Develop the skills and knowledge to become a changemaker, leader, or critical practitioner in the field of education.

Empower yourself to enact positive change in education and explore creative responses to contemporary challenges in the field.

During this course, you’ll develop key capabilities needed across a range of established and emerging areas of education, including research-informed practice. This will put you in a better position to start or advance your career in the sector.

You’ll broaden and deepen your critical awareness of current educational debates such as how to educate for sustainable futures and global citizenship. You’ll also develop the analytical and critical skills required to challenge and improve policies and practices at local, regional and global scales in a variety of contexts.

Gain key skills

On successful completion of this course, you'll have gained:

• a greater appreciation of innovative approaches to education
• a thorough understanding of current educational issues including those connected to equality, diversity and inclusion
• the ability to use this understanding to enhance your professional practice
• the ability to recognise ways in which research and theory are used in education and how to apply these effectively in your own academic and professional work
• analytical and critical thinking skills
• the skills to contribute effectively to the development of educational policies and practices at different levels and in a range of contexts

Apply your skills with a consultancy project

The consultancy project is an alternative to a dissertation. It offers you the opportunity to use the knowledge and research skills you’ll develop during your studies to work on an issue or strategic priority with an external organisation.

Projects are research-based and typically developed in collaboration with an organisation, such as a school, university, governmental department or education provider. This collaborative aspect means that you’ll be looking at a current challenge, which will allow you to demonstrate your academic learning in a real-world context and enhance your CV.

Consultancy projects may involve activities such as:

• critical evaluation of existing policies or practices
• research-informed proposals for improvement or reform
• internationalisation-related projects
• analysis to support institutional strategy, development, or marketing
• community engagement or outreach initiatives
• critical analysis of organisational or sector-level data

Once you have designed and completed an appropriate piece of research, you’ll present your findings and recommendations as a presentation and written academic report.

Graduate prospects

You'll develop and enhance skills and knowledge needed for a range of established and emerging roles in the broad field of education, for example:

• teaching (in schools and other contexts)
• lecturing
• professional training
• educational leadership
• educational management and administration
• educational consultancy
• policy development
• stakeholder liaison roles
• international development
• project management
• community engagement

You'll also be prepared for positions in national and international education organisations including charities, learning companies, awarding organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and governmental departments.

As well as this, you’ll benefit from access to additional employability support through our skills enrichment programme, Skills for Success.

As an MA Education student, you’ll benefit from the Department of Education’s extensive global professional networks and its connections with schools and educational organisations. Through these connections you will gain access to resources and collaborative opportunities to enhance your learning. You’ll also have access to campus-based networking opportunities including departmental workshops and seminars.

Please note: This course does not offer teaching accreditations.

Get a taste of our courses before you apply

We hold a variety of in-person and virtual open days throughout the year. Come along and speak to our academics, current students and alumni to find out which course is right for you.

Sign up for a Postgraduate event

Scholarships and bursaries

You could be considered for a bursary or scholarship to help you study at Bath.

Find out more and apply