2024/25 entry Applications also open for 2025/26
MA Education
About this course
This programme is ideal for educators, researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and leaders from educational settings, community and voluntary organisations, and policy sector as well as for current undergraduate students.
Register your interest in this course here.
The MA Education programme at Liverpool John Moores University is ideal if you are passionate about developing knowledge, understanding and skills to address issues of equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice.
A key focus of this programme is to equip students with requisite knowledge, skills, and strategies to tackle challenges in meeting UN Sustainable Development Goals. You will learn to question accepted theory and policy, view education from a global perspective and explore key issues such as equity, inclusion and accessibility. This programme involves critical multi-disciplinary study and deepens your understanding of education in a local and global context. We welcome UK and international students.
The programme offers you an opportunity to:
- Critically explore educational issues at the intersection of race, ethnicity, class, ability, language, gender, sexual orientation, and immigration trajectories
- Critically interrogate education policy, discourse and practice in a supportive and stretching learning community
- Explore and analyse social, political, historical, philosophical, and cultural issues in education.
- Focus on social justice practice, ethical global pedagogies, education for sustainability, and critical global citizenship education.
- Enjoy and contribute to the rich environment created by a diverse breadth of learners
What our students have to say about this course
"Building on my professional experience I applied to the course with a desire to develop and deepen my knowledge within the education field, challenge my thinking and undertake research within the SEND field.
Highlights of the course included being able to interact with other educational professionals and the quality and depth of knowledge of each lecturer. It was challenging, thought provoking and valuable to talk through issues and factors relating to education across the world and within the local community that I worked.
Undertaking the MA has been of great value as led me to undertake my Doctor of Education at LJMU and continue my growth professionally; with an aim to produce impactful research. The course was challenging but has benefited me both personally and professionally and I would recommend it to all who want to continue to progress their career." Heidi Smith, graduate
Fees and funding
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students
Fees
The fees quoted at the top of this page cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as:
- Library membership with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to programme-appropriate software
- Library and student IT support
- Free on-campus wifi via eduroam
Additional costs
Although not all of the following are compulsory/relevant, you should keep in mind the costs of:
- accommodation and living expenditure
- books (should you wish to have your own copies)
- printing, photocopying and stationery
- PC/laptop (should you prefer to purchase your own for independent study and online learning activities)
- mobile phone/tablet (to access online services)
- field trips (travel and activity costs)
- placements (travel expenses and living costs)
- student visas (international students only)
- study abroad opportunities (travel costs, accommodation, visas and immunisations)
- academic conferences (travel costs)
- professional-body membership
- graduation (gown hire etc)
Funding
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages.
Please be aware that the UK’s departure from the EU may affect your tuition fees. Learn more about your fee status and which tuition fees are relevant to you.
Employability
Further your career prospects
LJMU has an excellent employability record with 96% (HESA 2018) of our postgraduates in work or further study six months after graduation. Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.
This programme offers excellent opportunities to enhance your employability and career progression through your developing skills and confidence. You will benefit from our strong and established relationships with employers in education and other fields.
As a graduate you will be able to enter or progress in a range of careers where education is central to practice and organisational purpose. You may go on to undertake roles in: policy work; arts education; educational leadership; community-based education; learning, development and support; schools; adult, further and higher education; local authorities/central government; diplomacy and international projects; educational research; NGOs and educational consultancy and educational pathways in to EdD and PhD.
Where are our MA graduates now?
“I completed my MA at LJMU in 2019, which ended up being a before-and-after moment in my career. The course was engaging and relevant to today’s local and global challenges in education. Spending eight weeks in Brazil on fieldwork within an Indigenous community/school for my dissertation was the highlight of the year, as well as a key experience for what was to come after.
All in all, this MA and its supportive teaching staff were vital in my development and pushed me to pursue further studies. At the moment, I am a fully funded PhD candidate in Latin American studies at University of Liverpool where I am carrying out a continuation project of what was my LJMU MA fieldwork and dissertation looking at alternative models of education with a focus on Indigenous peoples in Brazil.” Naiara Unzurrunzaga, graduate
The student experience
Discover life as a postgraduate student at LJMU.
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Course modules
Discover the building blocks of your programme
This course is currently undergoing its scheduled programme review, which may impact the advertised modules. Programme review is a standard part of the University’s approach to quality assurance and enhancement, enabling us to ensure that our courses remain up to date and maintain their high standard and relevancy.
Once the review is completed, this course website page will be updated to reflect any approved changes to the advertised course. These approved changes will also be communicated to those who apply for the course to ensure they wish to proceed with their application.
Your programme is made up of a number of core modules which are part of the course framework. Some programmes also have optional modules that can be selected to enhance your learning in certain areas and many feature a dissertation, extended report or research project to demonstrate your advanced learning.
Core modules
Education, Society and Culture
20 credits
This module provides the critical skills required to review the inter-relationship between education, society and culture across a variety of educational contexts. It:
- introduces you to the relationship between ethnicity, multiculturalism and identity
- enables you to conceptualise life-long learning to explore the social and educational process that shape individual life chances
Competing Philosophies of Education
20 credits
This module examines the breadth of issues concerning education philosophy and the range of views on these issues. It offers an introduction to important debates and traditions within education philosophy and explores how these relate to on-going issues in globalisation and social change.
Education, Globalisation and Social Justice
20 credits
This module offers a critical understanding of the process of globalisation and the ability to critically reflect on the impact of globalisation and social justice.
Research Methods
20 credits
This module encourages you to identify and critically evaluate appropriate research methods and methodologies for your own research.
Critique, Power and Transformation in Education
20 credits
This module aims to provide a critical perspective of different systems of education within the context of political, cultural, social and economic influences. It also examines the sources and use of power within educational settings and investigates pedagogies for empowerment and transformation.
The Critically Reflective Practitioner
20 credits
This module focuses on helping you to critically reflect on personal values, beliefs and assumptions in relation to developing practice and the implications of relevant theory and research on your own educational practice, in a range of contexts.
Dissertation
60 credits
This module aims to provide an opportunity for you to integrate the skills, knowledge, theory and practice that have been learned in the previous modules. You will design, plan and conduct a research project either as an empirical project or as a theoretical study.
Teaching
An insight into teaching on your course
Study hours
The course consists of six core modules (20 credits each) and one dissertation module (60 credits) - all at Level 7. You can study full-time or part-time. Modules are delivered across two semesters during the weekday afternoon and early evening in 3-hour sessions plus some Saturdays sessions. The dissertation module requires significant independent study during spring and summer months with submission in September.
Teaching methods
This course will be taught via workshops, seminars, lectures, online sessions, blended learning, face-to-face sessions, and tutorials (include module specific and personal tutorials). You will have the chance to listen and learn from experienced practitioners and professionals as part of invited speaker sessions as well as visit different educational sites. Purposeful blended learning would be key in delivering a rich and creative curriculum in an accessible manner.
Assessment
How learning is monitored on your programme
To cater for the wide-ranging content of our courses and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods on each programme.
We offer a wide range of assessment methods including essays, presentations, portfolios, report writing, and critical reflection on professional practice. There is a strong emphasis on the application of key ideas and learning developed in different modules.
Course tutors
Our staff are committed to the highest standards of teaching and learning
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Lecturer/Senior Lecturer
School facilities
What you can expect from your School
Based in the Education Building in the heart of the Mount Pleasant campus, the School of Education features a wide range of cutting-edge facilities, including a pedagogy room, lecture rooms, computing facilities and a nearby Outdoor Learning Zone for our Natural Curriculum projects. Students also benefit from independent study spaces, a close-by cafeteria and library, and access to student welfare and support.
Entry requirements
You will need:
Further information
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Extra Requirements
Qualifications considered:
An undergraduate degree (lower second-class level or above) in a relevant subject, for example, Education, Social Policy, Childhood, Community Development, Health, or International Studies. Or be able to demonstrate a comparable academic standard through past studies and/or relevant work experience.
Candidates already holding a Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma or other M-level qualifications deemed by the Programme Leaders to be equivalent to respective parts of the MA programme maybe permitted to enter with exemptions, subject to the University's regulations and Advanced Standing in Postgraduate Awards and with the approval of the Faculty Faculty Recognition Group. The Recognition of Prior Education and Learning (RP-EL) system will be explained if required.
In addition, all potential candidates are required to demonstrate competence in English language to English GCSE standard or equivalent. Non-UK students will be required to possess certification of English at IELTS 6.5 level (minimum 6.0 in each component) or equivalent qualification. Applicants who have studied and successfully passed a UK-based degree within the previous 24 months are exempt from such requirements.
The University reserves the right to withdraw or make alterations to a course and facilities if necessary; this may be because such changes are deemed to be beneficial to students, are minor in nature and unlikely to impact negatively upon students or become necessary due to circumstances beyond the control of the University. Where this does happen, the University operates a policy of consultation, advice and support to all enrolled students affected by the proposed change to their course or module.