University of Cumbria

MA in Education

This is an internationally recognised one-year advanced study master's degree (QAA, 2020). It is three semesters long (36 weeks) and consists of four, short 30 credit modules and one longer 60 credit dissertation module. You will learn to critically evaluate current research, scholarship and practice to systematically address a range of complex issues in education. They critically engage with this complexity, develop skills and knowledge in relation to quality of education, communicate ideas and share findings.

This MA is specifically designed to support your professional development and enrich your contribution or accelerate career development in your chosen context. On this programme you will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of research in a chosen field of professional practice and educational enquiry, enhancing your capacity to show originality in the application of knowledge and practical understanding.

Year one

This one-year programme provides you with a critical and sophisticated understanding of different contexts, partnerships and agencies relevant to the field of education. It develops a comprehensive, critical understanding of techniques applicable to the investigation of practice in education, and a critical knowledge and understanding of how techniques of research are employed to create and interpret knowledge in your chosen field of professional enquiry. Through interactive workshop seminars, you'll acquire advanced knowledge and understanding of the concepts underpinning research and scholarly activity in the wider field of professional educational enquiry; engaging with critical evaluation of current research, relevant methodologies and ethical dimensions to education research.

• Theories of Education Learning
  During semester one, this module aims to help you to develop your understanding of theories relevant to the way that people learn. You will consider factors that contribute to good professional practice and select an aspect of this for further exploration throughout your MA journey. It will provide you with an understanding of the importance of the interplay between theory and practice and critically evaluate findings from published research. At its heart, is an opportunity for you to develop professional understanding in an area of your choosing and to consider the implications of this for your own career development.
• Education Policy
  This module aims to critically examine the dynamic policy environment in which education operates; to consider a range of perspectives and theoretical frameworks relevant to the participant’s interests and to use these to critically analyse educational leadership in an age of marketization, performativity and system leadership.
• Leading Advanced Professional Learning
  Evaluate academic discourse that underpins current issues in the leadership of Professional Learning for all educationalists. It evaluates literature and theoretical frameworks to reflect critically on the facilitation of professional learning the relationship between theory and current practice This module considers approaches that may impact on evaluation, quality assurance and continuous quality improvement in professional learning contexts.
• Challenging Disadvantage
  Moving into semester two, your focus will be on challenging disadvantages and evaluating academic discourse that underpins current issues in the leadership of Professional Learning; evaluating the literature and theoretical frameworks; reflecting critically on the facilitation of professional learning and the relationship between theory and current practice. This module considers approaches that may impact on evaluation, quality assurance and continuous quality improvement in professional learning contexts.
• Critical Analysis of Theory and Practice
  This final, longer dissertation module spans semesters two and three. The aim of this module is for students to develop comprehensive knowledge in an area of practice that is relevant to their own interests and career progression. Identifying a topic and conducting a literature review is intended to draw together learning from previous modules and enhance their future employability through creative and critical thinking.

How You Will Be Assessed

Students engage in a variety of different forms of authentic assessment, to provide a creative and balanced strategy across the programme. A range of engaging and challenging opportunities, that are relevant to the needs of the workplace, allow for effective feedback to enable student success.

The focus of assessments is particularly designed to be relevant to the needs and interests of you as an individual with an emphasis on the interaction between theory and practice. The programme promotes the concept of ‘assessment for learning’ through formative and summative assessment opportunities in each module.

Formative Assessment is designed to help you learn more effectively by giving you feedback on your performance in order to indicate how it can be improved and sustained. The formative assessment tasks included in each module help students to make progress in terms of preparation for the summative assessment. There is a direct relationship between the formative and the summative assignment and academic skills/research skills development.

Each module in semester one has a short final, summative assignment. These summative assignments draw on a range of strategies and during the course of the year. You will be assessed through literature review, construction of a critical reading log, academic poster and presentation. This aligns to the University-wide Learning Teaching and Assessment plan moving forward in terms of authentic assessment that will contribute to professional understanding and employability.

The assessment of skills culminates in the longer dissertation module. At this stage in the MA, a detailed module guide will ensure that your supervisor and Personal Tutor can track and monitor your progress and provide interim feedback to support and help you.

On This Course You Will...

• Join an established, world-class education department.
• Be guided by tutors who are experts in their field.
• Belong to an academic community that has a reputation for excellence.
• Complete a one-year research-informed masters level qualification that is recognised around the world.
• Enjoy career progression and graduate outcomes that lead to new employment opportunities.