A flexible Professional Practice MA suitable for applicants at various stages of their career seeking to develop their own practice.

  • Tailor your module choices and course length to suit your interests and working life.
  • Study educational topics in-depth and choose from a variety of specialist modules.
  • Designed for busy schedules, the Professional Practice MA is suitable for working professionals.

The MA in Professional Practice is suitable for applicants at various stages of their career, whether new to the profession or experienced in the field.

Our aim is to enable you to recognise and defend good professional practice, and to become competent in analysing, evaluating and restructuring your practice in changing circumstances, through engagement with evidence-based practice. 

See also: MA Professional Practice in Higher Education for those teaching in a Higher Education context.

What you'll learn

Overview

The Master's programme is flexible, and enables individuals to choose from a variety of modules to suit their working circumstances and professional practice.

It will enable depth of understanding and knowledge in areas of practice with which they are already familiar, and develop new areas of practice if required. Individuals will also engage with, and learn about, research methods, either as a taught module or as online learning. This will lead into the Dissertation, in which an extended research project culminating in a substantial thesis will be completed.

Course structure

As this is a flexible Master's programme your options will vary according to full-time or part-time study, and also be influenced by any APL credits you may be granted. Typically, in each trimester, you'll have a choice of modules to choose from.

You are advised to make your module choice decision following a consultation with the Award Leader to ensure a "best fit" for your professional focus and areas of interest. Students typically take a Research Methods module just prior to doing the Dissertation, which is completed as the final module for the MA.

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.

  • Independent Study 
  • Independent Study (60 credits)
  • Work Based Action Enquiry
  • SEN and Inclusion: Autism Spectrum
  • Education and Society
  • Research Methods in Social Science
  • Research and the Professional Part 1
  • Research and the Professional Part 2
  • Dissertation
  • Leadership and Practice
  • Perspectives of Play and Creativity
  • Contemporary Issues in Inclusive Education
How will I be assessed?

There are no written exams and each module is assessed by coursework. Sometimes assessment is by verbal presentation.

How will I be taught?

The way you’ll study will depend on the route you take through the Master's programme. In most instances, you’ll benefit from face-to-face time with a university tutor as well as undertaking personal study. This may include reading, researching literature and undertaking practical research in your work context.

We’ll also use our Virtual Learning Environment, Ultra, to provide you with online materials.

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

Opportunities

Careers

Many of our graduates seek new career paths to educational management, training, or in related fields. Some wish to continue their expertise in their professional practice and gain a broader and deeper view of education. Others wish to take their studies further – to PhD level – and seek employment in an academic institution.

Start with a Postgraduate Certificate

If you're not ready for a full Master's, you can develop your interests and deepen your understanding by studying part-time for a Postgraduate Certificate.

A Postgraduate Certificate is 60 credits; you'll do two 30 credit modules and graduate with a Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice. On successful completion, you'll have the option to continue your studies to gain a full MA Professional Practice.

Apply now or for more details, contact Róisín Ní Mhocháin: r.nimhochain@bathspa.ac.uk.

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Facilities and resources

Where the subject is taught

The award is taught at our Newton Park campus.

Resources

You'll have access to Bath Spa University's:

Fees

2025 entry
Student Annual tuition fee
UK full time £8,985
UK part time £4,493*
International full time £16,625

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.

DBS (if required)

In the UK, a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is required to work with children and vulnerable adults. All course participants will need to complete the necessary paperwork before starting their placement for the programme. There is an additional fee required for this process.

Fee notes

*Fee shown is for part-time study over two years, although some courses may be available over longer periods.

Interested in applying?

What we look for in potential students

Students are expected to have a good first degree, although we often accept applicants with appropriate experience that we consider sufficient and comparable.

If English is not your first language, you'll need to provide evidence of proficiency in the English language. The Admissions Team assesses applications individually, but for postgraduate courses we're looking for an IELTS score of between 6.0-7.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component (Writing, Listening, Reading and Speaking).

How to apply

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

You can also apply for the three-year version of this course.

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

Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)

The MA Professional Practice is an opportunity for applicants with a Level 7 PGCE to use the credits towards a full MA. 

Accreditation of Prior certificated Learning (APL) can be offered if you have successfully completed previous Level 7 modules at another university. We accept APL for our PG Dip or Master’s qualifications. As a guide, up to a maximum of 60 credits may be credited towards a Master’s Degree and 60 credits towards a PG Dip. We will require a full transcript from the awarding university.

It is also possible to gain accreditation for other kinds of professional developments by compiling an independent study portfolio of professional development (APEL – Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning). For further information about gaining credits in this way please contact cpdadmin@bathspa.ac.uk.

APL only applies if the credits were gained within five years of the start of your MA studies.

See our Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) web page to learn more.

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.

Course leader: Dr Kate Brooks
Email: k.brooks@bathspa.ac.uk