Brayford Pool
September 2025 and January 2026
1 year
2 years
The MA Education offers practicing and aspiring educators opportunities to learn, apply, and produce critical knowledge in the interdisciplinary field of Education, and to use this to inform and transform future educational practice, theory, policy, and institutions.
The programme provides a coherent and flexible postgraduate degree that furthers existing critical understanding of practice and allows aspiring educators to deepen their knowledge of education. On completion, students will have gained both a broader and deeper understanding of the academic study of education and its relevance to their own experience. Furthermore, they will have gained the knowledge, skills and confidence to undertake further critical, reflexive, and sensitive research in the field of education and more broadly in the social sciences.
The programme is designed around three core modules and two optional modules. The core modules aim to support students in identifying their specific research questions through a critical review of the literature; develop the requisite knowledge, understanding, and practical skills in appropriate research methods, and produce a compelling piece of advanced research. Optional modules allow students to deepen their existing subject knowledge, and/or broaden their understanding of the study of education.
Opportunities to engage with exciting research
Optional modules which allow you to develop in areas of interest to you
Hear from industry experts
Opportunities to develop professional and research skills
Complete a research project in a specialist area
All students are expected to attend the scheduled teaching on the programme. This takes place on a weekly basis for each module and should be attended face-to-face. A learning management system (Blackboard) is also used to provide students with access to a range of structured resources, including session recordings, many digitised texts, and key readings. It is also used more interactively as a means of extending the dialogues that are seen as crucial to students' learning.
Postgraduate level study involves a significant proportion of independent study, exploring the material covered in lectures and seminars. As a general guide, we recommend around 20 - 25 hours of independent study a week. For more detailed information please contact the Programme Leader.
In this module, students can develop their skills of identifying, searching, critically evaluating and synthesising academic literature, as well as the skills needed to understand and apply this knowledge to developing their own research. The module focuses on critically evaluating research literature in various areas of educational studies and around students' area of research in particular. The module is intended to help students focus on their study and situate it within the wider field of educational research.
This module aims to provide students with the necessary skills and knowledge of educational research in preparation for their postgraduate research which is the final part of the Master's in Education Programme. The module introduces students to research methodologies and methods of conducting empirical social research in the field of education and the challenges associated with it.
This module takes an in-depth view into school bullying dynamics and evidence-based practice that seeks to address said phenomenon. Causes and consequences of bullying, types of bullying, different roles students and staff play, and cultural considerations will be examined. Students will be expected to engage with literature, actively engage in discussions, and to take into consideration different aspects of bullying-related situations to come up with potential solutions. At the end of the module students will have a good understanding of the inner workings of bullying situations, how to support students, and available resources to address bullying.
This course explores the relationship between social justice and education. It introduces conceptual tools for identifying and challenging injustices in educational contexts, and strategies for developing knowledge, methods and skills for creating social just learning practices and environments. Education is a powerful activity and institution. Its importance lies not only in its centrality to national and international policy, but in the widely held belief that education has the capacity to liberate individuals, advance social flourishing and equality, and enable meaningful participation in social and political life. Yet educational practices and systems can also disempower people, reproduce structures of inequality and perpetuate discriminatory and oppressive social relationships. Making sense of the complex relationship between education and social justice is therefore an essential capability for educators. This course aims to provide students with resources to critically assess the personal, social and political implications of diverse educational theories, practices, policies and institutions, and to cultivate practices which promote social justice in your own context. Themes may include theories of social justice in education; the politics of educational policy and reform; the relationship between education, state, market, family, work and social movements; decolonisation; identity politics and intersectionality; and approaches to social justice in pedagogy, curriculum and educational governance.
This module will explore educational management and leadership with particular reference to the organisational and operational aspects of educational institutions. It is divided into three related parts. The first part analyses the organisation, structure and culture of educational institutions drawing upon organisational theory, cultural analysis and the use of metaphor. The second part explore the nature of leadership in educational institutions, a complex and contested concept. Particular emphasis is placed on transactional, transformational and constructivist leadership and leadership for learning. The third part provides an opportunity to critically consider some key issues in educational leadership and management including the nature of learning organisations, leadership for professional development and leading educational settings in challenging circumstances.
This module also is approved to be delivered as a standalone short course.
This module locates Education within Gender and Development frameworks. Students undertaking this module will be supported to think about people’s intersectional gendered experiences of education in global contexts through the theoretical and applied lenses of Gender and Development theory. In so doing, we will consider development and change in education in local and global contexts through applied case study approaches and gendered policy analyses.
This module examines the role of language(s) in education. Students will explore a series of topics across the module and will reflect on their own experiences of education and how these issues apply. Through this, they will develop a critical understanding of the central role of language(s) in education and the potential (and varied) impact of linguistic issues such as: endorsing multilingualism, linguistic hegemony and language loss. Students’ own linguistic experiences will be drawn on as they become critical, language-aware scholars of education across this inter-disciplinary module.
This module is designed to provide students with core knowledge, understanding and skills of mentoring and coaching within an educational context. Mentoring and coaching in education explores, critiques, and critically evaluates key concepts, theories, practices, models, frameworks, and approaches to mentoring and coaching. Students will develop a deeper understanding of mentoring and coaching in education through a critical review and critique of the literature, and an evaluation of the empirical and practice-based research. The students will develop insights into the issues, challenges, and research evidence-base of mentoring and coaching in enhancing professional practice. Students will be supported in developing their professional practice and deepening their skills through critical reflections, interactive seminars, critical writing and debating a repertoire of mentoring and coaching models, theories, programs, and frameworks. The module will investigate the research evidence-base of mentoring and coaching in education with a particular focus on impacts and outcomes for participants and organisations.
Students will focus on critically exploring issues related to policy and practice for SEND in both primary and secondary schools and the materials studied can be extended to an adult population. The module also reflects on international initiative and explore the impact that they have on current policy.
This module will reflect the dynamics of STEM education in the modern world, enabling students to reflect on changing theories and practices in STEM in educational settings. It will critically examine STEM education and the part it plays within educational settings, including schools and informal learning environments. Students will have the opportunity to analyse particular areas of STEM education in depth that will allow them to reflect and consider the implications of theory on practice. The module will offer students the opportunity to examine historical and political aspects of STEM education through literature and practice.
† Some courses may offer optional modules. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by staff availability.
We want you to have all the information you need to make an informed decision on where and what you want to study. In addition to the information provided on this course page, our What You Need to Know page offers explanations on key topics including programme validation/revalidation, additional costs, and contact hours.
The School of Education offers many opportunities to learn from experienced researchers and be part of exciting new research projects that aim to challenge and improve current educational thinking and practice. The School’s research areas include:
You can also find out more about the exciting research being undertaken by academic staff within the School of Education.
Lincolnshire Learning Lab has been established to help improve the learning of children, and the working environments for teachers within Lincolnshire. One of the main aims of the group is to bring academic rigour and evidence-based research into the classroom by engaging with teachers, academics, and other stakeholders in the education system, such as parents and educational consultants.
Assessment is through written assignments, portfolios, and presentations. Students also receive feedback on their work from teaching staff and their tutor, as well as receiving grades to mark their progress through the curricula. In addition, students should expect to participate in formative peer review of each other's ideas and work throughout the programme via active group discussion and a variety of presentation methods (eg annual student presentations, and conference and poster sessions).
Assessment Feedback
The University of Lincoln's policy on assessment feedback aims to ensure that academics will return in-course assessments to students promptly - usually within 20 working days of the submission date.
Postgraduate Application Support
Applying for a postgraduate programme at Lincoln is easy. Find out more about the application process and what you'll need to complete on our How to Apply page. Here, you'll also be able to find out more about the entry requirements we accept and how to contact us for dedicated support during the process.
First or second class honours degree or equivalent qualification.
Prior credits earned through a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) may count towards this degree. Contact the School of Education to speak to an advisor about Accreditation of Prior Learning.
If you have studied outside of the UK, and are unsure whether your qualification meets the above requirements, please visit our country pages https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/studywithus/internationalstudents/entryrequirementsandyourcountry/ for information on equivalent qualifications.
Overseas students will be required to demonstrate English language proficiency equivalent to IELTS 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. For information regarding other English language qualifications we accept, please visit the English Requirements page https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/studywithus/internationalstudents/englishlanguagerequirementsandsupport/englishlanguagerequirements/.
If you do not meet the above IELTS requirements, you may be able to take part in one of our Pre-session English and Academic Study Skills courses. https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/studywithus/internationalstudents/englishlanguagerequirementsandsupport/pre-sessionalenglishandacademicstudyskills/ . These specialist courses are designed to help students meet the English language requirements for their intended programme of study.
You will need to have funding in place for your studies before you arrive at the University. Our fees vary depending on the course, mode of study, and whether you are a UK or international student. You can view the breakdown of fees for this programme below.
The University offers a range of merit-based, subject-specific, and country-focused scholarships for UK and international students. To help support students from outside of the UK, we offer a number of international scholarships which range from £1,000 up to the value of 50 per cent of tuition fees. For full details and information about eligibility, visit our scholarships and bursaries pages.
Postgraduate Funding Options
Find out more about the optional available to support your postgraduate study, from Master's Loans to scholarship opportunities. You can also find out more about how to pay your fees and access support from our helpful advisors.
Postgraduate study is an investment in yourself and your future. It can help you to further or completely change your career, develop your knowledge, enhance your salary, or even prepare you to start your own business. Postgraduate students at the University of Lincoln benefit from inspirational teaching combined with high-quality facilities and learning spaces, great industry links, and unique research opportunities, all of which are designed to help you stand out from the crowd and make the most of your time with us.
For more information about this course, please contact the Programme Leader.
Dr Nikolaos Fotou
nfotou@lincoln.ac.uk
To get a real feel for what it is like to study at the University of Lincoln, we hold a number of dedicated postgraduate events and activities throughout the year for you to take part in.
