University of Cumbria

MA in Education Leadership

This is an internationally recognised one-year advanced study master's degree (QAA, 2020). It consists of three semesters (36 weeks), with four shorter 30-credit modules and one longer 60-credit dissertation module. Collaboratively, students critically evaluate current research, scholarship and practice to systematically address a range of complex issues in education leadership. 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 each student’s professional development and enrich their contribution or accelerate career development in their chosen leadership context. Learners in this programme demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of research in a chosen field of education leadership, enhancing their capacity to show originality in the application of knowledge and practical understanding.

Year one

This MA is designed to run as a full-time face-to-face experience. We seek to create a stimulating and innovative community of learning that is facilitated by an expert tutor team. You will experience a learning environment that is well-equipped, flexible, and stimulating. This provision will also allow you to access material and appropriate learning activities on programme and module virtual learning environments.

• Theories of Education Leadership
  During the first semester, this module aims to develop your understanding of theories relevant to leadership in a range of educational contexts. 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 in 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. You will be supported to explore the interplay of theory and practice in relation to your chosen area of focus, and you will consider the impact of this on your own professional thinking.
• Education Policy
  With a particular focus on leadership, 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 leadership role and 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; to evaluate the 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, this module aims to encourage critical evaluation of the academic discourse relating to issues of social justice and disadvantage that specifically relate to students’ dissertation topic. It provides an opportunity to draw together learning from previous modules and to reflect critically on the role education might play in addressing inequalities.
• Critical Analysis of Theory and Practice
  In the final dissertation module, the aim is for students to develop a 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

You will 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 leadership theory and practice in education. 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 them feedback on their performance in order to indicate how it can be improved and sustained. The formative assessment tasks included in each module will help you 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.
• Enjoy an academic community that has a reputation for excellence.
• Authentic and purposeful assessment.
• Completion of a dynamic, research-informed MA in Education Leadership in just one year.