Studying with us in 2021/22
It is possible that the 2021/22 academic year may be affected by the ongoing disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Any arrangements put in place by the University for the 2021/22 academic year will be in accordance with the latest government public health advice, pandemic-related/health and safety legislation, and the terms and conditions of the student contract.
Are you a teacher, lecturer or trainer? Are you keen to boost your professional qualifications and knowledge? Or are you simply interested in the field of education? If so, this MA Education course is for you.
Highly flexible, this course can be studied alongside your job through our part-time route. Our Education Master’s framework allows you to choose your own path by selecting the core modules, area of specialisation and optional modules, that way you can tailor your study to suit your needs and areas of interest.
The award you receive upon graduating depends on both your existing qualifications, and the combination of modules that you choose to study. You'll do this by studying some core modules and others which you negotiate with your tutor and the programme leader for your pathway.
The modules available explore current issues in education, leadership and management, change and improvement, as well as a flexible portfolio, reflection and research opportunities, leading to a final dissertation. Depending on the modules you take, you may be able to graduate with a specific pathway named on your degree.
The qualifications available are:
However, we can facilitate awards in other specialist areas of study including:
If you are interested in these awards please email Louise.Lambert@bcu.ac.uk.
This recognised qualification will help you to meet a variety of Continuing Professional Development requirements, such as senior/executive leadership in schools
We’re proud of our high employability rates, with 98 per cent of the School’s postgraduate students in employment or further study six months after their course (DLHE survey results 14/15)
If you're thinking of changing your career for a move into teaching please be aware that this course doesn't lead to qualified teacher status.
You can use evidence of previous study or relevant experience to claim Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning (APCL) or Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL).
You'll be able to develop professional knowledge, skills and understanding in your practice, which will support you to offer consistently excellent teaching.
You can use this course to put you at the forefront of professional practice in your specialist field or subject. This will enable you to help your students to succeed.
Our Open Day for this course will take place in Spring 2021. Register now and we will contact you when the booking form goes live.
Jodie White
Having been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, as well as anxiety, Jodie has had a difficult few years. However, she’s using this as the driving force behind her postgraduate degree in MA Education and wants to inspire young students who suffer with the same issues.
You may be able to take advantage of the government’s plans to make loans of up to £10,906 available for postgraduate study.
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Applicants should have a degree or equivalent qualification, or professional experience that equates to degree level. |
All suitably-qualified candidates will normally be interviewed and selection will be based on ability to benefit from and contribute to the course of study. |
Exemption from some modules may be granted for appropriate prior learning, including credits gained on a PGCE course. |
We welcome applications from mature students and from members of communities traditionally under-represented in higher education. |
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If you are an international applicant you must provide us with a copy of your Good Conduct certificate as you may undertake supervised visits during the course. |
Don't meet our entry requirements? You could apply for courses at our International College.
Award: MA
Starting: Sep 2021
Award: MA
Starting: Sep 2021
If you're unable to use the online form for any reason, you can complete our PDF application form and equal opportunities PDF form instead. The University reserves the right to increase fees in line with inflation based on the Retail Prices Index or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament up to a maximum of five per cent.
Students are required to submit a personal statement as part of their application for this course.
Your postgraduate personal statement is going to shine a light on your personal experience, academic success, personal skills and any other factors that will support your application for further study.
Here are the key areas you’ll need to address:
Studying a postgraduate course usually means you want to specialise in something. So what’s driving you?
Show that you’ve researched the course offering. What is it about this particular course that appeals to you? Is it the lecturers? The modules? Etc.
Tutors want to know that you can handle postgraduate study, so show them how your undergraduate experiences or work life has equipped you for a more advanced level of study. Key areas to address are research and group work but this can vary depending on your chosen course.
Add anything relevant that relates back to your chosen course and shows how your skills will contribute towards your learning. What extra-curricular activities have you taken part in? What awards have you won? What employment or voluntary experience do you have that has helped you develop transferable skills? How do these specifically relate to the course you are applying for?
You should also mention your future plans and how a postgraduate qualification fits in. Try to look beyond your postgraduate study – do you plan to jump straight into a specific career or follow your studies with a research degree? Lastly, use plain, professional English and, where possible, utilise the language of your chosen industry.
Get more information on writing personal statements.
We offer a wide range of professionally accredited and vocational courses that require the purchase of, among other things, uniforms, equipment, subscriptions, professional body memberships and DBS checks, and may require you to pay to attend conferences or participate in placements.
The link below provides our estimate of the possible costs associated with key activities on specific courses. Please bear in mind that these are only estimates of costs based on past student experience and feedback. The actual costs to you could vary considerably (either greater or lower than these estimates) depending on your choices as you progress through the course. We set out where we can, based on experience, where these indicative costs are for activities that are optional or compulsory.
All our students are provided with 100 free pages of printing each year to a maximum total value of £15.
Find additional costs for your course
The cost of accommodation and other living costs are not included within your course fees. More information on the cost of accommodation can be found in our accommodation pages.
We offer further information on possible postgraduate financial support. This includes the type of loans, grants and scholarships available both from the government and from Birmingham City University.
Please be aware to access a postgraduate student loan you will need to study 180 credits.
Therefore, you will not be able to carry forward credits from any prior learning at level 7.
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 100 credits):
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 80 credits from the following list of OPTIONAL modules:
While all core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only. If you are interested in a specific module please contact the Course Director, Louise Lambert.
We'll offer you a structured route tailored to your professional needs. During your studies you'll gain valuable skills, knowledge and understanding relevant to the educational context you chose to study.
Your pattern of attendance will be determined by the pathway you chose and whether your course is full-time or part-time. However, a 20 credit modules typically involve at total of 200 study hours, made up of:
Again, these hours may vary between modules and pathways and the number of participants choosing to study particular modules.
Once you've graduated from this course, you could decide to do further research.
We have a thriving research programme. Your options include studying for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or a Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD) qualification.
We welcome enquiries from teachers who want to do research into any aspect of education practice or policy, whether this is related to early years, primary, secondary or higher education or lifelong learning.
This course will give you a foundation for a career in many different educational settings, both public and private, in the UK or abroad.
It's also suitable if you want to change career direction. This is because it provides a comprehensive international overview of teaching, learning and educational systems - although it doesn't give you Qualified Teaching Status (QTS).
You'll develop important transferable skills in scholarly studies, research skills and practice. These will prove useful when you find yourself working as part of a team, or having to handle lots of data.
The master’s programmes within this framework aim to prepare you to become a creative, confident, technologically-competent and forward-looking individual who has developed the skills of research, reflection and critical evaluation and is aware of the local, national and global themes, issues, policies, ideology and philosophy that effect professional practice within your chosen field.
The development of autonomous professionals is central and participants should be in a position to analyse, synthesise and evaluate information from diverse sources in order to inform their professional development. They should also be able to evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship in their discipline and be able to evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, propose new hypotheses. These programmes provide a safe space where you can engage in critical academic enquiry and risk taking.
In addition to this, you'll develop the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility, decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations, the ability to deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of incomplete data, and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
There's a growing recognition of educational practitioners who have studied at Master's level. Many of our students gain career progression opportunities, having demonstrated enhanced knowledge, skills and confidence.
Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
In some modules, international case studies are used to enrich the range of examples studied. This helps to locate educational practice within a wider global context.
We are constantly investing in our estate and are currently in the process of spending £340 million on new learning facilities.
As part of these plans, the University's Education provision will join the rest of the Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences at our City South Campus in Edgbaston during 2018.
This is the third phase of the University's project to move all teaching and learning to two campuses, City Centre and City South. By moving our Education provision, we are creating a hub for the provision of public service contracts and professional development at City South Campus and improving the student experience with a stronger sense of community and more consistent support services and facilities.
In addition to classrooms, a lecture theatre, social learning spaces, an open access IT suite and cafe facilities, the new £41 million extension to our City South Campus offers a range of specialist teaching and learning facilities for specific subjects including science, design and technology, drama and physical education.
All our departmental facilities replicate the school learning environment.
Not only are we investing £41 million in a new building to house the laboratories and teaching spaces needed, but we also plan to open up these facilities to benefit all students and the wider community. This will complement our existing sports facilities, which already provide a base for students to compete in activities ranging from rugby to.
The Seacole library, based at City South Campus, is one of the UK's largest specialist health education libraries. The facility offers an extensive range of range of information and reference materials set out in a relaxing environment, conducive to studying. There are comfortable seating areas, group study areas, a silent study area and private study rooms.
The Seacole building houses a large open access IT Suite which comprises of 96 PCs, printers, photocopiers and scanners. Our PCs utilise the latest Intel i5 core technology, all with:
Our PCs are also designed to support students who may have difficulties with reading and writing, featuring specialised software with zooming/magnification and screen reading capabilities, which may also be customised for individual student needs.
The IT Suite offers extended opening hours and is supported by a specialist Open Access Assistant during term time. In addition to the open access PCs within the IT Suite, there are 12 networked student PCs available within Seacole library.
Louise Lambert is the course director for the taught MA Education pathways and teaches and supervises across Master’s modules. Her background is in secondary education where she taught English and drama and was a senior leader.
Amanda has worked in higher, further, adult education and the voluntary sector for 30 years as a lecturer, writing developer and researcher. Her research interests include academic writing, learner development in higher education, participatory research, transition experiences in education, employment literacies, widening participation and social justice, radical methodologies, critical pedagogies, postgraduate teaching and learning.