Education - 2012 entry
MA
Overview
The MA in Education is for professionals in all sectors of education and related professions. We invite applications from teachers, lecturers, managers and those in leadership roles in education - both in their early careers and with substantial experience in education. We value our students’ range of experiences and perspectives. The MA is designed to stimulate intellectual curiosity, while developing leadership abilities that emerge from critical enquiry, critical reflection, research activity, international perspectives and professional expertise.
Why Brookes?
The School of Education at Oxford Brookes is one of the largest schools of education in the UK, combining high-quality teaching and significant research and consultancy activity in an outstanding location, with superb sporting, recreational and study facilities.
As a postgraduate student you will be joining a university which is widely regarded as a major contributor to the improvement of education and learning, locally and nationally. The School of Education is a focal point for lively, informed debate on education through its seminar and lecture programmes, including the high profile Oxford Education debates. We are proud to be co-sponsors of the Oxford Academy, a community secondary school, where Oxford Brookes staff and students provide practical support to pupils and teaching staff. We work in close partnership with hundreds of schools and colleges and other organisations.
Our 110-acre Harcourt Hill campus offers all the benefits of a complete academic community on one site. You will be working with highly-regarded academics who are at the forefront of their subjects. Drawing on our cutting-edge, research-led teaching, our courses will advance your knowledge and develop your professional skills. Academics work alongside students from a wide range of backgrounds, and with the support of a caring and efficient administrative staff, provide a rich and diverse intellectual and social environment.
In detail
CONTACT US
Laura Mills
education@brookes.ac.uk
+44 (0) 1865 488558
RELATED COURSES:
Amel Said
We have a library here at Harcourt Hill with an education librarian who’s there to spend time with you and show you how to arrive at the information.
See full profile »Course content
The MA in Education is designed for experienced teachers, lecturers and educational managers in primary, secondary, further and higher education, and for other professionals working in education. The course is concerned with the development of critical enquiry and reflection in the field of education, and the development of professional knowledge and expertise.
The course follows a flexible modular programme. This structure enables you to design your course according to your particular areas of interest. You may wish to consider a named award in Leadership and Management or TESOL. The MA has a core of compulsory research-based modules to support your studies and to prepare you for the dissertation. In addition, you select modules from the optional module programme (overview of choices listed below).
Participants are either self-funded or supported by their employers, although international applicants are encouraged to seek funding from national or British Council sources.
Compulsory modules
- Reflective Professional Development
- Educational Research
- Dissertation
Optional modules
We offer modules within three pathways:
- Curriculum
- Leadership and management
- TESOL (Teaching English as a Second or Other Language).
Here is a selection of our optional modules - the options you choose are dependent on which pathway you would prefer.
Curriculum
- Innovation in Learning and Teaching examines some of the perspectives on and research issues in a number of the key areas in the study of curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment. It explores research into learning and teaching and encourages students to relate these to their own learning and their own concepts of an educational curriculum.
- Challenging Principles and Practice in Curricula in Schools examines some of the national and international perspectives on and research issues in a number of the key areas in the study of curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment. In particular it explores the role of values in curriculum, teaching and learning. You are encouraged to relate these to your own learning and to your own concepts of an educational curriculum.
- Issues in Curriculum Design
- Comparative Education
Leadership and Management
- Leading and Managing People in Education brings together a range of themes and concerns in the management of staff in educational organisations. Drawing on national and international examples, it combines theoretical perspectives with practical concerns about staff management and development.
- Leading Change in Education builds on the experience of course members as observers of, and participants in, the management of change in the education sector. Drawing on national and international examples, it combines theoretical perspectives with practical concerns about organisational transformation in education.
TESOL
- Language Acquisition – Principles and Practice aims to provide you with a thorough grounding in the theoretical models of both first and second/foreign language acquisition and with psycholinguistic theories of learning and skills acquisition. By the end of this module, you will have reflected on the relevance of different kinds of theoretical knowledge of language learning to your own perceptions of teaching and learning in the ELT/ESOL classroom, and how these theories might have practical impact on learner-focused classroom practice (core module).
- Language Teaching – Methods and Approaches focuses on the practice and reflective development of the teacher in the classroom. The module aims to develop teacher understanding of the process and principles behind professional skills such as researching their own classroom, planning for learning, designing and evaluating teaching materials, and formulating and evaluating the syllabus. It also focuses on how the teacher can develop principled pedagogic approaches to language and explore the validity and effectiveness of these approaches for specific classrooms, contexts and student needs (core module).
- Descriptions of English – Language in the Classroom explores the linguistic description of English with a focus on ‘language in use’. The module will go on to look at how our understanding of the English language relates to how we apply this knowledge in the classroom: what the teacher should ‘know’ about language, what the learner should ‘know’, and how classroom materials such as pedagogic grammars and course books approach this (core module).
- Sociolinguistics deals with the effect of society on the way language is used. The module focuses on four core research areas: language and society, language and variation, language and interaction, and language and culture. Key themes that recur throughout the sessions include language attitudes, the use of standard and non-standard linguistic varieties in education, language and identity, and World Englishes.
Freestanding modules
- Action Research (double module) comprises a taught unit on action research methods, including managing change leading to an action research project. The project will require students to research aspects of their own work-based practice.
- Independent Study offers the opportunity to engage in independent study of a topic, issue or area that is not available elsewhere within the course. You will, in consultation and negotiation with a tutor, identify a topic, issue or area of personal or professional interest and relevance and then draw up a course of independent study, which may include library and practical research.
As our courses are reviewed regularly, course content and module choices may change from the details given here.
Credit towards an MA award can also be made up of appropriate work completed outside the course, for example the Oxford Brookes Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Educational Practice (CAEP). Other work such as a PGCE taken at master's level, or the DELTA, may be awarded credits by the university in accordance with the regulations of the university's credit accumulation and transfer scheme (CATS).
Teaching, learning and assessment
Learning methods include lectures, directed reading, workshops, student- and staff-led seminars, and project work. Teaching, learning and assessment draw on the different backgrounds, experience and knowledge of participants, and encourage critical reflection.
Teaching is organised on a module-credit basis, each module involving approximately 200 hours of student input and approximately 24 hours of staff contact as follows:
- Part-time on campus: eight weekly three-hour teaching blocks. Modules are usually taught on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays (depending on choice), from 5pm to 8pm.
- Full-time on campus: students join part-time students in some evening modules, and complete the rest of the course through daytime sessions.
- School-based learning centres: a selection of Stage 2 modules are taught in our school-based learning centres.
- TESOL is taught by distance learning or on campus full-time. Students can combine different modes of study depending on their needs.
- A selection of Stage 2 modules are taught off campus at our school-based learning centre.
Each course module is assessed separately and is based on coursework, eg individual essays, seminar presentations, reports, portfolios, investigative research and group work.
Quality
The School of Education has a long-established track record in teaching at postgraduate level. We offer a range of postgraduate courses and also postdoctoral research supervision.
In a recent survey by the university, 92% of teachers who had taken up postgraduate professional development opportunities with Oxford Brookes University said that their course directly helped them initiate improvements, both personally and in school.
Free language courses for students - the Open Module
Free language courses are available to all full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students who are studying any course on our Headington (including Marston Road), Harcourt Hill or Wheatley Campuses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.
Key facts
CONTACT US
Laura Mills
education@brookes.ac.uk
+44 (0) 1865 488558
RELATED COURSES:
Faculty
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department
Course length
Full-time: normally 1 year
Part-time: normally 3 years
Teaching location
Harcourt Hill Campus
Start date
September
2012
September
2012
UKPASS code
P008109
Apply / Entry reqs
CONTACT US
Laura Mills
education@brookes.ac.uk
+44 (0) 1865 488558
RELATED COURSES:
Entry requirements
Applicants normally have:
- A good honours degree or pass degree
- QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) or other equivalent professional qualification
- Relevant professional experience.
Entry with credit
Up to four modules or 80 credits of the award can be made up of appropriate work completed outside the course, for example, the Oxford Brookes Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Educational practice (CAEP) or using the University’s Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS). Please contact us for more information.
English language requirements
Candidates whose first language is not English should be able to demonstrate a satisfactory level of spoken and written English.
- TOEFL: 91 (Internet Based)
- IELTS: level 6.5 or above or equivalent (minimum of grade 6 in the written part of the exam).
Please also see the university's standard English language requirements.
English language requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Border Agency's minimum language requirements as well as the university's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
International applications
International students hold a conditional offer until payment of a deposit of £1000 is received.
Preparation courses for international and EU students
We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for this course and also familiarise you with university life. You may also be able to apply for one student visa to cover both courses.
- Take our Pre-Master's course to help you to meet both the English language and academic entry requirements for your master's course
- Take our University English course to help you to meet the English language requirements of your master's course
How to apply
You apply for this course through UKPASS.
Conditions of acceptance
When you accept our offer you agree to the conditions of acceptance. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Credit transfer
Oxford Brookes operates the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). All postgraduate single modules are equivalent to 10 ECTS credits, double modules to 20 ECTS credits, and treble modules to 30 ECTS credits. A full master's course will carry 90 ECTS credits. More about ECTS credits.
Fees / funding
CONTACT US
Laura Mills
education@brookes.ac.uk
+44 (0) 1865 488558
RELATED COURSES:
TUITION FEES
UK/EU
Full-time: £4,650
Part-time: £520 per single unit
Open learning: £520 per single unit
International
Full-time: £11,140
Part-time: £1,240 per single unit
Open learning: £1,240 per single unit
Fees (part-time and full-time) are for the academic year starting in 2012 only, unless otherwise stated. Fees increase annually by approximately 4%.
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
+44 (0)1865 483088
finance-fees@brookes.ac.uk
Scholarships and funding
For general sources of financial support, see:
Oxford
CONTACT US
Laura Mills
education@brookes.ac.uk
+44 (0) 1865 488558
RELATED COURSES:
Jamie Nicole Bauer
I decided to take this course because it would be beneficial to my teaching career no matter what subject or age group I choose to teach in the future. The course would also give me a British perspective of education.
See full profile »Why Oxford is a great place to study Education
As a student in Oxford you'll be at the heart of the UK's most successful economic region and in a centre for leading industries which provides you with a host of learning opportunities.
Because Oxford is one of the world's great academic cities, it is a key centre of debate, with conferences, seminars and forums taking place across education, science, the arts and many other subjects.
In addition to our own excellent libraries and resource centres, our postgraduate students have access to the world-renowned Bodleian Library, the Bodleian Law Library and the Radcliffe Science Library.
Support
CONTACT US
Laura Mills
education@brookes.ac.uk
+44 (0) 1865 488558
RELATED COURSES:
How Brookes supports postgraduate students
Supporting your learning
From academic advisers and support co-ordinators to specialist subject librarians and other learning support staff, we want to ensure that you get the best out of your studies.
Personal support services
We want your time at Brookes to be as enjoyable and successful as possible. That's why we provide all the facilities you need to be relaxed, happy and healthy throughout your studies.
Research
CONTACT US
Laura Mills
education@brookes.ac.uk
+44 (0) 1865 488558
RELATED COURSES:
Departmental research highlights
Particular strengths in research and consultancy include international education, professional development, early childhood education, leadership and management, thinking skills, inclusion and the education of gifted and talented children.
Research excellence
70% of Brookes' educational research was graded as internationally recognised (RAE2008).
