Our MA Education masters is a flexible course for anyone interested in critically exploring contemporary education. We offer a full-time route and a part-time route so you can study at a pace that suits you.

From early years practitioners, teachers and leaders in education, to local authority, health services and aspiring researchers, our course appeals to a variety of backgrounds and professions. You will be joining a diverse and thriving community of postgraduate students from the UK and across the world.

Examine key concepts, global issues and debates in education, from performance measurement to ethnicity, class and gender. Explore national and international policy, and consider the impact of social inequalities, and the role of politics in education.

We aim to empower you to approach your own research with confidence. You’ll extend your understanding of research techniques, including empirical and desk-based projects, to prepare you for completing your own dissertation. Throughout the project, you will have access to support from active researchers in our internationally renowned Educational and Social Research Institute (ESRI). 

We’ve designed this postgraduate course to allow you to specialise and focus on areas of education that interest you. You can specialise by choosing an option unit based on work by world-class researchers in the Faculty of Education. Your option units may include topics such as literacy and language, educational philosophy, learning in informal settings, or international perspectives in education.

When you graduate, you’ll achieve a masters degree that highlights areas of your personal and professional interest.

Our broad and reflective course aims to progress your career in education and enhance your academic skills for further research ventures. 

By choosing your own topics and option units, you can focus on your areas of interest – your priorities, targets and aspirations. 

Our graduates have used our courses to help further careers, either in their current sector, or to make an informed move into a different role or field of education. If you’re considering pursuing a research degree in education, this masters course is a good foundation towards that ambition.