Digital and Hybrid Education

A future-focused Master’s in digital and hybrid education

Develop the advanced knowledge, practical expertise and leadership capabilities to shape the future of digital learning, online teaching and hybrid education practice.

This fully online Master’s degree is designed for educators, learning designers and education leaders who want to respond to the rapidly evolving landscape of digital education, online learning and educational technology in the UK and internationally.

Whether you are progressing in teaching, moving into digital learning design, or developing leadership in online and hybrid education, this programme equips you with the skills to design, lead and evaluate inclusive and innovative learning experiences.

Why choose this course?

This Master’s is designed to support your development as a confident, future-focused digital education professional working in an increasingly online and hybrid world.

It combines academic depth with practical relevance, helping you respond to the opportunities and challenges created by rapid technological change, including generative AI, evolving learner expectations and flexible models of education and work.

You will:

• Explore digital and hybrid education from multiple perspectives, including pedagogy, curriculum design, leadership, innovation and policy
• Study a flexible online Master’s degree designed for working professionals across education and training sectors
• Develop advanced expertise relevant to schools, colleges, universities and workplace learning environments
• Engage with contemporary developments in educational technology, including generative AI and digital pedagogy
• Complete authentic assessments linked to real-world professional practice
• Build advanced research, leadership and innovation capability through a substantial independent project

Shaping the future of digital and hybrid education

The MA Digital and Hybrid Education is a future-focused Master’s degree designed to support educators, learning designers and education professionals working within an increasingly digital and hybrid educational landscape. It provides an opportunity to develop advanced knowledge, practical expertise and critical insight into how teaching, learning and leadership are being reshaped by digital technologies and evolving models of education.

The programme responds directly to the significant transformation taking place across global education systems. This shift has been accelerated by the pandemic and continues to be driven by rapid technological advancement, changing learner expectations and the growth of flexible approaches to working and studying.

Understand the future of online, digital and hybrid education

You will explore how digital education is reshaping teaching, learning and leadership across sectors including schools, further education, higher education and community learning.

The programme enables you to develop a clear and informed professional stance through engagement with global, national and cultural debates in education, while critically examining the theories, policies and practices that shape contemporary digital and hybrid learning environments.

You will also explore a range of contemporary themes including:

• digital pedagogy and online learning design
• inclusive and accessible education in digital environments
• educational leadership in hybrid and online contexts
• emerging technologies including generative AI in education
• sustainable and future-focused approaches to teaching and learning

Throughout the course, you will critically engage with the impact of digital technologies on learning, teaching and assessment, while developing your understanding of cutting-edge pedagogies, methodologies and tools across different educational contexts.

Develop research-informed professional practice

A key strength of the programme is its research-informed approach, which encourages you to critically examine educational practice and engage with contemporary pedagogical thinking at an advanced level.

You will be supported to develop your own professional perspective through engagement with international research, theory and practice-based inquiry, while reflecting on your professional identity and developing as a confident, adaptive education practitioner.

Throughout, you will be encouraged to connect theory with practice and apply your learning in authentic, real-world educational contexts.

The MA Digital and Hybrid Education is a 180-credit postgraduate degree designed to provide both breadth and depth across digital education, online learning and hybrid teaching practice.

The course consists of six 20 credit modules and one 60 credit module. Your studies progress from foundational online and hybrid teaching competencies through to advanced leadership, innovation and independent research in digital education.

We will advise you of your study plan - the running order and availability of the modules - when you are invited to enrol.

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

Teaching and learning

The MA Digital and Hybrid Education employs a sophisticated, research-led approach to learning and teaching that challenges you to engage with complex theoretical frameworks while developing advanced practical competencies for diverse roles in digital education. The programme has been developed to be both innovative and challenging in both content and approach, with the programme team committed to high quality teaching and learning practices that are responsive to your diverse needs as a master's level learner.

The programme takes the view that an inclusive learning experience is one in which you are empowered to locate your learning in contexts that are relevant to your professional aspirations and scholarly interests, as reflected in the programme's ethos of understanding contexts, examining challenges, and sustaining transformations in and through digital and hybrid education.

Personal development is embedded throughout the Programme. You will be given the opportunity to expand your knowledge and challenge conventional ideas. You will be able to draw from a diverse range of experiences to develop your practical, academic and theoretical skill set. Real world opportunities will challenge you and give you the chance to apply newly acquired skills and knowledge. You will profit from a diverse intake and be able to draw from the experiences of other students to enhance your own positionality in the field and prepare you for your chosen future with confidence.

Study skills

Many of our students are mature learners and have not studied academically for many years. To help you to become an effective student, able to study at postgraduate level, there are a number of advanced study skill resources available to you covering areas such as research skills, critical evaluation in academic context, literature search, referencing, plagiarism and so on.

Pace of study

The programme is designed to offer flexibility around your professional and personal commitments, with both standard and accelerated study options available.

For the standard study plan, we recommend approximately 20 hours of study per week for each 20-credit module studied over a 10-week trimester, helping you to balance your studies alongside professional and personal commitments. Students following the standard route would typically complete three 20-credit modules across the first year of study.

If you would prefer to complete your studies at an accelerated pace, you may choose to study two 20-credit modules per trimester. This accelerated route requires a greater time commitment of approximately 40 hours of study per week during teaching periods. Students on the accelerated route can complete up to six 20-credit modules in the first year, although there is also flexibility to study four or five modules initially and complete the remaining modules alongside the Extended Education Project in the final stage of the programme.

Our fully online learning model allows you to balance your studies alongside work and other responsibilities while benefiting from structured academic support throughout your course.

Assessment method

Assessment is designed to reflect real-world professional practice in digital and hybrid education.

You will complete a range of authentic assessment tasks, including:

• digital artefacts and presentations
• critical analysis and academic writing
• research proposals and reports
• professional portfolios
• a substantial independent research project

Assessment becomes progressively more complex, culminating in the Extended Education Project.

Student support and guidance

Whilst we encourage our students to become independent, life-long learners, we also recognise that offering the right support and guidance will help you to achieve your goals. There is a wealth of support available to you at the University, from your dedicated Personal Tutor and Online Learner Advisor, through to our:

• Library
• Health and Wellbeing Centre
• Careers and Employability Service
• IT Support
• Union of Students
• Develop@Derby for study, personal and employability skills

All these services, and more, are available to you as an online student at the University of Derby.

The MA Digital and Hybrid Education is designed to support your progression within a rapidly evolving education sector where digital learning, hybrid delivery models and online provision are increasingly central to practice across the UK and internationally.

As schools, colleges, universities and training providers continue to expand their use of digital platforms and blended approaches, new opportunities are emerging in areas such as online and hybrid schooling, digital curriculum design, learning innovation and educational leadership. This programme equips you to engage confidently with these developments and to position yourself at the forefront of change within education.

You will develop advanced knowledge and practical expertise that supports career development in a range of roles, while also building highly transferable skills that are valued across education, training and wider professional contexts. These include critical thinking, research literacy, digital capability, communication, leadership and the ability to design and evaluate complex learning experiences.

Career opportunities:

• Online or hybrid educator
• Online or hybrid school leader
• Digital curriculum designer
• Inclusive digital education specialist
• Learning technologist
• Educational consultant
• Digital learning coordinator

Beyond specific roles in education, the skills developed on this Master’s also support wider career pathways in learning and development, professional training, education technology, and other sectors where digital transformation and effective communication are increasingly important.

This programme supports progression whether you are entering digital education for the first time, advancing an existing career, or preparing for leadership in online and hybrid learning environments. It also provides a strong foundation for progression into research routes, including doctoral study such as the online Doctor of Education (EdD), for those wishing to advance into education research, academic practice or leadership informed by research.

Utilise our Careers and Employment Service​

Whilst you are a student at the University of Derby, and for three years after you graduate, our Careers and Employment Service can assist you with job search advice, CV creation, workshops and events, as well as one-to-one appointments with employment advisers to help with career planning and interview preparation.

Applicants should normally hold a good honours degree (2:2 or above) or equivalent qualification in line with University of Derby admissions criteria.

You will be asked to provide a CV outlining your academic and professional experience. In some cases, applicants may be invited to interview.

Applicants with substantial relevant professional experience may also be considered where they can demonstrate readiness for postgraduate Level 7 study.

For entry at Postgraduate Certificate level, equivalent experience and achievement may be considered for applicants with non-standard qualifications. Evidence of equivalence of knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to a first degree are required.

English language qualifications

If English is not your first language, or you have not successfully completed your highest level of qualification in English, you will need an English language qualification equivalent to a minimum IELTS (International English Language Testing System) average score of 6.5 or equivalent.

If you enrol with this minimum score, you will be encouraged to engage with additional study to develop your knowledge and application of academic English.

Find out more about our English language requirements

Recognition of Prior Learning or Experience

Exemptions can be made on the basis of prior academic study, professional qualifications (such as ACCA or CIMA) or professional experience. Students who have already studied at another institution, completed a training course or have work experience which appears equivalent to one or more modules of this programme, may be able to translate this prior learning into credits towards course modules so that they do not have to study them again. This is called recognition of prior learning or RPL.

^‡2026/27 for new entrants

Starting between September 2026 and August 2027.

About your fees

This figure would be the total cost of this course based on the fee in the current academic year. However, please note that fees normally increase in line with inflation and the University's strategic approach to fees, which is reviewed on an annual basis. The total fee you pay may therefore increase if your course lasts longer than one year.

If you are required to undertake any associate study or additional study as a condition of your offer for the programme, please be aware that the cost for this may be in addition to the programme cost stated above.

Flexible payment plans available

Choose from two payment plan options:

• Pay monthly and only for the modules you are studying

• Pay your full course fees upfront and avoid annual increases

Masters funding options

Depending on where you are from in the UK or EU, and on your pace of study, you may be eligible for a postgraduate student loan. Accessible through Student Finance, this is a non-income based loan to help with living costs and tuition fees whilst studying your masters programme.

If you are considering applying for a student loan, please also see our additional guidance on Loans for Online Students.

Alumni discount for Derby graduates

We offer a discount on postgraduate course fees for all Derby alumni.

Find out more about the Alumni discount

Contact us

Contact the University of Derby Online Learning: