MSc Education
Cardiff, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 23,200 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for overseas | for home: £10,450
Introduction
On our MSc Education, you will gain an in-depth understanding of education as a field of study and you will explore connections between education and other social institutions that play a role in tackling education problems, from a comparative perspective.
You will study complex issues faced by teachers, education leaders, and decision-makers in an increasingly globalised context. These issues include, amongst others, the search for relevance, efficiency, and inclusion, all of which require innovative solutions.
Working together with classmates and academic staff, and through participation and debate in seminar and class discussions, you will gain new skills, deepen your knowledge, and benefit from perspectives across education, sociology, policy analysis, and psychology.
You will be challenged to evaluate and clearly formulate recommendations for educational practice and organisations, and to design innovative interventions that will empower learners by improving the quality and relevance of their education.
The MSc Education allows you to explore the practical areas of curricular design, planning for teaching and learning in a rapidly changing world, the effects of globalisation on educational ideas and practices, and the future of education. It will enable you to develop your knowledge of teaching and learning, and your capacity to understand and conduct research in education contexts.
The programme primarily focuses on primary and secondary education, but provides opportunities to discuss education from a broader perspective; from pre-primary and higher education to adult learning and non-formal education. Your dissertation can focus on any level of education.
So, if you are interested in education practice, organisation or research, and are motivated to find new ways to develop as a professional and bring about change in education, we encourage you to apply.
Why Study this Course
Our Education (MSc) programme enables you to explore key challenges in education and gain insights into educational practices, policies, and organisations from across the world.
Global Perspectives
Examine contemporary education practices and contexts from national and international perspectives.
Wider Debates Around Education
Study education inside and outside classroom settings, laying the foundation for a wide variety of careers.
Interdisciplinary Study
Develop your critical analysis, intercultural communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills, and your critical understanding of evidence-based approaches to education policy and practice.
Independent Research
A dissertation includes a small-scale independent piece of research on a topic of your interest.
Gallery
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
We are committed to investing up to a total of £500,000 in this high-value competitive scholarship scheme to support UK students who are planning to start an eligible Master’s programme in 2024/25.
Each Scholarship is worth £3,000 and will be awarded a tuition fee discount.
Eligibility
UK students are eligible to apply for the Scholarship. You normally need to have achieved at least a 2.1 or equivalent in your first degree to be eligible. You need to submit an application to study at Cardiff University and be made an offer to study before your fee status can be confirmed.
Curriculum
This is a one-year full-time programme. You’ll study a total of 180 credits - 120 credits of core and optional modules and a 60-credit Dissertation.
You will take five compulsory 20-credit modules – one 20-credit optional module and a 60-credit dissertation on a topic agreed with your supervisor – to make up the full 180 credits you need to complete the programme.
The five compulsory modules include core social skills and substantive topics in education. The optional module allows you to tailor your degree to suit your own interests. Each taught module is worth 20 credits, which means it should take approximately 200 hours to complete including formal teaching, independent student and time spent on assessment tasks.
Dissertation
Following successful completion of the taught modules, you will be asked to produce a 60-credit dissertation on an education-related topic of your choice.
This dissertation involves a small-scale independent piece of research that enables you to develop your interests in a substantive area related to the programme and to put into practice the knowledge and skills developed through participation in the taught modules.
You will be allocated a dissertation supervisor to assist in planning, conducting and writing up the research project.
Core Modules for Year One
- Research Design For Masters Students
- Scholarship in the Social Sciences
- Comparative approaches to understanding curriculum
- Psychology and Planning for Teaching and Learning
- Global Futures in Education
- Dissertation
Optional Modules for Year One
- Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century
- Debates in Educational Research
Program Outcome
What Skills Will I Practise and Develop?
Knowledge & Understanding
On completion of the programme you will be able to:
- Demonstrate a deep and systematic understanding of core theories and concepts related to education policy, organisation and practice
- Analyse and situate local and national education practices and policies within their broader global and historical contexts
- Demonstrate a high level of knowledge of methodological and ethical considerations relevant to undertaking research on education issues
Intellectual Skills
On completion of the programme you will be able to:
- Systematically identify complex connections between aspects of educational theory and policy and practice (in education and related areas)
- Critically evaluate existing research and scholarship on education issues, and make informed judgements between competing claims and theoretical perspectives
- Describe and critically reflect upon policy and practice relating to complex educational issues, and upon the connection between education and other social institutions
- Effectively collect, evaluate, synthesise and interpret various forms of complex data –including in the form of a project dissertation
Professional Practical Skills
On completion of the programme you will be able to:
- Articulate original solutions to tackle both familiar and unfamiliar problems, to enhance education policy and practice
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of evidence-based approaches to the design, implementation and evaluation of education interventions
Transferable/Key Skills
On completion of the programme you will be able to:
- Communicate (in writing and orally) research findings clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences, work in an international context, problem-solving, time management, ICT and individual and teamwork skills
- Evaluate your own work and be self-critical
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
We encourage our students to think about life beyond University from day one, offering modules and support to give you a competitive advantage in graduating. Turning theory into practical application and providing experience of the working world are important aspects of all our degree schemes and help prepare our graduates for life after higher education.
Graduates of this programme may work in education-related areas within formal or non-formal education organisations, in government departments and regulators, in non-governmental organisations including foundations and think-tanks working, in charities, the media or as social entrepreneurs in the area of education.
Program delivery
How will I be Taught?
You will learn from scholars who are contributing to the future of their fields. Our courses reflect both the core ideas of their disciplines and contemporary debates, theories and research.
Teaching methods include a mixture of lectures, seminars, independent study and self-directed learning that use online resources, individual work and group tasks. Lectures generally provide an overview of the relevant topic, introducing key concepts or research, and highlighting contemporary issues or debates. In contrast to lectures, seminars give you the opportunity to discuss particular readings, research or topics in detail. This allows you to consolidate your understanding and get feedback on your individual learning. Seminars also enable you to hone your communication, presentation and collaborative skills as you take part in group discussions and other tasks.
As social science develops in response to the social world, so our curriculum also changes. Our students play an important role in these developments, with the Student-Staff Panel being consulted about major changes and all students completing module evaluations and an annual student survey.