Education (Leadership and Management)

MA Education (Leadership and Management) is designed to develop your understanding of leadership theory and practice.

We’ll help you develop and improve your expertise as an educational leader through practice-based inquiry, in which you'll relate theory and research to professional practice. You’ll gain a critical understanding of the practices that characterise effective leadership and learn how to bring about change and improvement.

Taught sessions will provide an understanding of the ways in which leadership impacts the climate and culture of a school or educational setting.

Trimester one
In the first trimester you’ll gain a broad understanding of the context in which educational leaders operate.

You'll examine the place of education in contemporary societies and explore how educational reform is constructed and implemented to deliver social and economic change. You'll also examine the way that leadership is played out within educational settings, focusing on what leaders do to engage followers in order to bring about change within an ethical framework. 

Trimester two
You’ll learn how to undertake research within educational settings. A range of different methodologies will be explored and we’ll support you to write a proposal for your own research project.

You will also study another leadership module related to coaching and mentoring. In this module, you will develop your coaching and mentoring skills and reflect on the contribution they can make to the practice of leadership.

Trimester three
In your final trimester, you’ll write a dissertation on an aspect of educational leadership that particularly interests you. You’ll be supported by a tutor and benefit from one-to-one tutorials. You’ll also be able to attend optional research seminars.

This course includes or offers the following modules. Please check the programme document for more information on which modules are core, required or optional.

• Education and Society
• Research Methods in Social Sciences
• Dissertation
• Leadership in Practice
• Leading, Mentoring and Coaching
• Research and Professional - Part 1 (part-time students only)
• Research and Professional - Part 2 (part-time students only)

There are no written exams on this course; each module is assessed through coursework. This typically involves an essay for a 30 credit module. However, this is slightly different for part-time students who are required to do two 15-credit modules instead of the Research Methods in Social Sciences module, which is 30 credits.

In some modules, you may be assessed by presentations or online activities.

The 60 credit dissertation focuses on an area of educational leadership agreed with a specialist tutor, who will offer guidance on structure and academic writing.

All modules are taught through lectures, small group seminars and individual tutorials.

To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.

Our School of Education runs a series of research seminars throughout the academic year where staff and postgraduate students present their research. You’ll be welcome to attend these seminars and there is the opportunity for you to talk about your own research interests within an informal and supportive setting.

You’ll graduate with practical and theoretical knowledge, well-placed to apply for middle, senior or leadership roles in schools or other educational institutions. Many students on our educational leadership awards gain promotion within 12 months of completing the course.

The grounding in academic work provides a foundation for further research at PhD level (including Professional Doctorate) which could lead to employment in Higher Education.

You'll be taught at our Newton Park Campus. You'll have access to:

• Newton Park Library
• Virtual Learning Environment (Ultra).