Understand Contexts, Examine Challenges, and Sustain Transformations in Education
Education has the capacity to transform lives, communities, and societies. It is shaped by policy, culture, communities, and the realities of practice.
Whether you work in schools, colleges, universities, training, or community settings, our MA in Education is designed to help you deepen your understanding of education and lead meaningful change.
This is a programme for those in education who want to question, to lead, and to influence the future of learning.
Why study the MA in Education at Derby?
- Addresses real-world challenges in education
- Flexibility to tailor learning and develop advanced expertise aligned to your needs, interests and goals
- Specialist pathways in SEND, Early Childhood, or Leadership & Management tailored to your interest and ambitions
- Research-informed teaching from experienced and expert academics
- Applied projects linked to your own professional context
- Opportunities to build advanced research and leadership skills
A master’s designed to help you understand, question, and transform education
The MA in Education supports you to critically engage with contemporary education in all its complexity. It is designed for those who want to deepen their understanding of how education works in practice, policy, and society, and how it can be used to respond to real-world challenges.
The MA in Education enables you to investigate and respond to challenges directly within your own professional context, creating learning that is relevant, applied and professionally meaningful.
Programme breadth and specialist pathways
The MA in Education offers both breadth and depth, allowing you to shape your studies around your professional goals.
You can choose a broad, flexible route, which enables you to explore a wide range of contemporary education topics, or you can follow a specialist pathway that provides a focused route into an area of practice.
Specialist pathways in Inclusion and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), Early Childhood, and Leadership and Management are designed to develop advanced expertise in clearly defined fields, while the broad route allows you to build a personalised programme across multiple areas of education.
Whichever route you choose, all students share a common foundation in research and undertake an independent Extended Education Project that reflects their interests and professional context.
Your choice of route shapes the focus of your learning, while maintaining a shared commitment to critical inquiry and evidence-informed practice.
A degree for those in education who want to lead change
If you want to engage, influence and shape debates, practices and policies in education, the MA in Education will provide you with the space and support to:
- Critically examine education’s role in addressing complex social and global challenges
- Develop a confident professional voice grounded in research and evidence
- Turn insight into meaningful action in a context that matters to you
The MA in Education is designed for transformation through critical engagement and applied inquiry.
Understand deeply. Think critically. Act confidently.
You will take ownership of your learning and connect it directly to your professional practice.
You will engage with contemporary educational debates, challenge assumptions, and develop the confidence to critically analyse policy and practice.
You will also develop advanced research skills that enable you to investigate real issues in your own educational context.
The programme culminates in an Extended Education Project, where you undertake a substantial independent study focused on an area of professional interest.
By the end of the course, you will not only understand education more deeply, you will be equipped to shape it.
The MA in Education is designed to enable you to locate your learning in contexts that are relevant to your professional practice, interests and personal aspirations.
You will engage in an active learning approach that includes collaborative working, case studies, reflection on educational experiences and professional practice, and a range of problem-solving activities.
Through synchronous and asynchronous learning, group discussions, seminars, workshops, and lectures, you will have opportunities to develop reflective and inquiry-based approaches to learning and practice.
These activities also support formative feedback, peer networking and the development of critical insight within a supportive academic community.
Learn with experienced and research-active experts in education
You will learn alongside experienced academics and practitioners who bring a wealth of expertise from across the education sector. Their work is informed by research, policy, and practice, ensuring your learning is both academically rigorous and professionally relevant.
This creates a learning environment where ideas are tested, challenged, and connected directly to real educational contexts, supporting you to develop critical insight and confidence in your own professional voice.
Through discussion, reflection, and research-informed teaching, you will be supported to develop critical insight, professional confidence, and your own informed voice within education.
How you're assessed
Assessment on the MA Education is designed to be authentic, meaningful, and professionally relevant.
There are no exams. Instead, you will complete assessments that reflect real educational challenges and enable you to apply your knowledge and skills in practical and professionally relevant contexts.
Assessments are designed to support your development as a reflective and research-informed practitioner. You may engage with activities such as critical evaluations, research investigations, professional reflections, presentations, policy analysis, or the development of practice-based resources and interventions.
This approach allows you to connect academic study directly to your own professional interests, career ambitions, and educational setting.
Extended Education Project
The culmination of the programme is the Extended Education Project, where you will explore an educational issue, practice, or policy area that matters to you in significant depth.
Supported by a project tutor, you will undertake an independent piece of research or develop a research-informed professional output in response to a contemporary educational challenge.
This may include:
- A research study focused on policy or practice
- The development of an intervention, resource, or educational initiative
- A practice-based or policy-focused research project
Throughout the project, you will engage in cycles of investigation, reflection, and evaluation, enabling you to produce work that is academically rigorous, professionally valuable, and relevant to wider educational communities and stakeholders.
The Extended Education Project is designed to create meaningful impact beyond the programme itself. Your work may contribute to improvements in practice, inform policy discussions, support innovation within your setting, or be shared with relevant professional communities and stakeholders through dissemination and professional dialogue.
Full-time / Part-time study route / entry points
The MA in Education can be studied full-time (normally 1 year) or part-time (normally 2 years). Two entry points are normally offered: September and January.
For the full-time programme you will register for and complete three 20 credit modules in the first term, two 20 credit modules in the second term, where assuming you pass the mandatory Research and Innovation in Education module in the first term, you will also begin your Extended Education Project. In the third term you will complete your Extended Education Project and your final 20 credit module.
For the part-time programme you will normally study one taught module per term, but as a part-time student, you can opt to do up to five 20 credit modules in the first year. Your pattern of engagement will be established during the applicant discussion with the programme leader.
Your timetable will in depend on your pathway and module choices.
Who this course is for
This programme is designed for a wide range of people who have an interest in education, including:
- Leaders, managers and administrators in education
- Teachers across primary, secondary, and further education
- Early years practitioners
- Higher education professionals
- Teaching assistants and learning mentors
- Learning support and inclusion specialists
- Community, charity, and training sector educators
- Graduates and career changers entering education
Whether you are an experienced educator seeking leadership opportunities, a practitioner looking to specialise, or someone entering education and wishing to deepen your expertise, this programme supports professional growth at every stage of your journey.
A qualification that signals expertise, ambition, and impact
Completing the MA in Education at the University of Derby is a powerful statement about your professional capability, critical insight, and commitment to educational improvement. It demonstrates to employers that you have developed an advanced understanding of education, alongside the research, analytical, and leadership skills needed to influence practice and policy.
Across the programme, graduates consistently report that their studies have had a significant impact on their career direction, professional confidence, and status within the sector. Previous students have used their projects to develop school initiatives, evaluate practice, influence policy discussions, and strengthen leadership within their own settings.
Shaped by your chosen pathway
Your career development is strengthened by the route you choose.
- The Inclusion and SEND pathway supports progression into specialist and leadership roles focused on inclusive practice, learner support, and advocacy for equity in education
- The Early Childhood pathway prepares graduates for enhanced roles in early years leadership, policy influence, and specialist practice within early education settings
- The Leadership and Management pathway is designed for those progressing into senior leadership, strategic roles, and positions focused on organisational change and innovation
- The broad MA in Education programme supports progression across a wide range of education settings, enabling you to build a personalised professional profile aligned to your chosen interests
Where graduates go
Graduates progress into a wide range of influential roles across education and related sectors, including:
- Senior leadership, management and administrative careers in education, including positions such as headteacher, nursery manager, or education leader
- Specialist positions such as SEND coordinator, curriculum lead, or advanced practitioner
- Roles in further and higher education
- Education consultancy, training, and development
- Posts within charities, NGOs, and policy-focused organisations
Many also use the MA to lead change within their own settings through practitioner research and service development.
Research, leadership, and publication
A growing number of graduates use their MA in Education experience as a foundation for practitioner research, leading projects within their own settings and contributing to evidence-based improvement in education practice.
Some also go on to publish their work, share findings at conferences, or contribute to wider professional and academic debates.
Further study and research
The MA in Education also provides a strong foundation for advanced academic progression. Graduates may choose to continue their studies through doctoral-level qualifications such as the Doctor of Education (EdD) or a research degree to support further specialisation, research leadership, and contribution to the advancement of educational knowledge and practice.
You will normally need an undergraduate degree.
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 Requirements
If your first language is not English or you have not successfully completed your highest level of qualification in English, you will need to prove you are proficient in English. For this programme, we require applicants to have a minimum IELTS (International English Language Testing System) average score of 6.5 or equivalent.
If you join the programme with this minimum score, you will be encouraged to engage with additional study to develop their knowledge and application of academic English.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), you may be able to gain entry to the programme or claim advanced standing of up to 60 credits (for example PGCE), depending on evidence of prior study or relevant experiential learning that aligns with the course content.
RPL is assessed in line with University regulations and can be discussed with the Programme Leader prior to application.
(August 2026 - July 2027)
| Type | Full-time | Part-time |
|---|
| UK | £9,720 for the full course* | £1,080 per 20 credits |
| International | £17,500 for the full course | N/A |
Please note 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 after one year of study.
* UK full-time fees paid within one academic year are rounded down to the nearest £50 if applicable
About postgraduate awards
Please note at postgraduate level, you'll need to gain the following number of credits in total to obtain the respective awards. If you have any questions please contact us.
| Award | Credits |
|---|
| Postgraduate Certificate | 60 Credits |
| Postgraduate Diploma | 120 Credits |
| MA or MSc | 180 Credits |
This means you will gain 180 credits in total to complete the full MA or MSc.
Funding your studies
Find out more about fees, postgraduate loans and support you may be entitled to.
Find out about funding your studiesFind out about funding your studies
Alumni discount for Derby graduates
We offer a discount on postgraduate course fees for all Derby alumni.
Find out about the Alumni discountFind out about the Alumni discount
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