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Are you a dedicated teacher or school leader looking to develop your expertise in the field of residential education? Achieved through critical evaluation and research scholarship, our MA in Residential Education provides the opportunity for you to follow your own interests, whilst receiving clear guidance about the requirements of an esteemed level 7 academic qualification.

Our part-time MA degree welcomes teachers and educators from around the world who are looking to engage with the latest research and ideas in education. Engaging with a master’s programme enables you to connect to a whole new group of people who you can network; with not only across the country, but across the globe.

The MA has been designed to not only embellish your understanding of the research process, develop your critical thinking, and your ability to present a written argument, but also advance your knowledge within your topic of interest relating to residential education. Following this course helps you to develop your critical thinking skills, as well as your ability to present a written argument.

By taking on this fresh challenge within your teaching career, you will acquire a new set of skills as you engage in a range of arguments and learn to become critical of them, synthesise arguments, and develop your own critical and authoritative voice. As you will be studying in an area that you have a genuine interest in, you will be making a valuable interest yourself as a person, and your discoveries are more likely have a positive and impactful affect in the workplace.

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Course Highlights

Our MA in Residential Education is an intellectually stimulating course that provides a framework for teachers to learn about recent research in education and evaluate how you can be better at what you do. The course also allows teachers to:

• Engage with issues in Residential Education.
• Develop a critical understanding of relevant literature.
• Understand what is expected of Level 7 Academic Writing.
• Learn how to navigate the topic of research methodology.
• Plan a piece of research that can contribute to debates around Residential Education.
• Understand the ethical implications of being a researcher.
• Discover research in education and learn how to undertake research yourself.
• Become a desirable candidate that appears driven at your workplace and to future employers.

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Course breakdown

Throughout this course, you will complete a number of modules enabling you to develop your understanding both of the research process as well as your topic of interest relating to residential education. Please view the Curriculum Handbook to see further details about the modules.

During this time, you will also critically engage with scholarship, which informs your dissertation, and you will learn about different research methods. You will be expected to read widely around your subject area.

The course culminates in the production of a 12,000-15,000-word dissertation with a suitable research focus.

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Course delivery

Every master’s student is allocated a supervisor who you will be supported by for each module. Communication will take place at times that are suitable for you both, over channels such as Teams, Zoom or email. You will also have access to regular online study sessions throughout the course.
There are induction sessions to introduce you to how the course will run; on application you will receive a choice of dates where you will indicate when you will attend.
When the course starts, you will have access to MOODLE, the University’s online learning platform. You will then access the course handbook and all resources needed for successful completion of the course. In the handbook there is a week-by-week guide which will indicate what work is expected that week. This will either be:

• A recorded film to watch
• A reading
• A podcast with accompanying literature
• Independent study towards a module
• A live Twilight session

The Twilight sessions are recorded and shared on MOODLE once the session is complete. These Twilights 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 should then 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.

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Assessment methods

The Masters programme is made up of two or three Modules (depending upon the credits that are brought to the course) and each of these is assessed by an assignment. The modules develop skills that are needed for the final research project. These modules assess the ability to critically reflect on your own practice, engage critically with literature and understand the focus of your intended research. The culmination of the MA is a 12,000 to 15,000-word dissertation.

It is important to understand that you, as a Master’s student, will be expected to work independently and you are expected to fully engage with the guidance provided to complete the required modules.

All applicants are required to have a bachelor’s degree and to be currently employed at a residential school.

In addition, the candidate must have either:

Route 1* – PGCE with 60 Master’s credits at level 7 from The University of Buckingham or another university (if completed within ten years of the proposed start date of the course) OR

Route 2* – PGCE at level 6 or BSA Diploma (which is a helpful route into Master’s study) an additional module (a bridging unit) of study will be provided.

Candidates with a degree but no Level 7 PGCE will be asked to produce a portfolio of evidence of their work of up to 7000 words (further advice will be given).

*For candidates on route 1, the course duration is 1 year. For candidates on route 2, the course duration is 15 months.

You will also need to have IELTS 6.5 (with 6.0 or above in each component) or equivalent English level qualification with the scores accepted by the University as per the link below:

English Language Requirements

Tuition Fee: £5,000

Registration Fee: £300 (non-refundable)

Fees are invoiced for in September, at the beginning of the course, and can be paid in termly instalments or in one lump sum. Termly instalments can be arranged directly with the Finance department upon receipt of the invoice.

Staff whose school is a member of the Boarding Schools’ Association are eligible for a 25% discount on course fees. To ensure the discount is applied please inform us the BSA partnership during your application.

Please click the APPLY button to submit your application. Admissions for September 2025 intake will close on 30 July 2025.

Before we can accept you onto this programme, you will need to supply:

• a copy of your PGCE certificate and transcript or BSA Diploma to show credit level if applicable
• a copy of your passport photo page (and visa/work permit where necessary)
• a head and shoulder style photo for your University identity card.

*Depending on the readiness of supporting documents, applications might be still accepted on a case by case basis. Please contact our admissions officer Tracy ([email protected]) for confirmation. 

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