Educational Leadership in Practice
Manchester, United Kingdom
DURATION
24 Months
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
19 Aug 2025
EARLIEST START DATE
01 Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 17,000 / per course
STUDY FORMAT
Blended
Introduction
Education is increasingly under pressure to meet external demands, particularly with the rise of standardisation and teach-to-test approaches, which are shaping policy and placing significant pressure on educational leaders across the globe.
Our MA in Educational Leadership in Practice will equip you with the skills and confidence to navigate these challenges and take a leadership role within education. Through your studies, you will build your intellectual and practical confidence to engage at higher levels, lead effectively and influence change within your organisation.
This master's has a strong international focus, ensuring that what you learn is globally applicable and connecting you with educators across the world.
Learn on the job
Take a critical and theoretical approach with practice-based learning that enables you to create change in the workplace from day one.
Build a global network
Network with peers and experts during workshops held twice a year at our prestigious Manchester Centre.
Practise new skills
Learn from world-leading academics in educational policy and educational leadership including Dr Paul Armstrong from the Manchester Institute for Education.
Where and when you will study
This online and blended, part-time master's means you can study from anywhere in the world and fit it around your day-to-day life. You will be expected to learn while you continue to work, and to use examples from your work throughout your study.
You will complete four taught units in year one, followed by two taught units and a research project in year two. You'll learn through a mix of interactive teaching and have plenty of opportunities to work collaboratively with your peers.
Gallery
Ideal Students
If you’re a teacher or an educator looking to move into a leadership role within an education organisation, this course is for you. It will give you vital knowledge and skills to take your career to the next level, empowering you to lead with confidence and have a real impact.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
UK State School Teachers Bursary
Eligible teachers taking the MA Educational Leadership in Practice will receive a 50% bursary towards their course fees.
To receive the UK state school bursary on your tuition fees you must fit our eligibility criteria and provide evidence to support your discount claim. To process your discount claim, our admissions team must receive a letter from your employer, detailing your employment and contract type. This letter must be sent from a workplace email on official headed paper to verify your employment status. To qualify for the discount you must be employed at the start of the course and evidence must be provided before a discount is granted.
Postgraduate loans (UK/EU)
If you're an English or EU student living in the UK, you may be eligible for a loan from the government.
Manchester Master's Bursary (UK only)
We're committed to helping talented students access further education, regardless of background.
Curriculum
Our online learning MA in Educational Leadership in Practice caters to the training needs of professionals around the world, whether you're looking to enhance your skills in leadership within schools or further your career in this area.
Successful leaders in education require a wide range of transferable skills and subject-specific knowledge in areas such as in education and social policy, leading organisational and educational change.
At the start of your course in September, you'll have the chance to network with academics teaching the course, meet your peers and grow your network of global educational practitioners at a three-day workshop in Manchester. In your second year, you will have the opportunity to attend a workshop at a centre of your choice.
Course Units
Models of Educational Leadership
Mandatory for: MA
- Explore conceptualising educational leadership practice as adjectival models
- Consider what this means in diverse international contexts
- Examine and evaluate a range of key models
Engaging with Research in Educational Leadership
Mandatory for: MA
- What is educational leadership research?
- What topics can be researched in education?
- Why should research in education be taken seriously?
Educational Leadership as a Social Practice
Mandatory for: MA
- Educational leadership practice in a globalising education system
- Getting and doing the job
- Using research evidence
Leading Educational Change
Mandatory for: MA
- Examining what is meant by ‘change’
- Counter-productive and productive motivators for and mechanisms for change
- Critical perspective on leading change
Education Policy and Leadership
Mandatory for: MA
- What is policy and how is it ‘done’?
- Policy architecture
- Welfarism, social democracy and neoliberalism as policy architecture
Optional Course Units
Optional units for MA:
- Digital Technologies and Educational Leadership
- Leadership of International Schools
Independent Supervised Study/Project
Mandatory for: MA
- Research Skills and the application of research to professional practice
- Project-based enquiry
Program Outcome
- Gain a deep understanding of theories, research, intellectual debates, and best practices from across the globe.
- Reflect on how these could apply to your own practice.
- Develop higher-order thinking skills to inspire you as a leader of education.
- Apply educational leadership skills and find solutions to real-world problems from local and global education organisations.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
- You'll develop links between your learning and practice
- You'll contribute to debates about research in educational leadership in a range of different contexts and from different perspectives
- You'll reflect on how these could apply to your own practice
- You'll demonstrate an understanding of education policy in and for understanding educational leadership and its relationship to wider changes at both national and international levels
- You'll develop critical skills on how reform agendas require problematisation to evaluate how they may disrupt or reproduce inequities
Student Testimonials
Program delivery
Delivery - A mix of online content with face-to-face workshops twice a year
Duration - 24 months, part-time
Enrolment date - September 2025
Workload - Approximately 20 hours per week
Teaching and learning
This is a blended learning course with two annual in-person workshops. The taught units are delivered via a virtual learning environment (VLE) where you can access all course materials, online reading lists, discussion boards, podcasts, newsfeeds and the University's extensive online library.
The academic teaching start date for September 2025 entry is 1 September 2025.
The welcome event and induction take place one week before the academic teaching start date. Our admissions team will confirm your induction start date closer to the time.
Please ensure that you complete your registration ahead of your chosen entry date to gain access to the online learning material and library services.