Education (Wales) (Part-time) (MA)
The Education (Wales) MA is a sector-leading programme designed for educational professionals who wish to advance their skills and impact in the ever-evolving educational landscape. Created in collaboration with seven Welsh universities and the Welsh Government, this flexible course strengthens your professional knowledge and ability to engage with research to improve professional practice.
The programme offers the chance to specialise in Leadership, Additional Learning Needs, or a combination of both pathways, allowing you to tailor your learning to meet your career aspirations.
Throughout the course, you will develop a reflective approach to teaching, gain deeper insights into effective pedagogy, and learn to apply evidence-based practices that enhance student outcomes. This programme equips you with the tools needed to make a meaningful contribution to education in Wales.
Course details
- On-campus
- Part-time
- English
- Welsh
This programme is subject to validation.
Why choose this course?
What you will learn
Our approach to learning on the Education (Wales) MA focuses on developing reflective, research-informed educational professionals. By combining flexible, specialised modules with collaborative and practical methods, we aim to enhance your ability to adapt, lead, and innovate in the rapidly changing educational landscape of Wales.
Pedagogy and Practice
Explore the core principles of teaching and learning. This module enhances your understanding of how to design effective lessons, motivate learners, and apply evidence-based strategies to improve outcomes. You will reflect on your current practice and develop innovative approaches tailored to diverse educational settings.
Collaboration and Leadership
This module develops your skills in Leadership and teamwork, crucial for driving improvement in educational settings. You will study strategies to foster collaboration among colleagues and stakeholders, ensuring better outcomes for students while building your confidence as an educational leader.
Evidence-Informed Practice
Focus on the use of research to shape your teaching and decision-making. This module guides you in critically evaluating educational studies, identifying best practices, and applying research findings to enhance your classroom practice and wider professional responsibilities.
Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Pathway
Specialising in ALN provides the tools to support learners with diverse needs effectively. You will develop skills to create inclusive environments, design tailored interventions, and ensure that every student can thrive, regardless of their individual challenges.
Flexible Pathways
The course offers flexibility to combine modules from Leadership and ALN, enabling you to personalise your studies based on your career aspirations and professional interests. This approach supports your growth as a versatile, effective educational professional.
Compulsory
(20 credits)
(60 credits)
Optional
(20 credits)
(20 credits)
(20 credits)
(20 credits)
(20 credits)
(20 credits)
(20 credits)
(20 credits)
(20 credits)
(20 credits)
(20 credits)
(20 credits)
Disclaimer
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The modules outlined above provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this course based on recent academic teaching. We continuously review our courses to ensure quality enhancement and to manage our resources. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand. Where your course includes optional modules, these are to provide an element of choice within the course. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed.
You’ll typically complete 120 credits per year of study on a full-time course. For more information visit our Student Agreement.
Ratings and Rankings
Staff
Our People
You will be taught and supported by a wide range of professional staff and teams here to help you get the university experience you are looking for. Our teaching staff were ranked 2nd in Wales for Teaching, Assessment and Feedback and Academic Support (NSS 2024) meaning that the support and feedback you get will help you learn and develop strong academic skills. Our students have placed us 1st in Wales for Learning Opportunities and Student Voice (NSS 2024) meaning that there are a wide range of opportunities available to enhance your studies and that students play an active role in shaping their learning experiences. Our commitment to your learning has seen our students place us as 1st in Wales and joint 3rd in the UK for student satisfaction (Times Higher Education, 2024, ‘Overall Positivity’ measure). Find out more about our academic staff who teach across our courses.
Further information
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Eligibility Criteria – for funded places (Please note that not all these criteria apply to teachers who apply for an ITE partnership school funded place.) Please contact a.brychan@uwtsd.ac.uk directly for information on this route if you are an APLP lead or partner school applicant
All candidates must meet the university’s academic entry requirements. To be eligible you must be:-
- Resident in Wales
- Educated to degree level or equivalent;
- Holder of qualified teacher status (QTS) and registered with the EWC as a school teacher) which must be maintained throughout the course of the programme).
- Employed by a maintained school in Wales as a teacher
- Employed on a minimum of 0.4 FTE contracts, this can include supply teachers who are on long term contracts either with a Local Authority, school or an agency.
- In year 3 to year 6 of practice from the completion of induction, at the start of the course.
- Accepted /Enrolled on this specific MA Education offered by the 7 partnership HEIs.
- Candidates should have where possible the support of their Headteacher
- If you have already achieved a subject-specific Masters, you are still eligible to apply for the funding towards this programme
- No other Masters in Education qualifications offered by the university are eligible for this funding
Eligibility for self-funded places
Candidates who do not quality for Welsh Government funding (i.e NOT in years 3-6 of teaching practice) must hold a PGCE, normally achieved within the last 5 years. Such candidates will therefore be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning and enter year two of the programme. The programme fee for these students is £9,750.
Specific conditions of funding — all years
All prospective candidates for support must be acknowledged and agree to the following condition of funding:
- In accepting this grant offer teachers are required to continue to work in Wales, within the maintained education system for a minimum of 2 years after completing the programme.
- Candidates in receipt of this funding must not make an application for further post graduate finance support through the SLC.
Specific conditions of funding — ALN / Leadership - all years
All prospective candidates for support must acknowledge and agree to the following conditions of funding.
In accepting this grant offer, practitioners are required to work as a teacher or a lecturer, within one of the following settings for a minimum of two years after completing the programme.
- A maintained school/PRU in Wales
- A further education institution in the FE sector in Wales
- A registered independent school
- A specialist college
Candidates in receipt of this funding must not make an application for further post graduate finance support through the Student Loans Company.
Process to access funding
The grant will be established between the Welsh Government and the participating HEIs. Individuals will not apply to the Welsh Government or the Student Loans Company for support.
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Assessments are all coursework assignments and will be submitted at the end of each module. There will be one assessment per module.
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Funding FAQs:
The funding eligibility criteria states that I must be in year 3 to 6 of practice at the start of the course, what does this mean?
This means you must be in years 3-6 of teaching following successful completion of your NQT induction when the course is due to start (not when you apply)
Do I need to be registered with the EWC?
Yes, to be eligible for funding you must be registered with the EWC in the category of school teacher. This must be maintained for the duration of the course.
Why is the funding only available for teachers in years 3-6 of practice?
The funding for this programme is offered by the Welsh Government as part of the Early Career Teacher Package.
Following completion of my NQT induction, I spent a period of time working overseas / took a career break, does this count?
Time spent employed as a teacher outside of the UK or time taken as a career break will not be counted as years of practice.
Am I required to have a teaching contract for a minimum period of time, e.g. an academic term / year? What happens if my contract ends part way through the programme?
Eligibility will be conferred at the beginning of the programme. At that point you will need to hold a contract of at least one term.
I am employed as a teacher in a number of schools and my contracts total more than 0.4FTE. Am I eligible for funding?
Yes, as long as your contracts total 0.4FTE or higher, you are eligible to apply for funding.
I am a part time and/or supply teacher, can I apply for funding?
Yes, as long as your contracts total 0.4FTE or higher, you are eligible to apply for funding.
Do I need to commit to working in Wales after I have completed the MA Education?
In accepting this funding teachers are required to continue to work in Wales, within the maintained education system for a minimum of 2 years after completing the programme.
Is there a residency requirement before the course starts?
In order to be eligible for funding you must be resident in Wales for 3 years prior to start of course and remain so for the duration of the programme.
I would like to self-fund; how much are the fees?
£6,500
I have previously undertaken masters level study, am I eligible for funding for this programme?
If you have previously studied a subject specific masters programme, then you are still eligible to apply for funding (subject to meeting all other criteria). Please note that if you have previously undertaken a funded MEd then you will not be eligible to apply for funding for the National MA.
My application for funding was unsuccessful, what are my options?
If your application for funding is not successful, you may still be able to take up a place on the course as a self-funded student.
My application for funding was unsuccessful, how can I appeal against the decision?
Applicants who are not satisfied with the decision of the National MA Education (Wales) Funding Award Panel should contact the Chair of the Panel in the first instance.
Who decides on funding allocation?
Upon receipt of your application, the Admissions team at your chosen institution will ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria. The National MA Education (Wales) Funding Award Panel will then assess all eligible applications to determine the outcome and award funding to those who are successful. The Panel consists of representatives from each Partner University and reports to the National Management Board (which has membership from the Welsh Government), to ensure clear accountability and oversight.
How many funded places are available?
There are 500 funded places across the National MA Education (Wales) partnership.
Am I eligible for a student loan?
If you are awarded Welsh Government funding for the National MA Education (Wales) then you must not also apply for postgraduate finance support through the Student Loans Company (SLC). Students who are not in receipt of Welsh Government funding may apply to the SLC.
My application for funding was unsuccessful, what are my options?
If your application for funding is not successful, you may still be able to take up a place on the course as a self-funded student.
My application for funding was unsuccessful, how can I appeal against the decision?
Applicants who are not satisfied with the decision of the National MA Education (Wales) Funding Award Panel should contact the Chair of the Panel in the first instance.
Who decides on funding allocation?
Upon receipt of your application, the Admissions team at your chosen institution will ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria. The National MA Education (Wales) Funding Award Panel will then assess all eligible applications to determine the outcome and award funding to those who are successful. The Panel consists of representatives from each Partner University and reports to the National Management Board (which has membership from the Welsh Government), to ensure clear accountability and oversight.
How many funded places are available?
There are 500 funded places across the National MA Education (Wales) partnership.
Am I eligible for a student loan?
If you are awarded Welsh Government funding for the National MA Education (Wales) then you must not also apply for postgraduate finance support through the Student Loans Company (SLC). Students who are not in receipt of Welsh Government funding may apply to the SLC.
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Designed for qualified teachers at all career stages.