MA Education (Wales)

The National MA Education (Wales) is a truly transformative and sector leading programme for educational professionals in Wales, from early career teachers to senior leaders.

The educational landscape in Wales is changing rapidly. Teaching not only requires the mastery of a complex set of skills to guide, motivate, and facilitate student learning, but also the ability to enquire into professional practice in order to improve it.

The National MA Education (Wales) - which has been collaboratively developed by seven universities in Wales, through direct engagement with a variety of key stakeholders including Welsh Government - will ensure that all education professionals in Wales have the same high-quality opportunity to enhance their professional knowledge, engage with research, and to improve their professional practice.

Currently there are three pathways available for this course:

1. MA Education (Wales)

This core pathway allows students to cross-combine modules from different themed areas.

2. MA Education (Wales) Additional Learning Needs

This specialist pathway is aimed at educational professionals in Wales, at all levels, who wish to focus on additional learning needs (ALN).

3. MA Education (Wales) Leadership

This specialist pathway has been designed for students who wish to focus on studying leadership at all levels within the education system.

4. MA Education (Wales) Equity in Education

This specialist pathway has been designed for students who are interested in promoting equity and exploring ways to support learners who are affected by aspects of inequity.

5. MA Education (Wales) Curriculum

This specialist pathway has been designed to deepen understanding of curriculum theory, design, implementation, and leadership in all parts of the education system.

Prospective students are encouraged to contact the Programme Director, Yasmeen Multani.

The National Masters in Education Programmes are available to all practitioners, however some students in Wales may be eligible for funding support.

For further information on the course, please see the two attached documents below:

Kindly note that the course has a limited number of places and an application deadline of Monday 11th September 2023; however, we reserve the right to close this course earlier should all places be filled before this date.

2023
2024

Study Mode 2023	Duration	Start Date	Campus	Campus Code
Part-time	3 Years	September	Newport City	C

Study Mode 2024	Duration	Start Date	Campus	Campus Code
Part-time	3 Years	September	Newport City	C

The course is 3 years part-time. There is no full-time option.

Year 1

Students who have completed a PGCE with 60 credits at Level 7 are likely to be exempt from the first year of study. Those students who do not have this award will study three modules in the first year:

Pedagogy and Practice (20 credits)
Collaboration and Professional Practice (20)
Evidence-Informed Practice (20 credits)

Year 2

Year 2 will see students taking one core module (20 credits), Advanced Research Enquiry Skills, alongside any 2 optional modules (all 20 credits):

Students on the MA Education (Wales) pathway will study any two from:

Leadership and Management of ALN
Inclusive Classroom Practice
Leading and Managing Education Professionals
Leading Organisational Change
Curriculum Design and Realisation
Curriculum Leadership and Innovation
Exploring Pedagogies
Emotional and Mental Wellbeing
Equity and Diversity
Responding to Poverty and Disadvantage in Education
ALN: Excellence in Practice
Leading Within and Across Systems

Students on the MA Education (Wales) Additional Learning Needs specialist pathway will study any two from:

Inclusive Classroom Practice
Leadership and Management of ALN
Additional Learning Needs
Excellence in Practice

Students on the MA Education (Wales) Leadership specialist pathway will study any two from:

Leading and Managing Education Professionals
Leading Organizational Change
Leading Within and Across Systems

Students on the MA Education (Wales) Equity in Education specialist pathway will study any two from:

Emotional Health, Mental Health and Wellbeing
Equity and Diversity
Responding to the Effects of Poverty and Disadvantage in Education

Students on the MA Education (Wales) Curriculum specialist pathway will study any two from:

Curriculum Leadership and Innovation
Exploring Pedagogies
Curriculum Design and Realisation

Year 3

The third and final year will focus on the core Dissertation module (60 credits).

Teaching

200 hours of study per 20 credit module, of which 22 will be contact hours. Learning will be a blend of online and face-to-face. Activities will be a combination of lectures, seminars, group activities and individual activities.

Support

Students on this course will join students on the same course at 6 other HEIs. There will be peer-to-peer support hosted on the WG Hwb, alongside all the regular USW support services and mechanisms.

Assessment

Assessments are all coursework assignments and will be submitted at the end of each module. Wherever possible, assignments have been designed to complement the working contexts and schedules of full-time teachers.

Facilities

Online environments (Blackboard and Hwb). Regular seminar and lecture rooms at Newport City Campus.

Lecturers

We regularly revalidate courses for quality assurance and enhancement

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

Candidates must hold Qualified Teacher Status (except in exceptional circumstances) and be currently employed in the compulsory education sector in the UK. The course is also open to those working as lecturers in FE colleges, ITE partner school staff, Teaching Assistants who meet the academic entry requirements for the programme, School Improvement Partners, Regional Consortia staff, Estyn and Local Authority staff.

Please upload the following to your online application:

Evidence of your DfES Number – official letter from the teaching council
Reference on institution/company letter headed paper

Supplementary Application Form (please download the document below)

Download Application Form

Recognition of Prior Learning Form (please download the document below)

Download Application Form

Unfortunately MA Education (Wales) is not suitable for overseas (Non EU) students. However both MA Education (Innovation in Learning and Teaching) and MA Leadership & Management (Education) are open to overseas (Non EU) students.

Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee will remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course.

August 2023 - July 2024 Fees

Part-time UK: £1083 per 20 credits

August 2024 - July 2025 Fees

Part-time UK: TBC

Student Perks

At the University of South Wales, you’re investing in so much more than a degree. We strive to provide our students with the best possible experience, no matter what you chose to study. Whether it’s access to top of the range mac books and PCs, state-of-the-art facilities packed with industry-leading equipment and software, masterclasses and events led by industry experts, or a wide range of clubs and societies to meet likeminded people, better tomorrows start with extra perks.

Each course also has their own unique student benefits to prepare you for the real word, and details of these can be found on our course pages. From global field trips, integrated work experience and free course-related resources, to funded initiatives, projects working with real employers, and opportunities for extra qualifications and accreditations - at USW your future, is future-proofed.

Click here to learn more about student perks at USW.

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.

Funding

Funding to help pay for (or cover) course tuition fees and living costs

Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

To learn about course fees, funding options, and to see if you are eligible for financial support, visit our Fees and Funding pages.

Welsh Government Funding – MA Education Wales

There are limited Welsh Government funded places in September 2023 though some students are eligible for funding for this course. The funding is primarily focused on teachers in years 3-6 of their career, however, in exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Professional Learning in Education team applicants on the fringes of years 3-6 criteria may also be eligible for Welsh Government funding.

Welsh Government funding is also for colleagues working in Partner ITE Schools, School Improvement Partners, Regional Consortia Staff, Estyn staff/LA staff/Middle tier; Teaching Assistants who meet the academic entry requirements for the programme and also ALNCOs (including those in FE).

Please apply direct with The University of South Wales by completing the following application form: https://applicationform.southwales.ac.uk/

During the application process, all students should search for and apply to the following course:

MA Education (Wales)

Students who wish to study a specialist pathway - MA Education (Wales) Additional Learning Needs, MA Education (Wales) Leadership, MA Education (Wales) Equity in Education or MA Education (Wales) Curriculum - will be moved to their chosen pathway following their first year of study or during their enrolment process (if exempt from studying year one).

Admissions statement

This course is for educational professionals who have already embarked on their career.