Enquire Apply
MA Education (Fully Online) is a one-year, part-time course offered and administered by the University of Buckingham. It is aimed at teachers and school leaders looking to develop expertise in the field of education through critical evaluation of research and scholarship.
This is one of the most popular Masters courses of its type in the UK and the largest Masters course in the university. University of Buckingham accept students from all round the world who appreciate the opportunity to follow their own interests while being given clear guidance about the requirements of a serious level 7 academic qualification.
The course consists of a literature review, which informs a research project to explore an educational issue with a view to improving the candidate’s own professional practice or that of others. The study culminates in a dissertation involving a candidate’s own project in their school or research in a wider field of education.
What is the point of doing an MA when I have a PGCE or am an experienced teacher?
- Professionals do not stop learning at any stage in their working lives. Doctors and lawyers, for example, have to have regular refresher courses. In the same way, teachers need a framework like an MA within which to learn about recent research in education and be prompted to consider whether they could be even better at what they do.
- Not only will you learn about recent research in education, but you will also learn how to do research yourself.
- Having taken the trouble to gain this qualification will show your employer and future employers that you are a serious, professional employee.
- You will find the course intellectually stimulating.
Course content
The course includes:
- Engaging with issues in Education
- Developing a critical understanding of relevant literature
- Understanding what is expected of Level 7 Academic Writing
- Learning how to navigate the topic of research methdology
- Planning your dissertation
- Understanding the ethical implications of being a researcher
Course delivery
Every Master's student is allocated a supervisor. You will regularly communicate for example, via Teams, Zoom, Email or another online meeting platform with your supervisor at times that are suitable for you both, to support each module. You will also have access to regular online study sessions throughout the course.
There is an induction session early on to introduce you to how the course will run, then there are twilight sessions UK time, during the year to support you with each module and with additional sessions to aid with the completion of the dissertation. The majority of these are optional in terms of attendance as we know that many people struggle to be available at certain times. However, all these sessions are recorded and can be watched after the live event. This means that as you progress through the course you end up having access to library of videos that you can re-visit, to support you to a successful outcome.
It is important to understand that you, as a Master’s student, will be expected to work independently and to use the guidance provided to complete the required modules.