Postgraduate Taught Degrees

MA Advanced Educational Practice (3years) (Part time)

Duration:: 3 years
Attendance:: Part Time
Award:: Degree of Master of Arts
School of Study:: Education and Lifelong Learning
Brochure:: School of Education and Lifelong Learning Postgraduate Brochure (PDF)

Overview
Why Choose Us
Course Profile
Requirements
Fees and Funding
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The study components of the MA Advanced Educational Practice degree are suitable for those working in an educational environment, in the UK, who are at various stages of their careers who wish to extend their Continuing Professional Development activities by working towards a Masters level award (180 credits).

Students who choose to exit the full Masters programme after completing the first year module will be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits at M-level). Students exiting after completion of the second year module will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits at M-level).

This programme aims to build on participants' existing interests and expertise. We create a stimulating and challenging environment in which to discuss and analyse work place practice. Students are supported in carrying out research to achieve greater understanding and to encourage innovation.

The course is taught during evenings and weekends (office hours are avoided). Fees can be paid in instalments. The course can be completed in 3-4 years.

Transfer of Credits and Second Year Entry

Students who have completed the University of East Anglia's Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with 60 Masters level credits automatically qualify for direct entry to the second year of this programme. Students may also apply to transfer relevant Masters level credits from other institutions.

UEA PGCE students: Please note the MA must be completed within 5 years - and this would include your PGCE credits. So, for example, if you started your PGCE in 2008, you would need to complete the MA by September 2013.

Course Organiser:Ms. Susan Cox

The School of Education and Lifelong Learning is one of the UK's leading centres for research and teaching in education, offering a distinctively broad range of programmes at Postgraduate level.

We are a diverse community of practitioners, scholars and academics who teach, research, and provide professional development. We seek to equip educationalists and other professionals with the skills and insights they need as part of their continued professional development at a time of rapid educational and organisational change.

The School is nationally and internationally recognised for its work in educational innovation and social change; literacy and development; and mathematics education. We have extensive links with overseas agencies and organisations and strong working relationships with practitioners, educators and policymakers in all sectors of the education system and other related professional fields. We are proud of both our local roots and our international reach and our partnerships with schools and colleges, with adult educational groups and with governments and universities are greatly valued.

We use a variety of teaching technologies, including lectures, seminars, practical work and IT e-learning resources. These are delivered by experienced members of academic staff, often in a relatively informal learning environment within small groups. Assessment is usually by written assignments and a dissertation. A continuous control process ensures that our teaching quality continues to develop, and students have access to a number of quality-control channels including student feedback forms, debriefing meetings, and the Student Liaison Committee to help us monitor, evaluate and develop current practice.

There are many external indicators which endorse the quality of our teaching and research. These include top ratings within the National Student Satisfaction survey, '+3' Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) recognition, and "Outstanding" recognition by OfSTED for our programmes of Initial Teacher Education.

Career Opportunities

Our graduates enjoy excellent employment prospects. A high proportion of our Masters graduates occupy senior posts in schools, universities and ministries all over the world.

The University of East Anglia provides a professional Careers Centre and, together with the School's Academic Careers Adviser, we will help students to pursue their chosen career path and develop their employability skills.

Come and Visit Us

Our Open Days will give you the opportunity to experience the University of East Anglia's unique campus atmosphere.

You will have the chance to attend subject-specific talks and presentations about student life and finance. You will also be able to talk directly to academics, admissions staff and current students giving you a first-hand impression of life at the University of East Anglia - check out the accommodation, learning resources, student support, and our sport and entertainment facilities.

If you are not able to visit us in person, check out our Virtual Open Day experience which we hope will help to provide you with an insight into life and study at the University of East Anglia.

Further Information

Please click on the link above to download the prospectus or register your details via our Online Enquiry Form.

International candidates are also actively encouraged to access the University's International section of our website.

Year 1
Year 2
Year 3

This is the first year of your taught Masters programme.

Option A Study (60 credits)

Students will select 60 credits from the following modules:

Name	Code	Credits
DEV INC PRACTICE: THE ROLE OF THE SENCO	EDUTM06Y	60
This module aims to assist all SENCOs, Inclusion Managers, teachers and other concerned professionals to: Use their knowledge and understanding of a wide range of pupil diversity both within and outside of schools to develop the scoial, physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural development of their pupils. Develop, through investigation and evaluation of their own or their school's practice, improved means of their responding to the needs of pupils, to ensure that they all have access to their curriculum entitlement.
DEVELOPING EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE	EDUTM11Y	60
This module aims for educational practitioners to develop their students’ learning by developing their own practice and/or contributing to innovation or development within their school. The taught content will be closely related to participants’ analysis of their own practice and its personal and professional contexts. The main focus will be to develop understanding of the processes of critical enquiry and reflection, informed by exploratory and critically reflective reading and writing.
DEVELOPING RE: SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE and LEADERSHIP IN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION	EDUTM12Y	60
This course is designed in partnership with the Centre for Spirituality and Religion in Education and local authority RE advisers. It covers subject knowledge and understanding in religions and RE; RE leadership skills, and aims to develop teachers’ and educators’ subject knowledge, understanding and leadership in RE in order to contribute to the learning and professional development of their students and colleagues.
DRAMA IN EDUCATION	EDUTM17Y	60
This module aims to provide teachers with the practical means of using drama as a tool for learning and teaching as well as increasing their understanding of drama as a discrete subject area. The links between drama and other subject areas will be explored in ways that are relevant to both primary and secondary settings. Participants will be encouraged to develop a critical and analytical approach to their own practice in order to develop it, as well as acquiring new skills. The aim is to develop creative approaches to learning and teaching.
MENTORING AND COACHING IN SCHOOLS PART 1	EDUTM16Y	60
This module will be of interest in particular to teachers who are acting as mentors or coaches to other teachers or to student teachers in school. This module enables students to build on the skills they have developed in those roles to strengthen critically reflective approaches to developments in practice.
STARTING FROM WORLD ART - CREATIVE TEACHING WITH THE SAINSBURY CENTRE	EDUTM13Y	60
The ‘Starting from World Art’ module enables participants to carry out a small scale study in their classroom or school. It explores key educational ideas starting from the art in the Sainsbury Centre and develops skills for working at Masters level. This course will be appropriate both for art specialists and for people new to art. Primary school teachers who have studied with us before have found that they can apply art to a great many other subject areas and make lessons livelier as a result. Some secondary schools are starting to experiment with innovative new models, applying ideas from art to a wide range of other subjects, and we can support these developments.

This is the second year of your taught Masters programme.

Compulsory Study (40 credits)

Students must study the following modules for 40 credits:

Name	Code	Credits
SCHOOL BASED ENQUIRY: RESEARCH METHODS IN EDUCATION	EDUTM26Y	40
The module equips participants to design and conduct research that will enable them to develop their professional practice in ways that positively affect children’s and young people’s learning. It extends participants’ knowledge and understanding of the theory and practice of educational research (approaches and methods) and encourages participants to adopt a rigorous and ethical approach to their own independent research.

Option A Study (20 credits)

Students will select 20 credits from the following modules:

Name	Code	Credits
ARTS EDUCATION	EDUTM19Y	20
This module will address issues around teaching in and through the arts. It is available for those who have undertaken the Starting from World Art module and the Drama in Education module but this is not a pre-requisite. Participants will undertake practical investigation into their own practice in relation to the arts in education. It will enable participants to take a critical view of arts education and its relationship to creative approaches to learning and teaching. Participants will be encouraged to pursue their own interests within the module.
DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO TEACHING AND LEARNING THROUGH LESSON STUDY	EDUTM25Y	20
Lesson study is a collaborative form of teacher research. It involves the progressive development of a lesson through a series of action research cycles. A lesson is defined in terms of a focus on a particular object of learning - a topic, concept or complex skill. This module aims to enable teachers to collaboratively design and test innovative pedagogical strategies, establishing a community of practice in their school or other educational setting, as a context for improving teaching and learning.
INDUCTION INTO TEACHING	EDUTM22Y	20
This module is for teachers who are in their first year of teaching (NQTs). The aim of the module is to provide new teachers with support during the year and the opportunity to share their experiences with other NQTs. As the module progresses it aims to build approaches to practice that are reflective and help NQTs to become 'practitioner-researchers'. Much of the course content will be related to areas of interest and issues that arise in the course of students' own teaching; there will also be input in developing as reflective practitioner and practitioner-researchers.
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT	EDUTM016	20
This module is concerned with enhancing the learners’ ability to understand and evaluate processes and techniques for leading and managing people within an educational setting. Effective individuals and teams are essential to the planning, organising, evaluating and monitoring of work with children, their families and other professionals. This module also aims to develop a high level of personal communication skills as a basis for good leadership and management in relation to their work as team leader and member to ensure appropriate and effective provision for children. Students will be able to discuss leadership styles and their appropriateness and effectiveness in an educational setting. There will be an underlying theme of self-analysis and positive self-criticism within the work based context.
MENTORING AND COACHING IN SCHOOLS PART 2	EDUTM18Y	20
This module will extend the learning in Part 1 (EDUTM16Y). Although it is not a pre-requisite, to undertake Part 1, it is advisable that for Part 2 students will already have some experience as mentors or coaches. The module aims to encourage students to ask deeper questions about their practice as mentors and coaches and how it supports others in their professional development. This will entail critical engagement with theories of learning and teaching, in the context of students' development as reflective mentors and coaches.
MENTORING IN SCHOOLS AND EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS	EDUTM24Y	20
The module will require the students to be engaged in practical mentoring in school or other educational contexts. The taught content will be closely related to students' analysis and development of their own practice as mentors and its professional/educational contexts.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION PEDAGOGY	EDUTM014	20
This module aims to support physical education practitioners and those with an interest in pedagogy to examine the purposes and practice of physical education and school sport, and to explore discourses concerning curriculum innovation and change.
PRIMARY PEDAGOGY AND THE SUBJECT SPECIALIST	EDUTM23Y	20
For teachers and Primary PGCE Students, as subject/curriculum area specialists in the primary school, to work together in enquiring into and developing their own practice and/or contributing to innovation in the settings in which the teachers work.
SCHOOL BASED ENQUIRY: RESEARCH METHODS IN EDUCATION - EXTENDED	EDUTM012	20
This module is for those who are interested in gaining further insights into educational research and its approaches and methods. This module builds on and extends the content of EDUTM26Y and will further support students understanding.
WRITING PEDAGOGY	EDUTM21Y	20
This module aims to support those who teach writing in primary and secondary schools to establish and reflect upon well theorised classroom practice which engages and develops children as writers.

This is the third year of your taught Masters programme.

Compulsory Study (60 credits)

Students must study the following modules for 60 credits:

Name	Code	Credits
DISSERTATION	EDUTM08X	60
In year 3, all students undertake a 17-20,000 word dissertation. Individual tutorial support will be provided throughout the year, and students will have the opportunity to attend and contribute a 'round-table' presentation of work in progress, at the annual MA day conference in March. The dissertation is submitted at the end of the academic year, in September.

Disclaimer

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules and regular (five-yearly) review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff or sabbatical leave. Where this is the case, the University will endeavour to inform students.

Entry Requirements

Degree Subject:: Social Science
Degree Classification:: 2.2 or equivalent
Special Entry Requirements:: Qualified Teacher Status (QTS); GTCE registered

Entry Requirement

Applicants should normally have a good first degree from a recognised higher education institution. The University will also take into account the employment experience of applicants where relevant and applications are actively encouraged from those who want to return to academic study.

It is normal for undergraduate students to apply for entry to postgraduate programmes in their final year of study. Applicants who have not yet been awarded a degree may be offered a place conditional on their attaining a particular class of degree.

Alternative Qualifications

Accreditation at Masters Level for NPQH qualification

We can consider giving Accreditation for Prior Experiential/Certificated Learning for candidates for our MA(AEP) programme who are undertaking the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) qualification.

To be considered, applicants will need to submit a bridging assignment.

If successful, applicants will be awarded 60 credits (equivalent to the first year of study of our MA(AEP) programme).

The remaining 120 credits to complete the MA can be achieved by following the School Based Enquiry - Research Methods in Education module (one year part-time study) and the dissertation module (one year of part-time study).

Please click to access further details about the bridging assignment or contact the Course Director, Sue Cox, at the School of Education and Lifelong Learning.

We advise that anyone wishing to gain the MA in this way consults with us about their intentions and the bridging assignment at the start of their NPQH course.

APEL (Accreditation for Prior Experiential Learning)

Concessional Entry
Non-graduates may be able to gain entry to the MA programme in the following way:

Non-graduates who already hold other professional awards in addition to their initial training qualifications, or can offer evidence of appropriate service/professional experience, may be eligible for Concessional Entry.

Concessional Entry to the MA programme is granted by the Head of the School of Education and Lifelong Learning, on the basis of evidence presented.

If you consider that you might be eligible for Concessional Entry you should present an outline of your qualifications and experience attached to the Application Form.

Graduate/QTS Entry
Graduates with QTS may be eligible to apply for APEL to gain 60 credits. Applicants will need to submit:

A portfolio of evidence of appropriate project based work carried out by the applicant in their school.
A 5,000 word commentary (bridging assignment) that meets MA criteria.

The submission will be assessed. If it meets the criteria, the applicant will be awarded 60 credits APEL and will be eligible to begin the course with the Year 2 module School-Based Enquiry - Research Methods in Education.

Please click to access further information about the bridging assignment.

NB: There is normally a fee for the assessment of APEL

Advanced Credit Standing

Advanced Credit Standing means that credits may be awarded towards a UEA award on the basis of work already undertaken before joining the UEA MA programme.

Credits might be awarded for courses taken at other institutions, or on the basis of professional learning gained through experience at work.

If you are a graduate you may be eligible for Advanced Credit Standing as shown below. The School of Education and Lifelong Learning offers the following possibilities regarding the award and transfer of credits:

Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) - Recognising Masters level awards accredited by other institutions as credit towards a UEA award.
Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) - Accrediting learning gained during the course of your professional work and experience, not necessarily as part of a course or award. We will consider NPQH awards on the proviso that candidates can provide evidence of critically reflective work at MA level. (Fee charged).
Credit Accumulation and Transfer (CATS) - Transferring Masters level credits gained at other institutions into the UEA programme.

Candidates interested in applying for Advanced Credit Standing should attach a full statement to their application form.

Fees and Funding

Fees for students starting in the academic year 2013/2014 will be:

UK/EU Students: £1,665 per full 60 credits

Scholarships and Funding

A variety of Scholarships may be offered to UK students. Please click here for more detailed information about funding for UK students.

Funding opportunities specifically appropriate to those wishing to study the MA Advanced Educational Practice include:

The Professional Development (PD) Scholarship Scheme
The Keswick Hall Trust Bursary - The bursary will be awarded to a student who submits a research proposal of academic excellence and subject relevance with their application to study this course; the proposal must focus on RE in UK schools.

Applications for Postgraduate Taught programmes at the University of East Anglia should be made directly to the University.

You can apply online.

Further Information

To request further information & to be kept up to date with news & events please use our online enquiry form.

If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances prior to applying please do contact us:

Postgraduate Admissions Office
Tel: +44 (0)1603 591515
Email: admissions@uea.ac.uk

International candidates are also encouraged to access the International Students section of our website.