University College London (UCL)
Educational Leadership (In-service) MA
London, United Kingdom
MA
DURATION
5 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
This in-service Master's program in Educational Leadership is designed for professionals who want to develop their leadership skills while continuing to work in education. It focuses on building practical knowledge to help leaders improve their schools and educational environments. Students learn about current challenges in education, such as policy changes, diversity, and inclusion, alongside strategies to lead positive change and support staff and students effectively. The program emphasizes expanding understanding of leadership theories and applying them to real-world situations through case studies and professional practice.
The coursework encourages reflective practice and peer collaboration, helping students connect theory with their daily work. It covers areas like organizational management, curriculum development, and ethical decision-making, aiming to strengthen leadership confidence. Since it’s an in-service program, students typically balance their studies with their existing job roles, gaining insights they can implement immediately. The program aims to prepare educational leaders to make informed, strategic decisions that positively influence their institutions, fostering an environment of continuous improvement.
UCL Scholarships
There are a number of scholarships available to postgraduate students, including our UCL Masters Bursary for UK students and our UCL Global Masters Scholarship for international students. You can click the link below to search via the scholarships finder for awards that you might be eligible for. Your academic department will also be able to provide you with more information about funding.
External Scholarships
Online aggregators like Postgraduate Studentships, Scholarship Search, Postgraduate Funding and International Financial Aid and College Scholarship Search contain information on a variety of external schemes.
If you have specific circumstances or ethnic or religious background it is worth searching for scholarships/bursaries/grants that relate to those things. Some schemes are very specific.
Funding for disabled students
Master's students who have a disability may be able to get extra funding for additional costs they incur to study.
Teaching and learning
This programme is delivered through face-to-face teaching, facilitation, multimedia presentations and activity-based learning. Each module is supported by materials on our virtual learning environment.
Assessment includes a range of assignment types including written essays and in-person presentations and a Dissertation or a Report.
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.
Modules
Full-time
The MA requires the successful completion of 180 credits and can be taken full-time over 1 year.
All students must take Leading and Managing Change and Improvement (30 credits), Doing and Using Educational Leadership and Management Research (30 credits), and the Dissertation or Report (60 credits or 30 credits respectively).
The majority of our students also take our optional modules, Leadership for the Learning Community (30 credits), and Leading in Diverse Cultures and Communities (30 credits).
The above options are the standard recommended diet for our programme. Students can take an optional module, and there is a large array of options across IOE, although usually no more than one would be permitted. If you wish to choose an optional module outside of our programme, please check with the Programme Leader first.
Part-time
The MA requires the successful completion of 180 credits and can be taken part-time over 2 years (completing 90 credits each year).
All students must take Leading and Managing Change and Improvement (30 credits) in year 1, and the majority of our students also take our optional modules, Leadership for the Learning Community (30 credits), and Leading in Diverse Cultures and Communities (30 credits).
In year 2, students must complete our Doing and Using Educational Leadership and Management Research (30 credits) module, and the Dissertation or Report (60 credits or 30 credits respectively).
The above options are the standard recommended diet for our programme. Students can take an optional module, and there is a large array of options across IOE, although usually no more than one would be permitted. If you wish to choose an optional module outside of our programme, please check with the Programme Leader first.
Flexible
The MA requires the successful completion of 180 credits and can be taken over 3 - 5 years on the modular/flexible programme structure.
All students must take Leading and Managing Change and Improvement (30 credits) in year 1, and the majority of our students also take our optional modules, Leadership for the Learning Community (30 credits), and Leading in Diverse Cultures and Communities (30 credits) spaced to suit across years 1 - 5. Students must also complete our Doing and Using Educational Leadership and Management Research (30 credits) module, and the Dissertation or Report (60 credits or 30 credits respectively).
The above options are the standard recommended diet for our programme. Students can take an optional module, and there is a large array of options across IOE, although usually no more than one would be permitted. If you wish to choose an optional module outside of our programme, please check with the Programme Leader first.
Compulsory modules
- Doing and Using Educational Leadership and Management Research
- Report on Leadership
- Dissertation on Leadership
- Leading and Managing Change and Improvement (Leadership)
Optional modules
- Leadership for the Learning Community (Leadership)
- Leading in Diverse Cultures and Communities (Leadership)
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.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Educational Leadership (In-service).
What this course will give you
The degree will explore and critique educational leadership and management theory, research and practice and encourage you to identify and extend your personal leadership capabilities in the education sector.
This degree draws on the extensive knowledge and research base of the UCL Centre for Educational Leadership, part of IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, ranked number one in the world for education for the last eleven years (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024). It is taught by leading experts in the field.
This degree will enable leaders, managers and teachers from education and wider sectors to reflect on relevant contemporary theory and evidence relating this to their own practice, helping them become effective leaders of learning and change.
The foundation of your career
Although academic in focus, the programme is practical in terms of application, allowing you to develop the potential to lead staff, work with teams, address occupational issues of supporting and challenging motivation, lead change, assess research claims and develop research-engaged educational organisations and/or systems. You will also explore wider philosophical and value stances which are particularly pertinent to working in a truly global context.
Employability
The MA will be invaluable when enhancing your current or planned future role as a middle or senior leader in the education sector. The deep engagement with the education leadership field will provide you with an excellent platform for career advancement.
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 the department, 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.