and epistemology, for example, they are also encouraged to engage with contemporary research and questions being tackled across our lively community of academic staff, and Master’s and Doctoral students, who come from a wide range of professional, subject and personal backgrounds.

Who this course is for

This degree is ideal for those interested in understanding how to use philosophy as a lens through which to critically think about and research educational and social issues. Our programme will not only be of interest to those currently teaching (in schools, Further Education or Higher Education) who wish to critically and creatively reflect on their own practice, but also to those interested in carrying out further academic research about education, policy, minds or society at doctoral level or within think tanks or policy institutes.

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

What this course will give you

This programme encourages our students to develop analytical and critical skills, in addition to precise writing, communication, research and collaborative skills that have supported our alumni as they’ve transitioned into varied careers including academia, politics, research, educational consultancy, and school leadership.

The Philosophy of Education MA sits within the Department of Education, Practice and Society at IOE, a long-established home of interdisciplinary teaching and research spanning history, sociology, philosophy of education and international development. Our students benefit from the opportunity to apply to sit optional modules in these subjects alongside their core modules in philosophy, and core teaching is also centred around helping students to make interdisciplinary connections within our programme and in contexts beyond.

IOE has long been recognised as an international leader in the development and dissemination of work in philosophy of education, and the Centre for Philosophy of Education draws together research from across IOE, in additional to its collaboration with a range of national and international partners. Students benefit from being introduced into these collaborations that offer opportunities to engage with broader academic and research networks.

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

The foundation of your career

Alumni of this programme include: a lecturer at the University of Cambridge, who now teaches at UCL; the Head of Community Engagement for the Mayor of London at the Greater London Authority; an education and youth policy researcher at the European Commission; a former research associate at Ofsted, now an education consultant; senior leaders in schools across the UK; doctoral candidates at UCL IOE and other universities across the UK. 

Employability

Students will develop and enhance their ability to interrogate underlying assumptions in educational policy, theory and research; to formulate and defend coherent arguments; to write academic papers and carry out research emphasising conceptual clarity and rigour; to use theoretical tools to reflect on educational practice and broader social research; and to articulate critical perspectives on a range of common-place educational ideas and concepts.  

Graduates of this programme are currently working across a broad range of areas. Some are working as teachers and senior school leaders, while others have jobs as university lecturers and researchers. Graduates can also be found working in government, as staff in policy think tanks, as youth workers or in adult and informal education.

Networking

Each week during term time, the Centre for Philosophy hosts a public research seminar, co-organised with the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain (PESGB) - which most teaching staff have a presence within. In addition, PESGB hosts an annual conference in March - open to our students - with philosophers of education from around the world in attendance.

There are additional networking opportunities throughout the department and UCL, through other open seminars, reading groups, and societies.

Teaching and learning

The taught sessions consist primarily of presentations by the tutor(s) or another speaker, often reviewing a range of positions and arguments on a topic (on occasion students may be invited in advance to make their own presentation to the group); and discussion, both as a whole class and in small groups, which is vital both to clarifying and being able to argue for your own position, and to understanding the positions and arguments of others.

A range of forms of assessment will be used across the programme. Depending on the module, these may include essays, presentations, and other coursework assignments. All students are also required to complete a dissertation or a report.

Most of your work on the MA will take the form of independent study. While individual needs and work habits will differ, to make the kind of progress that is required at Master's level, you should assign 8-10 hours per week to independent study if you are a part-time student and 10-15 hours per week if you are a full-time student, in addition to formally timetabled classes and individual tutorials. You will also benefit from attending the weekly Philosophy of Education research seminar, as well as occasional guest lectures, and seminars or day conferences within IOE or elsewhere in UCL.

Modules

Full-time students will take the compulsory module, "Values, Aims and Society", in their first term. They also commence work on their dissertation or report, and then take two or three further optional modules in terms one or two, depending on choice of dissertation or report. “Knowledge, Mind and Understanding” is taught in the Summer term.

All students are required to submit either: a dissertation in philosophy of education (60 credits), or a report (30 credits) plus a further 30-credit optional module approved by the Programme Leader.

Part-time students will take the compulsory module, "Values, Aims and Society" in the first term. They will normally then take “Knowledge, Mind and Understanding”, and further optional modules over their two years on the programme. Part-time students must submit either a dissertation (60 credits), or a report (30 credits) plus an additional optional module, although dissertation supervision does not commence until the start of the second year.

Modular/flexible students will take the compulsory module, "Values, Aims and Society" in their first term. They will then take "Knowledge, Mind and Understanding", and further optional modules and a dissertation/report, over the following five-year period.

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 Philosophy of 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: Philosophy of Education MA

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.

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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) £29,800 £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

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

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

Deadline:8 May 2025
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 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 Philosophy of Education at graduate level
  • why you want to study Philosophy of 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.

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

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Education, Practice and Society
Education, Practice and Society

d.vanello@ucl.ac.uk

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