MA in Education with Pedagogy
Our Master's in education with pedagogy is a top-up qualification that will enable you to transfer credits from a PGCE or iPGCE and build on them to gain a full Master's degree focusing on teaching and learning.
Contents
Key details
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Duration
18 months -
Location
online -
Cost
£4,000 plus VAT (as applicable) -
Funding
self-funded -
Level
EYFS, primary and secondary
Course description
This tutor-supported, online course aims to help you to develop your knowledge of pedagogical practices and consider the learning environments that you create as a teacher, as well as giving you the chance to conduct research into aspects of education that matter to you.
Our MA in Education with Pedagogy course will help you to:
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Gain a full Master's degree focused on teaching and learning
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Develop your academic and professional knowledge, honing real expertise in your field
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Undertake critical academic research that is reflective, systematic and rigorous and will enable you to have a significant professional impact
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Engage in key educational processes underpinning development and action, such as critical analysis and reflection, critical enquiry and research, action planning and evaluation, and collaborative learning
You can learn more about this course by watching our on-demand webinar.
Entry requirements
To join our Master's in education with pedagogy course you must:
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Be working in a school in a teaching role so that you can undertake the research required
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Have notified your school of your intention to take the MA
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Hold 60 credits at Level 7 in education (usually an iPGCE or PGCE): these may be subject to an ENIC check after application
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Have access to a personal computer or laptop and an internet connection
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If English is not your first language and you do not hold an English qualification, you may be asked to provide an IELTS score of 6.5
Course delivery
Our MA is delivered via our award-winning online platform, Tes Learn, through a course of self-study sessions, guided reading, online lectures and seminars. You'll be supported by a dedicated pathway tutor, throughout your course.
Provided in partnership with University of East London (UEL), it blends teaching theory with classroom practice and draws upon decades of practical, classroom-based teaching expertise and higher education provision.
Your course will consist of three core modules:
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Pedagogy
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Culture and Diversity
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The Applied Project
The course will take 18 months to complete.
Course leader
Emma Cook
With over 25 years of experience in education, Emma has been a leader in various school settings, spanning both mainstream and specialist schools. Additionally, she has worked at the university level, lecturing on both PGCE and BA QTS programmes, specializing in SEND, professional studies, and primary English.
In her role as a director at Tes Institute, her focus is on delivering outstanding initial teacher training and apprenticeships in both mainstream and specialist settings. She was delighted to have led a successful bid to become a DfE-approved provider for iQTS, enabling Tes Institute to offer equitable training to teachers working across the globe.
Deputy course leader
Joanne Knight
I am a dedicated educator with a commitment to enhancing the professional growth. Throughout my career, I have focused on the development of teachers at all stages of their careers. With over 15 years of hands-on experience teaching secondary science and a decade in senior leadership roles, my expertise has revolved around the improvement of teaching and learning.
I have worked for Tes for the past 7 years, I started as a pathway tutor on the SKE and iPGCE courses and I am currently the Deputy Program Director for the master's in education with pedagogy and have led on the international and domestic (UK) postgraduate certificate in education (iPGCE and PGCE). My passion lies in empowering teachers from around the world to develop evidence-based practice. I am particularly committed to motivating and enabling teachers to hone their teaching and expertise in areas that they are passionate about.
Course fees and funding
Our MA in Education with Pedagogy course costs £4,000 plus VAT (where applicable).
A 10% discount will be offered to learners who are able to provide a copy of their iPGCE or PGCE certificate from Tes Institute, reducing their fee to £3,600 plus VAT (where applicable).
Course application and start dates
Our next MA in Education with Pedagogy course will start in September 2024. Express your interest and we'll be in touch when applications open.
Express your interest in our MA in Education with Pedagogy
Need more information?
Contact us about this course.
FAQs
Anyone with an academic qualification from a country where English is the first language does not require IELTS. This means that any graduate of PGCE or iPGCE from Tes Institute would not need this: the qualification is evidence of your ability to study at postgraduate level in English.
We are working in collaboration with the University of East London (UEL) to offer this qualification. The award will come from UEL.
Will the award say the MA was studied online?
No. This is the mode of study and is irrelevant to the award that you gain. This will be a fully accredited MA like any MA from a UK university.
Will there be a graduation?
You have the option to graduate as part of UEL’s ceremony. You can opt-in through the student hub when you’re enrolled.
Absolutely! Our whole aim at Tes Institute is to create accessible training programmes. By offering everything online, you can fit study around the demands of your job and personal life. We’ll vary the times of lectures, offering them at different times, and we will always share recordings so you can be flexible in how you attend.
Are there reading weeks and holidays?
Yes, most of your time on this course will be self-directed. We provide the lectures and seminars, but you can decide how to structure any session work, reading and research you wish to undertake.
We have holidays for summer, winter (Christmas) and spring break (Easter) so there is plenty of available time to work as you wish to. We would always encourage you to ensure you have breaks in the holidays too as this is incredibly important for your health and wellbeing.
Is there any flexibility if I find that I’m struggling?
Yes, we offer extenuations and extensions in the same way we do on our PGCE/iPGCE. Flexibility is so important to us as a provider: we understand the demands teachers face, that the school year can have pressure points and that you also have other commitments. Please keep your pathway tutor informed so they can support you and we know when you need help.
Can I study the MA in a year?
We’re currently offering it over 18 months due to the workload involved, which would be intensive in a year. We may offer the chance to study the MA in a year in the future, for those who feel able to achieve it. We would suggest keeping our details and enquiring next year.
Is the MA for early years, SEND, primary or secondary?
We have kept the curriculum broad so you can apply it to the phase/specialism you are working in and we will accept applications from people working in any nursery/kindergarten, school or sixth form college. The MA isn’t appropriate for higher education teachers (working in universities). The specific phase/specialism will not be stated on the final certificate.
Can I specialise in leadership?
We won’t be covering leadership strategy specifically, although we may draw on it for some of our lectures. There is certainly an opportunity to look at whole school issues for your Applied Project and leadership issues within the module assignments if this is an aspect of understanding you’d like to develop during your MA.
There is an option to pay in instalments. One instalment must be paid just before the course starts.
Currently, instalments are termly but other frequencies and ways of paying will be confirmed.
Will I have to pay VAT?
This depends on who is invoiced. Any invoice going to a school will be exempt from VAT, but learners are not. If you are invoiced directly, 20% VAT will be added to the fee.
Can I fund this with a student loan in the UK?
No, only funding for full MAs is currently allowed through Student Loans and this is a top-up programme. Given that most teachers hold a third of an MA already, from PGCE and iPGCE, it’s something we’ll be looking into further. There are professional loans available from other sources.
Is there any other funding available from anywhere?
It’s always worth approaching your school to see if they can help towards your fees.
Will there be any face-to-face training?
No, everything will be online. We’ll run lectures and use either Teams or Zoom to hold seminar groups to give you the opportunity to meet your peers and the team.
Will there be sessions on Tes Learn?
Yes, we’ll offer lots of optional content on Tes Learn that you can draw upon for your reading and research. You won’t be expected to submit learning diaries though.
How will I work with my pathway tutor?
Your pathway tutor will hold regular online meetings with you throughout the course, to keep in touch and support you with your assignment work and Applied Project. They won’t write feedback on learning diaries, like they did on PGCE/iPGCE.
Do I need to have a mentor and/or be observed?
Not for the MA, but it’s good practice to inform your school that you’re undertaking the qualification. We ask that all applicants indicate that they’ve done this.
- Teaching is a profession of learning, so having a knowledge of education at postgraduate level is useful and reflects expertise
- In many countries, holding an MA in education will help you to get higher pay as it is higher status
- Having an MA reflects your desire to progress in your profession
- A better knowledge of teaching and learning makes you a more effective and impactful teacher
- You can cultivate expertise in areas that are of most use for you and become a leader in your field in your school and beyond
- Critical reflective practice makes for much more effective teaching and pertinent professional development; it is also a significant aspect of strategic leadership
- Undertaking an MA shows an investment of time in professional development and a commitment to being a better practitioner
You must inform your school that you are undertaking an MA as you will be asked to conduct action research, so there is an ethical obligation to them as they need to be aware of the work that you’re doing. Should they withhold consent for any reason, please contact us to discuss your options on masters.institute@tes.com. You do not require written permission as there is no teaching practice element in this course.
The MA is a discrete academic qualification, it will not qualify you to be a teacher in the UK. It does demonstrate the depth of your knowledge of education and your professional commitment to understanding teaching and learning at postgraduate level.
To teach in the UK, you need QTS – qualified teacher status. This can potentially be obtained overseas via our Assessment Only route. We offer a 20% discount to iPGCE graduates who are eligible and wish to take this route. For more information on QTS, please contact Andrew Locke on andrew.locke@tes.com.
Yes, it’s worth 180 credits at Level 7 in total (60 from your PGCE/iPGCE and 120 studied as part of the MA course).
Yes. UEL has an established research community and has close ties to various publications. The School of Education at UEL also has a blog which will accept articles, as do we. We really hope to grow our contribution to our academic field and will be actively seeking out opportunities for our learners to do this, should you wish to.
Part time study is 10-15 hours on average, but this can be less depending on the tasks for the particular week. It shouldn’t be more than this and we would always recommend contacting us if the workload becomes too pressured.
Ideally yes, or in a similar institution with responsibility for teaching large groups or classes. If you’re on a break from work, such as maternity leave or an agreed career break, and wish to make a start, that’s fine.
If you leave your current job for any reason and don’t move to another school, we would encourage you to let us know so we can discuss approaches to your final project work.
The MA content is very practical, although there may be room to apply it to other contexts.
Please contact us for a discussion of your situation and the possibility of undertaking the course on masters.institute@tes.com.
This will be a complete MA award carrying the 180 credits – equivalent to any accredited MA from the UK.
We are subject to the same rules and regulations. In order to offer the MA, we worked through a long process to demonstrate to a panel of independent academic experts how we meet QAA quality benchmarks for postgraduate study and education studies. We had to share the module specifications and course materials with the panel so they could validate it and agree that we can offer this programme.
All work is moderated by UEL and then external examiners to ensure that it meets UK standards for MA education studies. This is why the university is able to make the award to learners.
By studying education at this level, you’ll develop your expertise in your field and be able to disseminate this to others too. It should make you a better practitioner, a more sophisticated educator and more knowledgeable about the area of research that you picked. It may also be a catalyst for progressing to PhD level study.
Ultimately, the more you know about the aspects of teaching you decide to explore, the greater chance you have of being asked to lead on this area in the future.
Not at this stage. It is an accredited MA but it will not meet the requirements of HKCAAVQ in order to make pay progression in Hong Kong. It will have the same value as any UK qualification.
Yes. You must make every effort to attend a lecture or watch the recording if the times offered don’t work for you. The lectures are all tailored to the assignment objectives, so they are essential to ensure you are fully equipped to complete these.
We have a global intake, so we’ll offer lectures twice at different times. We’ll also supply a recording. This means that you can try to attend either the live session in person, or watch the recording afterwards. We’ll run evening time sessions for residents in the UK.
Study groups are seminars for discussion linked to the content of the lectures that have been delivered. They will run at different times every 2-3 weeks, so you can register for whichever session works best for you. They will be guided by a member of the MA team and will be an opportunity to meet other members of the course and share ideas and research plans.