What will you Study on the Derby MA?
Earn Your MA Education Online with Derby
If you’re an educator looking to enhance your professional expertise or advance into a senior role, our online MA Education (Leadership and Management) degree is tailored to support your goals.
Elevate Your Career with an MA
Transform Your Professional Practice
Our online MA isn’t just a teaching qualification. It can transform your professional approach to management, secure senior roles, improve your teaching, challenge your assumptions, and boost your confidence.
The course covers key theories, policies, practices, and debates in today’s education landscape. Tailor your studies by selecting modules that match your interests, with assignments focused on your educational context. A final independent study allows you to explore a professional practice theme of your choice. You’ll develop crucial research, analysis, and critique skills.
Learn from Experts and Peers
Experienced and passionate tutors with years of education sector experience deliver the course. They understand your profession and the challenges of balancing study with a busy teaching career.
Students appreciate diverse experiences, ideas, and opinions shared by peers, challenging their own thinking. Online forums let you engage with learners from various professional and academic backgrounds, both in the UK and abroad.
Flexible Learning on Your Terms
Online study offers the flexibility to learn at your convenience. With start dates in September, January, and May, the course is divided into modules scheduled over fixed trimesters. You can manage your study time around your professional and personal commitments.
Online discussions focus on applying theory to practice, making the learning stimulating, engaging, and highly relevant to your professional life.
If completing the full master’s degree isn’t feasible, you can opt for a 60-credit Postgraduate Certificate in your chosen pathway within a year. This allows you to update your skills and potentially continue to the full Master’s degree later.
MA Assessment Methods
We will provide your study plan, including the module order and availability, once you are invited to enroll.
To earn the MA Education (Leadership and Management), you must complete six 20-credit modules and a 60-credit Independent Study module, totaling 180 credits. Required modules include:
•Designing Social Research (20 credits)
•Leadership and Management Strategies (20 credits)
•Developing Leadership Capacity (20 credits)
•Independent Study (60 credits)
You can then select three additional 20-credit modules to complete the 180-credit requirement. Contact us to discuss your options.
Note: Module availability depends on scheduling and student numbers. High-demand modules may have enrollment caps.
Core Modules:
Code: 7PE596
Designing Social Research (20 Credits)
This module equips you with the essential skills and knowledge to create a research proposal tailored for a Master’s level dissertation.
Code: 7PE614
Leadership and Management Strategies (20 Credits)
Code: 7PE614
Leadership and Management Strategies (20 Credits)
Additional Modules (Select 3):
Code: 7PE598
Curriculum Challenges (20 Credits) (Optional)
As society evolves, curricula must adapt. This module provides the knowledge, skills, and understanding necessary for those in the field of education to address emerging challenges and opportunities. You will engage in actively synthesizing theory and practice to stay responsive to educational needs.
Code: 7PE602
Learning and Ability Theories in Action (20 Credits) (Optional)
With the recent emphasis on quality assurance in various educational settings, enhancing practice has become crucial for education professionals. This module explores theories of learning, intelligence, and abilities, highlighting how a deep understanding of these theories can significantly improve professional practice.
Code: 7PE603
Measuring and Evaluating Learning (20 Credits) (Optional
This module encourages you to broaden your perspective and critically evaluate theories, models, policies, frameworks, and tools related to the measurement and evaluation of learning. Beyond the commonly cited metrics like Ofsted gradings, League Tables, the National Student Survey (NSS), and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), you’ll explore a diverse range of assessment methods and their implications.
Code: 7PE609
Innovative 21st Century Teaching (20 Credits) (Optional)
This module explores the rapid growth of information technology in educational institutions worldwide. You’ll discover a wealth of innovative tools and services designed to engage both learners and educators in the learning process, enhancing the educational experience locally, nationally, and globally.
Code: 7PE616
Language Learning: Theory and Practice (20 Credits) (Optional)
This module is designed for students interested in understanding how learners acquire additional languages beyond their mother tongue. It explores research and theories on Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and their practical applications. You’ll identify the needs of diverse language learners, particularly within the context of English Language Teaching.
Code: 7PE617
The Principles of English Language Teaching (20 Credits) (Optional)
This module is ideal for students aiming to understand the practice of English language teaching. You’ll explore popular methodologies and critically evaluate the methods, procedures, and techniques used in language classrooms.
Teaching and Learning
Expert academics, who are also practicing professionals, deliver the modules, ensuring content is current and relevant with real-world examples. The course is entirely online, using a user-friendly student portal for virtual live classrooms, tutorials, guest lectures, and forums. Collaborative tools like wikis and a rich digital library enhance the learning experience.
Study Skills
We provide advanced study skill resources covering:
- research
- critical evaluation
- literature search referencing
- and avoiding plagiarism
tailored for mature students returning to academia.
Pace of Study
The academic year consists of three 10-week trimesters.
Content:
The standard study plan involves around 20 hours of study per week to complete one 20-credit module per trimester. For the accelerated plan, with two modules per trimester, 40 hours of study per week is recommended. Consider starting with one module at the standard rate before transitioning to the accelerated plan.
Assessment Method
Assessment is entirely through coursework, including formative assessments like tutorials and feedback, and summative assessments like written assignments, project reports, presentations, and portfolios. The final assessment is a 60-credit independent study, either a major research project or an academic paper for publication, guided by an academic supervisor.
Ready to take the next step in your teaching career?
