MA Education student working at their laptop

Education MA (Online)

Ready to make a positive impact in the field of education?

Key details
Location
Online
Course duration
2 years
Attendance
Part-time

Course overview

This course is new for entry in year 2023

Enhance your professional practice through a deepened knowledge of the theory, design and delivery of teaching and learning in modern educational contexts on this dynamic online master's course.  

The course has been designed to help you become a confident education professional with the knowledge, skills and networks that will enable you to inspire others, innovate your own practice and lead educational development in your chosen context. 

Harnessing the knowledge you gain at each stage of the course, the final module enables you to apply that learning through an authentic, personal practice-based action research project in an area that you’re passionate about.  

You will:

  • Develop yourself as an innovative, creative and resilient education practitioner in a range of contexts, such as mainstream, specialist, or alternative settings in primary, secondary, FE and HE, in the UK and beyond
  • Become an expert in reflective practice, taking a critical view of your own approaches and continuously adapting and learning 
  • Deepen your understanding of key areas including education theory, learning design, educational leadership and project management 
  • Add a dynamic set of research and knowledge dissemination skills to your practice 
  • Build confidence in championing inclusivity in education through understanding inclusive learning theory and practice 

Request information

Apply now

Get a prospectus

Start dates: September / January / May

(Three intakes per year) 

 

Course details

Through its innovative approach to online learning, this education master’s course will enhance your everyday practice by helping you to develop research-informed pedagogical expertise. You will sharpen your reflective and professional skills and practice, alongside key knowledge and theory, supporting you to accelerate your career and become the educator you really want to be. 

You will master different technologies across a variety of educational settings; understanding key legal, social and ethical issues and codes of practice, with particular attention to inclusion and equality; and exploring collaborative practice.  

The course focuses on reflection, professional practice and communication, as well as elements such as project management, leadership and educational learning theories. You will also learn how to make an impact as a developing education professional through exploring networking, dissemination and evaluation ethics. 

Your studies will culminate in an action research portfolio, based entirely on your own educational practice which will include a reviewed ethics application. 

Modules

MA Education is comprised of five modules designed to be studied in a non-linear order.

You'll begin the course with Module 1 and end the course with your Final Major Project (Module 5 - MA only). The order in which you'll study modules 2-4 will depend on when you begin the course.

From module information to course aims and assessment criteria, discover the full course details for the MA.

Module details

The Reflective Practitioner is the introductory module and therefore always completed first on the MA programme. You will have the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the online platform and get to know your online tutors and peers.  

This module will introduce key themes fundamental to educational practice, such as reflective models, learning theories and inclusive teaching strategies, planning and leadership styles and theories. These elements, and the ability to critically reflect and reflexively evaluate practice, underpin core knowledge and the learning you will apply to your assignments, projects and practice throughout the course. 

(30 credits)

This module explores the skills and qualities of the educational professional.  It introduces learning and reflection on assessment and feedback best practice, as well as facets of peer support, evidencing excellence, and articulating yourself in context with accepted educational professional standards and other relevant benchmarks. 

(30 credits)

This module explores writing, presentation and dissemination practices to help you articulate your communication skills and development needs along with raising awareness of the range of communication modes that educational professionals can use in their practice. 

(30 credits)

This module enables you to experience and develop an appreciation of collaborative practice and its benefits. The activities in this module aim to build scholarly skills in research, its analysis, interpretation and articulation with other education professionals. 

(30 credits)

The Evaluative Practitioner is always the final module, regardless of when you start your MA learning journey. It is a double module worth 60 credits, delivered over 30 weeks.  

As the capstone module, this is where you will pull together your own action research and/or other educational research approach-based project and consolidate many of the skills developed in the preceding modules into one piece of literature-informed professional work.

(60 credits)

The modules above are those being studied by our students, or proposed new ones. Programme structures and modules can change as part of our curriculum enhancement and review processes. If a certain module is important to you, please discuss it with the Course Leader.

MA Education course leader Esther Cummins
Esther Cummins

Meet your course leader, Esther Cummins


Esther shares her expertise on inclusivity and equality, the gap between policy and practice, and why reflective practice is vital to challenging the status quo in education. 

Read more

How you'll learn

Our online degrees have been designed from the outset to be taught and learned online. This means that they're crafted specifically for you to study remotely. We offer a truly multidisciplinary syllabus designed to meet the demands of the creative industries, and as a postgraduate student you should dedicate at least 20-25 hours per week for study.

You'll learn through a blend of lectures, webinars, guest talks, tasks and discussion forums, which you'll access via our dedicated virtual learning environment. This is also where you'll find all key documentation, get course announcements and access rich learning resources.

You'll be supported academically by Online Tutors, who will also deliver weekly webinars and facilitate the online forums. If you need assistance with anything that isn't directly related to course material, a dedicated Student Advisor team will be on hand to help. You'll also have access to Falmouth University's excellent employability service, RealWORKs.

We incorporate optional face-to-face events for all our online students. There will be up to two per year and will typically run over weekends, to fit around your other commitments. They're great opportunities to meet other students and Tutors and to explore course related topics through additional activities and discussions. You'll get the chance to hear from industry experts, offering a wider professional context for your learning and a deeper insight into your chosen industry.

Find out more about studying online

Assessment methods

Assessment on this course has been carefully planned to work specifically for online delivery. Assessment provides the course team with a means of offering tailored guidance alongside advice on how to progress knowledge and skills in key areas that relate to the course Learning Outcomes. The course team will identify your strengths and weaknesses as an individual and discuss them with you throughout your time on the course.  

As you move through the modules, your work will be assessed through several different formats: 

  • Written – essays and other forms of writing. 
  • Presentation – communicated and shared as slides or an appropriate alternative format. 
  • Portfolio – a collection of evidence addressing how one or more learning outcomes have been met.   
  • Artefact (a made object) – plans and strategies you create, relating to your personal development, or the development of your teaching practice.    
  • Reflective journal - you will be encouraged to write regularly as part of your reflective practice, a few entries may be subject to formative assessment or shared with peers for discussion and peer review.   
  • Action research project – bringing many skills learnt throughout the course together to plan, research and complete a project relating to your practice.  
Two women on a sofa talking with a plant pot in the background
Reflective Practice article lead

Why is reflective practice important in education?


Reflective practice is an integral element of our MA in Education. But what does it mean, and how can it help education professionals to improve their expertise and enhance their practice? 

Find out

Staff

Headshot of Esther Cummins

Esther Cummins

Course Leader

Esther began her career in primary schools as a class teacher, quickly progressing to having middle ...

Esther Cummins
Christa Appleton staff profile picture

Christa Appleton

Module Leader, MA Education

Christa joined Falmouth University in August 2022 to develop the three modules she is leading as par...

Christa Appleton

Some members of staff only teach on specific modules, and your course might not feature every staff member who teaches on the course.

Resources and Support

  • Dedicated easy-to-use virtual learning environment (VLE)
  • Accessible online audio / visual content
  • A Student Advisor to support you throughout your studies and access to our Student Support Services
  • Access to our careers and employability service RealWORKS
  • 24/7 access to Falmouth's extensive online library of contextual books, journals and resources
  • Access to online software tutorials at LinkedIn Learning
  • Students' Union community
  • Optional face-to-face events
  • Invitation to attend alumni events

Although online students don't have access to on-campus facilities as part of the course, you can hire equipment and access facilities by paying a charge. Find out more about availability and prices here.

Careers

As a graduate of this Education master’s course, your career could progress into roles such as:  

  • Education lecturer/Senior lecturer/Course or award leader   
  • Curriculum designer     
  • Leadership and management posts      
  • E-learning professional     
  • Educational researcher  or consultant 
  • Education welfare and student support
  • Education publisher

Further opportunities include:     

  • Academic: EdD or PhD 
  • Professional: HEA Fellowship (various levels) – UK-based practitioners   
  • Professional Standards Framework (PSF) – UK and International practitioners
Woman sits at her dining room table with a laptop whilst her husband and child are in the background.
MA Education Landing Page Image

What can you do with a master’s in Education?


Here are three reasons why an online master's in Education could be the next step in achieving your personal and professional ambitions.  

Read more

How to apply

Speak to us about the course

If you'd like to talk to an Advisor about this course or your application, get in touch with us via the form below.

Request information

Apply now

Ready to apply for postgraduate study? We have three start dates a year: September / January / May. Select the start date you'd like to apply for in the drop-downs below and then click the relevant apply button to begin.

You can apply to begin your studies in September 2023 by selecting the relevant course route below:

Apply for MA

You can apply to begin your studies in January 2024 by selecting the relevant course route below:

Apply for MA

You must be a practicing educator in a student or staff-facing role. This role could be in a school, college, university, or alternative education setting such as a prison, a museum, or a specialist learning centre. We are seeking students who may be teachers, instructors, tutors, advisors, trainers, or lecturers; however, this list is not exhaustive. We welcome informal chats with candidates; speak to an advisor to learn more about how your practice could develop through this programme.

An honours degree or Level 6 equivalent qualification is highly desirable. However, candidates without a degree or formal qualification are still encouraged to apply. If you do not have an honours degree, we encourage you to speak to an advisor regarding your experience and readiness for Level 7 study.

Additionally, you can look for more information regarding equivalent international qualifications and Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) and either request information with our easy online form or read about it on our apply page.

If English isn't your first language, you'll need to demonstrate English language skills that are sufficiently developed for successful completion of your studies. We accept a range of recognised English language qualifications that are equivalent to the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic minimum score of 6.5 overall, with a minimum of 6.0 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

What we're looking for

This course is aimed at educational practitioners who want to deepen their understanding of reflective pedagogy and leadership, and ultimately to positively contribute to the future of our education system. It would be ideal for student-facing or staff-facing professionals in schools, further education, and higher education. The MA will be applicable to those currently in leadership roles and those aspiring to leadership at a middle and senior level. Applicants are not limited by location; as an online course that is taught predominately asynchronously, we encourage practitioners from around the world to join our community.  

This course has three intakes per year: September, January and May.

Academic start date* Application deadline
25 September 2023 4 September 2023
22 January 2024 10 January 2024
27 May 2024 6 May 2024

Please note:

*Virtual Welcome Week begins the week before the academic start date. During this time, our Student Advisor team will host Welcome Webinars and be in touch with practical information on how to study online.

An Early Bird discount is available for early applications. The scheme offers a £300 MA tuition fee reduction if you apply by the Early Bird discount submission deadline.

Early Bird discount submission deadline* Academic start date
1 August 2023 25 September 2023
27 November 2023 10 January 2024
1 April 2024 27 May 2024

To discuss all our discount opportunities, contact an advisor.

Speak to an advisor

Fees, costs & funding

Tuition fees

£11,795 total fee (incl. acceptance fee) - 2 years part time - MA/MSc course

£12,150 total fee (incl. acceptance fee) - 2 years part time - MA/MSc course

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible. 

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs

Typical course costs

As part of studying MA Education (Online), you'll require:

Laptop/Computer

You'll require a desktop/laptop. This machine should have a minimum operating system of Windows 10 or Mac OS 10.15, at least 8GB of RAM, and an i7 processor. We recommend a 15" screen, with a minimum of 256GB hard drive space. It will also need to be capable of running our virtual learning environment.

Optional face-to-face events

You will be expected to cover your own travel, accommodation and subsistence costs to attend these events.

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