Build on the leadership skills you gained in your Teach First training to earn a full Master’s degree.

  • Continue your studies and add to your existing PGCE / PGDE to attain a Teach First Master's.
  • Learn how to be an effective leader and use this knowledge to help improve the outcomes of children and young people.
  • Teaching takes place online and outside usual working hours, to fit around your current teaching responsibilities.

If you're an ambitious Teach First graduate, this course develops your leadership and research skills so that you can fast-track your career.  

Building on the Teach First PGDE or PGCE that you've already completed, it offers an extra 60 or 120 credits. This allows you to “top-up” your previous learning to earn a full MA. Master's degrees are recognised both nationally and internationally, and our graduates can take their expertise into a range of settings and locations.

Education offers individuals and communities the best chance to take control of their future. The MA in Educational Leadership at BSU draws on global research and Teach First's values. It encourages you to question, analyse, and evaluate the challenges that education providers face both locally and globally.

Leadership in education has many dimensions. You’ll already lead learning in your classroom. Through an extended research project, you'll interrogate leadership as a social construct and relate theory and research to your own context.

With this research, you could deliver changes in subject provision, extracurricular activities, departmental initiatives or organisational change. When you graduate, you’ll be able to demonstrate to current and future employers that you’re a teacher-researcher who can lead impactful change in education.

What you'll learn

Overview

This course is open to all Teach First graduates. You'll already have either 60 or 120 credits from your PGCE / PGDE Award. Building on this, our course gives you the opportunity to gain an MA in Education Leadership (Teach First).

Course structure

If you’re a Teach First PGCE graduate, you’ll study part-time over two years. If you’ve gained a Teach First PGDE, you’ll join the second year of the programme and study for one year.  

Year one (Teach First PGCE graduates only)  

This year extends your knowledge in leadership and develops your skills as a researcher in educational settings. You’ll complete 60 credits across three modules, before progressing to your research project in the second year. 

Year two (Teach First PGCE and PGDE graduates)  

You’ll complete a 60-credit extended, applied research project. This will focus on an area of education theory, policy, or practice relating to leadership within your current context.  

With individual support from your supervisor and course tutor, you'll take your project from the initial planning stage to final submission. You'll identify the ethical issues that could impact your research and learn to mitigate these.  

You’ll examine an element of your setting through the lens of leadership. You’ll gain demonstrable experience of leading a project and communicating its impact to stakeholders. 

Course modules

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

Year one

  • Research and the Professional Part 1
  • Work-based Action Enquiry
  • Research and the Professional Part 2

Year two

  • Applied Research Project: Leadership Development (Teach First)
How will I be taught?

You'll be taught in several ways, including:  

  • Group seminars and presentations  
  • Individual online supervision with your academic supervisor

We'll assign you a supervisor who is knowledgeable in the field of Education Leadership and Development.

Following tutorials, your supervisor will give you formative feedback on your progress and the next steps in your study.

The course also requires self-directed study and wide reading around your area of research.

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

How will I be assessed?

Tutors will assess your progress in a range of ways, including written assignments, research proposals, and an extended research project.

Adobe Creative Campus

Develop a wealth of indispensable digital skills that you can take into your future career. One of only three Adobe Creative Campuses in the UK, we provide all Bath Spa students with access to the full Adobe Creative Suite, giving you the tools to communicate creatively, whatever your course or chosen professional field.   

Facilities and resources

Your University sessions will take place online. You’ll benefit from access to:

  • Our Library, which offers an extensive range of electronic services.  
  • ASk, which provides support for your academic work, including feedback on written drafts and other help with academic writing. 
  • Our Virtual Learning Environment, which provides online access to learning materials such as lecture slides, assessment information, discussion boards and other resources.  
  • If English isn't your first language, our English Language Unit can help you improve your English, reach your full potential and boost your confidence. 
  • Optional support seminars specifically for our Taught Postgraduate Education community give you the chance to further develop your academic and research skills.

Fees

2025 entry (120 credits)
Student Annual tuition fee
UK part time £5,990

Additional course costs

You may need to pay additional course costs over and above your tuition fees, for example, for specialist equipment or trips and visits. Please check the course Programme Document (linked under the main image on this page) for details of any additional costs. You can also read our Additional Course Costs Policy for further information.

Fee notes

A Master's degree is comprised of 180 credits, and this course allows you to "top-up" your prior Teach First qualification to a full Master's qualification. Before starting this course you will have completed either:

  • 60 credits (Teach First PGCE); or
  • 120 credits (Teach First PGDE).

Students who have achieved the PGDE will need to take 60 credits of applied research to gain the MA Educational Leadership (Teach First). Students who have the PGCE will need to take 120 credits to "top-up" to the full MA.

The fee you pay depends on whether you begin the course with 60 credits or 120 credits.

2025 entry (60 credits)
Student Annual tuition fee
UK part time £2,995

Additional course costs

You may need to pay additional course costs over and above your tuition fees, for example, for specialist equipment or trips and visits. Please check the course Programme Document (linked under the main image on this page) for details of any additional costs. You can also read our Additional Course Costs Policy for further information.

Fee notes

A Master's degree is comprised of 180 credits, and this course allows you to "top-up" your prior Teach First qualification to a full Master's qualification. Before starting this course you will have completed either:

  • 60 credits (Teach First PGCE); or
  • 120 credits (Teach First PGDE).

Students who have achieved the PGDE will need to take 60 credits of applied research to gain the MA Educational Leadership (Teach First). Students who have the PGCE will need to take 120 credits to "top-up" to the full MA.

The fee you pay depends on whether you begin the course with 60 credits or 120 credits.

Interested in applying?

What we look for in potential students

You'll be working towards, or will have already successfully completed, the 60-credit Teach First PGCE or the 120- credit Teach First PGDE award.

How do I apply?

Ready to apply? Click the 'apply now' button in the centre of this page.

Need more guidance? Head to our how to apply webpages.

When to apply

Many of our postgraduate courses have a limited number of student spaces. To avoid the disappointment of the course being full, we recommend that you apply now.

Late applications (generally those made after 31 July) will only be considered if places remain on the course.

Need more information or still have questions? Contact us to discuss your situation.