MSc in Education

The MSc in Education is designed for students who have an interest in education practice, organisation, or research. Through modules that include comparative and international perspectives, you will study experiences from the UK and across the world and explore the complex issues facing teachers and education leaders and decision-makers in an increasingly globalised context. These challenges include aspects such as the design of curricula, the delivery of teaching in a rapidly changing world or the effects of internationalisation and globalisation on educational ideas and practices.

The programme provides an in-depth understanding of education as a field of study, but also of the connections between education and other social institutions that play a role in tackling complex education problems. Working closely with classmates and academic staff, you will have the opportunity to explore these questions and to benefit from interdisciplinary perspectives, including education, sociology and psychology. You will be challenged to evaluate and formulate recommendations for educational practices and organisation, and to design innovative interventions that will empower learners by improving the quality and relevance of their education.

The programme gives particular attention to the largest education sectors: primary and secondary education, but also gives you the opportunity to discuss developments in education from a broader, lifelong learning perspective – from pre-primary education and higher education to adult learning and non-formal education – that recognises the interconnections between the different parts of education systems. For your dissertation project, you can choose to focus on any level of formal education or on non-formal education.

Please note that whilst this programme is suitable for educational professionals seeking to develop their career, it is not a teaching qualification and does not provide Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). If you are interested in beginning a teaching career, please check teaching qualification requirements for the country and sector where you intend to work.

Distinctive features

• The involvement of leading scholars in the teaching of the programme provides you with the opportunity to learn about current research and theory.
• The opportunity to study education in ways that include but go beyond a focus on classroom practise to address the wider debates around education and lay the foundation for a wider variety of careers than a dedicated teaching qualification permits.
• The dedicated module on critical thinking and other subject-specific skills needed to benefit from your experiences as a postgraduate student.
• Close links with schools, colleges and other education/training organisations that provide opportunities for active engagement with education practitioners and decision-makers.
• The opportunity to learn in a school known for its cutting-edge research in education and in social sciences more generally: we were ranked 5th for education and 3rd for sociology in the UK for research quality in the latest Research Excellent Framework (REF).

Structure

For a full-time student, you would be expected to take a combination of Core and Optional modules in Year One (120 credits).

In Year Two you would undertake a Dissertation module (60 credits).

The modules shown are an example of the typical curriculum and will be reviewed prior to the 2020/21 academic year. The final modules will be published by September 2020.

You will take five compulsory 20-credit modules – one 20 credit optional module and a 60 credit dissertation on a topic agreed with your supervisor – to make up the full 180 credits you need to complete the programme.

Taught modules

The five compulsory modules include core social skills and substantive topics in education. The optional module allows you to tailor your degree to suit your own interests. Each taught module is worth 20 credits, which means it should take approximately 200 hours to complete including formal teaching, independent student and time spend on assessment tasks.

Dissertation

Following successful completion of the taught modules, you will be asked to produce a 60 credit dissertation on an education-related topic of your choice.

This dissertation involves a small-scale independent piece of research that and enables you to develop your interests in a substantive area related to the programme and to put into practice the knowledge and skills developed through participation in the taught modules.

You will be allocated a dissertation supervisor to assist in planning, conducting and writing up the research project.

The University is committed to providing a wide range of module options where possible, but please be aware that whilst every effort is made to offer choice this may be limited in certain circumstances. This is due to the fact that some modules have limited numbers of places available, which are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, while others have minimum student numbers required before they will run, to ensure that an appropriate quality of education can be delivered; some modules require students to have already taken particular subjects, and others are core or required on the programme you are taking. Modules may also be limited due to timetable clashes, and although the University works to minimise disruption to choice, we advise you to seek advice from the relevant School on the module choices available.

Learning and assessment

How will I be taught?

You will learn from scholars who are contributing to the future of their fields. Our courses reflect both the core ideas of their disciplines and contemporary debates, theories and research.

Teaching methods include a mixture of lectures, seminars, independent study and self-directed learning that use online resources, individual work and group tasks. Lectures generally provide an overview of the relevant topic, introducing key concepts or research, and highlighting contemporary issues or debates. In contrast to lectures, seminars give you the opportunity to discuss particular readings, research or topics in detail. This allows you to consolidate your understanding and get feedback on your individual learning. Seminars also enable you to hone your communication, presentation and collaborative skills as you take part in group discussions and other tasks.

As social science develops in response to the social world, our curriculum also changes. Our students play an important role in these developments, with the Student-Staff Panel being consulted about major changes and all students completing module evaluations and an annual student survey.

How will I be supported?

A personal tutor will guide you for the duration of your studies and will be available to discuss progress and provide advice and guidance on your academic studies. The Student Hub, and the Taught Programmes Office, both located in the Glamorgan Building, can also provide advice on how to access university services.

All modules within the course make use of Cardiff University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) – Learning Central – on which you will find course materials, links to related materials and information relating to assessment tasks including, for example, assessment criteria, links to past papers (when applicable), and guidelines for submitting assessments.

Additional module-specific support is provided by seminar tutors, lecturers and/or module convenors. Support for the dissertation is provided by a supervisor who will meet with you regularly.

Formative Feedback

Formative feedback is the feedback that does not contribute to progression or degree classification decisions. The goal of formative feedback is to improve your understanding and learning before you complete your summative assessment. More specifically, formative feedback helps you to:

• Identify your strengths and weaknesses and target areas that need work;
• Help staff to support you and address the problems identified with targeted strategies for improvement.

Formative feedback is routinely provided in seminars. In addition, modules may include specific formative assessment designed to help you prepare for the subsequent summative assessment.

Summative Feedback

Summative feedback is the feedback that contributes to progression or degree classification decisions. The goal of summative assessment is to indicate how well you have succeeded in meeting the intended learning outcomes of a Module and will enable you to identify action required (feed-forward) in order to improve in future assessments.

All feedback on coursework is provided electronically to ensure it is readily accessible and easy to read. Verbal feedback is provided for presentations but written feedback will also be provided if/where the presentation makes a significant contribution to the module mark.

Feedback on class tests is usually provided as written feedback for the whole class but you are also able to discuss your individual test paper and the mark it was awarded the module convenor.

All marks and feedback are made with reference to the relevant marking criteria.

How will I be assessed?

Typical assessment formats include individual assignments, coursework, projects, presentations or class tests. The most common form of assessment is the production of coursework. Deadlines are spread throughout the academic year.

An important part of the assessment is feedback. Feedback exists in any process, activity or information that enhances learning by providing students with the opportunity to reflect on their current or recent level of attainment or their understanding of a topic. It can be provided individually or to groups and can take many forms. It is responsive to the developmental expectations of our programmes and disciplines.

The range of feedback includes one-to-one individual feedback; generic feedback; peer feedback; informal feedback; self-evaluation to submit along with the assessment.

Academic staff and peers can use a variety of methods to deliver these types of feedback: written feedback; annotation of a text; oral feedback; seminar discussion.

What skills will I practise and develop?

Knowledge & Understanding:

On completion of the programme you will be able to:

• Demonstrate a deep and systematic understanding of core theories and concepts related to education policy, organisation and practice
• Analyse and situate local and national education practices and policies within their broader global and historical contexts
• Demonstrate a high level of knowledge of methodological and ethical considerations relevant to undertaking research on education issues

Intellectual Skills:

On completion of the programme you will be able to:

• Systematically identify complex connections between aspects of educational theory and policy and practice (in education and related areas)
• Critically evaluate existing research and scholarship on education issues, and make informed judgements between competing claims and theoretical perspectives
• Describe and critically reflect upon policy and practice relating to complex educational issues, and upon the connection between education and other social institutions
• Effectively collect, evaluate, synthesise and interpret various forms of complex data –including in the form of a project dissertation

Professional Practical Skills:

On completion of the programme you will be able to:

• Articulate original solutions to tackle both familiar and unfamiliar problems, to enhance education policy and practice
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of evidence-based approaches to the design, implementation and evaluation of education interventions

Transferable/Key Skills:

On completion of the programme you will be able to:

• Communicate (in writing and orally) research findings clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences, work in an international context, problem-solving, time management, ICT and individual and teamwork skills
• Evaluate your own work and be self-critical

We encourage our students to think about life beyond University from day one, offering modules and support to give you a competitive advantage in graduating. Turning theory into practical application and providing experience of the working world are important aspects of all our degree schemes and help prepare our graduates for life after higher education.

Graduates of this programme may work in education-related areas within formal or non-formal education organisations, in government departments and regulators, in non-governmental organisations including foundations and think-tanks working, in charities, the media or as social entrepreneurs in the area of education.