This page contains details about the units available on our:

• MA Education course (all pathways)
• Postgraduate Certificate in International Education (PGCiE) course

For MA Education, the units you will study will depend on the pathway you choose.

Curriculum studies

Credits: 10

Enhance your understanding of the development and implementation of the curriculum. You will study various pedagogical traditions and theoretical approaches, and look at different educational contexts and levels.

Throughout the unit, you will identify and discuss key contemporary debates and their assumptions on the curriculum, locating them within specific subject disciplines.

Digital technologies and education

Credits: 10

Evaluate the impact of digital technologies in education and analyse opportunities, challenges, ethical dilemmas and risks in relation to sustainable development.

You will investigate how learning and collaboration are being transformed by digital media, and the rapid and dynamic growth of the internet, mobile and smartphone usage, big data, AI, VR, and other trends. You will explore the significant impact they have on education and challenges that need to be addressed.

Educational dissertation or project

Credits: 30

With support from your supervisor, you will design and conduct a small-scale dissertation or professional development project.

Either choice will involve the examination of a specific educational issue, and will require the development and implementation of subject matter, research knowledge and skills. The dissertation or project should focus on improving aspects of educational policy or practice, including addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Education and society

Credits: 10

Investigate the relationship between education and society, drawing on a range of social theories relevant to the sociology of education.

You will develop an understanding of key educational issues facing young people, teachers, and society, such as the impact of globalisation on education policy, the role of the state, social disadvantage, gender and feminism, and meritocracy.

You will be encouraged to explore these aspects in relation to your professional practice.

Educational assessment

Credits: 10

Explore and review ideas and practices of educational assessment.

You will develop your awareness and understanding of different types of educational assessment, including their advantages and limitations and their theoretical underpinnings. You will be invited to critically reflect upon the implications of your own assessment practices in light of contemporary educational concerns such as inclusion, equity and sustainability.  

Education in an international context

Credits: 10

Learn about the growing and diverse world of international education. This unit supports anyone aspiring to teach, or currently teaching, in an international context.

You will engage in critical discussions and debates related to the latest developments and trends in international schooling, international curricula, global citizenship education, and the internationalisation of Higher Education.

Leading and managing educational innovation

Credits: 10

What is innovation? Why is managing educational change so difficult? How do researchers and practitioners explore and explain change?

Enhance your critical understanding of these questions and develop skills and knowledge in leadership theory, research and practice with this unit.

You will evaluate implications for leaders managing innovation and sustainability in different contexts, e.g., in the classroom, within organisations and across educational systems.

Leading and managing schools and colleges

Credits: 10

Explore leadership and management in educational organisations. You will focus on issues of culture, gender, policy, power, accountability and social justice for middle and senior leadership roles.

Engaging more deeply with policy, theory and practice, you will gain an overview of key concepts and look at selected areas of practice to reflect on professional practice within educational organisations.

Research design in education

Credits: 10

Learn how to conduct and design ethical and coherent educational research through the creation of a research proposal or professional development project.

You will develop skills critical to the advancement of educational research, policy, and practice in your own, and broader, contexts. The skills and knowledge you will gain will support your dissertation or final project.

Shaping educational futures

Credits: 10

Explore the role of education in responding to current global and/or local issues and consider ways in which education might contribute to more sustainable, equitable and inclusive futures.

You will develop an understanding of key concepts in relation to education, such as:

• global citizenship
• decolonisation
• climate change
• Inclusion
• social justice

Understanding learners and learning

Credits: 10

Explore the process of learning from different psychological and social perspectives.

During this unit, you'll review your own and peer learning experiences as learners and educators, and develop personal and professional insights into how we learn.

You'll critically reflect on how learning occurs to consider implications for educational practice. This includes how knowledge about learners and learning can be used to improve inclusion, equity and adaptability for globally challenging times