)
)
Global Development at UEA
Find out more about studying Global Development at UEA, and browse our other courses.
Find out moreMA Education and Development with a Placement Year
Key details
- Attendance
- Full Time
- Award
- Degree of Master of Arts
- Course Length
- 1 year
- Course Start Date
- January 2027
Course options
Other Start Dates
Gain a competitive edge with a placement year
This course is also available with an integrated placement year, giving you the opportunity to gain valuable UK industry experience alongside your master's degree
Other Start Dates
1st
UEA is ranked 1st overall for research quality in Development Studies
Times Higher Education REF 2021Course Overview
Why MA Education and Development with a Placement Year at UEA?
Education is a powerful catalyst for economic, social, and sustainable development. Our MA in Education and Development will equip you with the knowledge and skills to drive positive change through education.
Why Choose UEA
- World–class research: Join a thriving academic community with extensive experience in global educational research and policy analysis and impact
- UNESCO-recognised expertise: Learn from lecturers at the heart of UEA's prestigious UNESCO Chair for Adult Literacy and Learning and Social Transformation
- Leading development studies: Graduate with a degree from the UK’s top-ranked Development Studies department (THE REF Analysis 2021)
What is MA Education and Development with a Placement Year?
You’ll explore how education can contribute to global development, studying diverse approaches including human rights, social justice, and human capital theory, as well as critical perspectives on the role of education in addressing inequalities. This course will enable you to understand current debates and global education goals, and their implications for policy, programming and practice at national, regional, and international levels.
You’ll delve into educational debates from a wider development perspective. You’ll also study current challenges and opportunities in education and global development, including policy borrowing and pedagogical reform, inclusive education, gender inequalities, school violence, teacher supply and educational quality, including non-formal and decolonising models of education, environmental education, refugee education and education in emergencies. All critical aspects of Sustainable Development Goal 4 and its vision of quality and inclusive education for all.
You’ll join our friendly, close-knit academic community and collaborate with students from around the world. Our course lecturers are core members of UEA’s prestigious UNESCO Chair for Adult Literacy and Learning for Social Transformation, jointly hosted by the Schools of Global Development and Education and Lifelong Learning, and you’ll be encouraged to actively engage with this globally-recognised research community, including our renowned ‘Education and Development Public Seminar’ series. This inspiring series features groundbreaking research from leading international academics and top research institutions.
You’ll be prepared for a wide range of impactful careers. This may range from shaping educational policy and programming on a global scale to working with influential government bodies and leading national and international development agencies and NGOs.
)
What is Global Development?
Learn how global development is understood and its effects on communities, with a focus on Nairobi, Kenya, in this free, online course. Thro...
)
Our Research - 1st in the UK for Development Studies
The School of Global Development is globally recognized for research excellence and ranked first in development studies (Times Higher REF An...
Placement Year
A placement year is an integral and compulsory part of our Master’s courses with the placement route, giving you the opportunity to gain valuable professional experience during your second year.
Throughout the first semester of your placement year, you’ll continue to develop your employability skills through a structured programme of support, including an intensive period focused on securing an industry work placement.
Your placement will typically involve working with a UK organisation for eight to ten months, allowing you to apply your academic knowledge in a professional setting, develop industry experience, and build valuable connections. UEA works in partnership with a specialist, award-winning provider to offer tailored support throughout the placement process, helping you identify opportunities that align with your skills, interests, and career goals.
While UEA and our placement partner provide guidance and resources throughout your studies, securing a suitable industry work placement is your responsibility. By actively engaging with the employability programme, your academic course, and the support available, you’ll be best placed to make the most of the opportunities available.
If you’re unable to secure an industry work placement, or don't meet the academic requirements to undertake one, UEA guarantees the opportunity to complete three structured industry projects through one of our placement partners. Working with different UK organisations, these projects allow you to gain practical experience, tackle real-world challenges, and develop skills across a range of professional environments. A variety of formats are available, giving you flexibility to choose an option that best supports your career development.
Whichever route you take, you’ll graduate with valuable practical experience, enhanced employability skills, and a stronger foundation for your future career.
Find out more about the Postgraduate Placement Year(opens in a new window).
Careers
Career Pathways
With an MA in Education and Development with a Placement Year, you could launch a career in:
- Local, national and international non-governmental organisations: working for development charities, funding agencies and humanitarian emergency relief organisations with a strong focus on education, such as Save the Children, Oxfam, Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART) and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE)
- Private sector companies: innovative enterprises which play a major role in global development, for example Equimundo
- Bilateral and multi-lateral agencies: working in organisations like UNESCO, UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and the World Bank
- Government or public sector: working in local or national government agencies including the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) or civil service fast-stream positions addressing global development, as well national Ministries of Education, curriculum development units and non-formal education provision
- Think-tanks or research institutes: working on policy analysis, data-driven research, and advocacy, these varied roles often focus on particular areas such as gender and education, conflict, social justice and climate change. For example, International Development Research Centre (IRDC), Education Cannot Wait and ALIGN
Career Support
Our course offers exceptional careers support, including events tailored to the School of Global Development, guidance on volunteering and internships to strengthen your CV. The School of Global Development also offers a dedicated extracurricular professional skills programme, designed to enhance your employability on graduation. Responsive to the ever-changing demands of the development sector, the programme evolves continuously to ensure you graduate with the most relevant and sought-after skills.
UEA’s Career Central(opens in a new window) team will also support you with your CV and job applications. They can help you prepare for job interviews and offer advice and information as you discover your career path.
After the Course
Our graduates now work in many different fields in the UK, such as policy development, educational research and training with, for example, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the National Foundation for Educational Research, the British Council and Link Community Development, as well as international development organisations and UN agencies, such as CARE International, Oxfam, Save the Children International, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, UNICEF and UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. Others are supporting policy development and programming in Ministries of Education, national education institutions and research centres around the world.
Study and Modules
Structure
You'll delve into fundamental theoretical and practical perspectives on education and its role in global development, giving you a solid foundation in key concepts and skills to analysis current and emerging issues in the field of education and global development.
You’ll then apply this knowledge to understanding educational reform and practice, developing your skills in policy analysis to investigate a range of development challenges with a focus on low-income and fragile states. You’ll be encouraged to prepare your own policy brief on a topic of your choice.
You’ll also have the freedom to choose from an exciting variety of optional modules and sharpen skills in a range of research methods. You’ll be able to choose from modules offered within the School of Global Development and from a selection offered by UEA’s School of Education and Lifelong Learning.
Alongside your taught studies, you’ll work towards completing a supervised dissertation or work placement report. Optional seminars and workshops are also offered, which will help to strengthen your academic and professional skills.
Housekeeping sessions for you and your cohort will support your learning throughout the year. You’ll also be supported to prepare for your dissertation or work placement.
During the first year of your Master’s degree at UEA, you’ll complete a year-long Employability Skills module designed to give you the knowledge, skills, and confidence to prepare for your placement year.
Through a combination of workshops and personalised support, you’ll develop key employability skills including CV writing, interview preparation, and building your professional profile on LinkedIn. One-to-one sessions will help you develop your application strategy, receive tailored guidance, and practise your interview techniques through mock interviews.
Sessions will be delivered through a blend of online and in-person activities. The module is assessed on a pass/fail basis, and you’ll need to attend at least 75% of scheduled sessions to successfully complete the module and progress to your placement year.
Compulsory Modules
Optional A Modules
(Credits: 40)Optional B Modules
(Credits: 40)Optional C Modules
(Credits: 40)Important Information
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. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with 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. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Structure
In your second year, you’ll complete a 60-credit placement module, providing the opportunity to undertake a placement related to your area of study and gain valuable professional experience.
During the first semester, you’ll take part in an intensive placement search supported by dedicated guidance and six in-person workshops at UEA. These sessions will help you reflect on your placement search, strengthen your approach, and develop the skills needed to secure a suitable opportunity.
If you’re unable to secure an industry work placement by the end of the search period, you’ll have the opportunity to complete three structured industry projects. These projects will allow you to work with organisations on real-world challenges and gain practical experience in a professional environment.
At the end of the module, you’ll submit an assessment portfolio containing evidence from your placement search and a reflective report on your placement experience. This will demonstrate the skills you’ve developed, your understanding of your chosen sector, and your plans for future professional growth. The module is assessed on a pass/fail basis.
By completing the placement module, you’ll build career confidence, strengthen your CV, expand your professional network, and gain the experience needed to take your next career step in the UK or internationally.
Compulsory Modules
Important Information
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. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with 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. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
)
Teaching and Learning, and Assessment
Teaching and Learning
Your compulsory modules include opportunities for participatory and innovative teaching and learning, collaborative group work, and peer-led group presentations. The oral feedback you’ll receive will help you develop skills in articulating your arguments and ideas. Technology, such as Padlet, will be used to facilitate sharing and reviews of your work.
You’ll be encouraged to prepare written or verbal assignment outlines, for which you'll receive feedback to help you improve your coursework before submission.
The dissertation enables you to build research and information management skills as you use primary and/or secondary data to explore in-depth a specific topic of interest. Critical analysis, application of theory to real world problems, and extended report writing skills are developed in both the dissertation and the assessed work placement. The latter also provides an opportunity for you to gain career-enhancing work experience.
Assessment
You'll be assessed using a variety of coursework assignments, which will enable you to demonstrate your learning in depth and across a range of skill sets. Assessments in your compulsory modules allow you to develop transferable skills in policy critique and analysis, writing for development actors and policymakers, presenting and leading small group work. You’ll have the opportunity to develop a policy brief on an educational topic of your choosing. Further assessment methods will depend on the optional modules you choose.
Entry Requirements
- This course is open to
UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.
- Typical UK Entry Requirements
Degree classification
Bachelors degree - 2.2
Degree Subject
Education or related fields.
- Additional Entry Requirements
Applicants should normally have a good undergraduate degree from a recognised higher education institution. The University will also take into account the employment experience of applicants where relevant.
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.
- This course is open to
UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.
- Typical International Entry Requirements
Degree classification
UK Bachelors degree - 2.2 or equivalent
Degree Subject
Education or related fields.
- Additional Entry Requirements
Applicants should normally have a good undergraduate degree from a recognised higher education institution. The University will also take into account the employment experience of applicants where relevant.
- English Foreign Language
Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading):
-
IELTS: 6.0 overall (minimum 5.5 in each component).
We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies(opens in a new window) for a list of example qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.
Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.
If you do not meet the English language requirements for this course, our UEA International Study Centre offers a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the required English skills.
-
- UEA International Study Centre
If you do not meet the academic requirements for this course, you may be able to study the International Pre-Masters programme offered by our partner UEA International Study Centre. This programme guarantees progression to selected Master's degrees if students achieve the appropriate grade. For more details, please click here:
International Pre-Masters in Business, Economics and Social Sciences
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.
)
Fees and Funding
Tuition fees for the Academic Year 2026/27 are:
-
UK Students: £11,400
-
International Students: £23,850
We estimate living expenses at £1,171 per month.
If you choose to take this course with a placement year, your tuition fees for the first year will be as shown above. An additional fee of £3,500 will apply for the placement year (see our FAQs page for further details).
Further Information on tuition fees can be found here(opens in a new window).
Scholarships and Bursaries
The University of East Anglia offers a range of Scholarships(opens in a new window); please click the link for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course Related Costs
Please see Additional Course Fees(opens in a new window) for details of course-related costs.
How to Apply
How to apply
Applications for Postgraduate Taught programmes at the University of East Anglia should be made directly to the University.
To apply please use our online application form(opens in a new window).
Further information
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(opens in a new window)
International candidates are also encouraged to access the International Students(opens in a new window) section of our website.