Overview

The MEd Education Studies (part-time) is designed to help education professionals build on existing knowledge and skills to develop academically, personally and professionally and progress to positions of responsibility.

With a focus on contemporary global developments in education, students can exit with an award of MEd Education Studies^ or complete specific modules related to graduate in the below specialisms:

MEd Education Studies (Creativity)
MEd Education Studies (Curriculum Enhancement)
MEd Education Studies (Inclusion)^
MEd Education Studies (Leadership)^
MEd Education Studies (Mental Health and Education)

^ also available on a full-time basis - see our MEd Education Studies (full-time) course entry

Please note, we are currently exploring the option of offering an MEd Education Studies (Early Years) pathway for September 2022 entry – keep an eye on this page for the latest updates.

HEAR FROM OUR PROGRAMME LEADER AND A CURRENT STUDENT

PGDE Teacher | Male holding open book in front of whiteboard

course highlights

Teaching and learning is underpinned by cutting edge research and informed by a national and global perspective.
Students can exit with the award of MEd Education Studies or complete specific modules to graduate with the specialisms outlined below:
- MEd Education Studies (Creativity) – For professionals working in creative and expressive art with learners in primary, secondary, tertiary or other educational and training contexts interested in developing their practice.
- MEd Education Studies (Curriculum Enhancement) – For professionals working with learners or supporting colleagues in educational contexts involved in the management of learning and development programmes.
- MEd Education Studies (Inclusion) – For professionals in mainstream or inclusive educational settings looking to develop expertise in effective inclusive educational practices.
- MEd Education Studies (Leadership) – For professionals working in early years, primary, secondary, tertiary or other educational settings looking to develop their practice in educational leadership.
- MEd Education Studies (Mental Health and Education) – For professionals working in early years, primary, secondary, tertiary or other educational settings looking to focus on how mental health impacts learners, teachers, health professionals, social workers and more in an educational setting.

Named Specialisms

MEd Education Studies

This pathway is intended for teachers and other professionals working with learners in primary, secondary and tertiary education as well as practitioners working within other educational and training contexts. It is intended for professionals who wish to undertake modules across the named specialisms.

MEd Education Studies (Creativity)

This specialism is intended for teachers and other professionals working with learners in primary, secondary and tertiary education as well as practitioners working within other educational and training contexts who are involved in working in creative and expressive art.

It is intended for those education professionals that are interested in developing their understanding of working creatively with their learners. It will enhance professional practice in, and understanding of, current developments in the area of creativity in general and in terms of pedagogy, policy and practice specifically.

MEd Education Studies (Curriculum Enhancement)

MEd Education Studies (Inclusion)

This specialism is intended for teachers and professionals who teach or support learning in mainstream schools or inclusive educational settings.

It will support professionals to develop applied knowledge and expertise in effective inclusive educational practices.

MEd Education Studies (Leadership)

This specialism is intended for teachers and other professionals working with learners in early years, primary, secondary and tertiary education as well as practitioners working within other educational contexts.

It is intended for leaders and aspiring leaders who are interested in developing their understanding of working with teams and leading fellow professionals.

It will enhance professional practice in, and understanding of, current developments in the area of educational leadership.

MEd Education Studies (Mental Health and Education)

Teaching and learning opportunities focus on the nature of mental health in educational (learning, teaching, training, and mentoring) environments, exploring how this might impact on learners, leaders of learning, mentors, psychologists, health professionals, managers and social workers.

Entry Requirements

What qualifications do you need?

We welcome Scottish, UK and international students and consider all applicants on an individual basis.

Don’t worry if your qualifications are not listed here, we take a range of factors into account when assessing your application and are happy to consider other alternative combinations of qualifications and experience

If you are applying with an EU or non-EU qualification, please check our Postgraduate Entry Requirements page which gives more information about country-specific entry requirements.

Academic Requirements

You must satisfy one of the following criterion:

Possess a teaching qualification or early years equivalent
Possess a first (bachelor's) degree in the broad area of education
Possess a first (bachelor's) degree in another discipline but with substantial content relating to education
Have relevant work or professional experience or completion of an appropriate programme of study for which prior knowledge and skills have provided an appropriate foundation, including a compulsory element of independent work

Graduates of the UWS PGDE Primary or Secondary who gained SCQF Level 11 credits in the course of their PGDE will be able to enter the programme with advanced standing.

English Language Requirements

English language requirements for most courses

For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. The qualifications below must have been gained within two years of the start of your course.

General English language requirements at UWS: International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)

overall score 6.0
no sub-test less than 5.5

Exceptions to this level of IELTS scoring exist for some accredited or professionally-recognised courses (see section below for more details).

SOCIAL WORK DEGREES

For our BA (Hons) Social Work and MSc Social Work programmes, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

overall score of 7.0
no sub-test less than 7.0

Common equivalent English language qualifications

All stated English tests are acceptable for admission for both home/EU and international students for this programme:

CAE (Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English): 176 overall; no sub-test less than 169
CPE (Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English): 176 overall; no sub-test less than 169
Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English: ISEII with the minimum of a Pass in all sub-tests
PTE Pearson Academic English: An overall score of 59 to 64 with no element below 59 (for programmes that require IELTS 6.0 with no element below 5.5). An overall score 65 to 75 with no element below 65 (for programmes that require IELTS 6.5 with no element below 6.0)

IELTS Score Exceptions (Research degrees, Biomedical Science degrees, Nursing & Midwifery degrees with NMC registration, Certificate of Higher Education, etc.)

Research Degrees

For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf) applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

overall score of 6.5
no sub-test less than 6.0

Health & Midwifery Awards

For Health, Nursing & Midwifery courses that lead to, or require professional registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council, applicants are required to have an IELTS or Occupational English Test (OET)*.

For such courses, the IELTS score is as follows:

overall score of 7.0
score of at least 7.0 in reading, listening and speaking and no less than 6.5 in writing

* Note that the Occupational English Test (OET) will now be accepted in addition to IELTS as proof of a Nurse's English Language Competence (Nursing & Midwifery Council, 2019).

Biomedical Degrees

For our BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science and MSc Advanced Biomedical Science programmes, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

overall score of 7.0
no sub-test less than 6.5

Certificate of Higher Education

For our Certificate of Higher Education courses, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

overall score of 5.0
no sub-test less than 4.5

TOEFL IBT

TOEFL IBT*: 78; no sub-test less than:

Reading: 17;
Listening: 17;
Speaking: 17;
Writing: 17

* Please note that TOEFL is still acceptable for admission to this programme for both home/EU and international students.
For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use TOEFL to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level courses. We therefore still accept TOEFL tests taken in the last two years for admission to this programme.

West African Senior School Certificate of Education (WASSCE)

West African Senior School Certificate of Education (WASSCE) including acceptance of WAEC Scratchcard*

C6 or above in English

*UWS will accept a WAEC scratchcard confirming that an applicant has achieved C6 or above as evidence of meeting English language requirement from Nigeria if the student graduated within the last 5 years. After 5 years applicants would be required to provide the WAEC Certificate.

Pre-sessional courses

Applicants who do not meet the minimum English language requirements have the option to study one of our preparatory and pre-sessional English courses. The UWS courses available are:

10 week pre-sessional - entry criteria UKVI IELTS 5.0 with no element below 4.5.
5 week pre-sessional - entry criteria UKVI IELTS 5.5 with no element below 5.5.
English Language for University Study - entry criteria UKVI IELTS with score of 4.0 in all elements (10 month course), or 4.5 with no score below 4.0 (7 month course).

Find out more about our English language courses.

Course details

To achieve the MEd in Education Studies you must complete 6 taught modules and a dissertation. There are three stages to the programme:

Postgraduate Certificate (3 modules)
Postgraduate Diploma (3 modules)
Masters dissertation (1 module)

The PgCert comprises the core module, Critical Issues across Education, and two optional modules from the list below:

Inclusive Practice (optional, 20 credits)
Dyslexia (optional, 20 credits)
Autism (optional, 20 credits)
Leadership – Vision and Values (optional, 20 credits)
Leadership – School Improvement (optional, 20 credits)
Working with Teams (optional, 20 credits)
Interpersonal Relationships and Communication (optional, 20 credits)
Mental Health in Education (optional, 20 credits)
Stress Management in Education (optional, 20 credits)
Health and Well-being across Learning (optional, 20 credits)
Literacy across Learning (optional, 20 credits)
Numeracy across Learning (optional, 20 credits)
Creative Arts Practice (optional, 20 credits)
Creativity across Learning (optional, 20 credits)
Creative Pedagogies (optional, 20 credits)

Successful completion of the PgCert allows you to proceed to the Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) where you’ll study the core module, Educational Research and two optional modules from the list above.

Successful completion of the PgDip allows you to proceed to the Master’s module where you’ll complete a Master’s Dissertation (60 credits).

Course Structure

Find out more about the structure, learning outcomes, compulsory and optional modules in this course.

MEd Education Studies Course Structure

PGDE Primary | Teacher addressing group of young school pupils in classroom

career prospects

As most students are already in professional employment, this programme offers an opportunity for further professional development opportunities that will enhance their CV and professional experience and underpin opportunities for promotion or new job opportunities.

It also opens up opportunities for graduates to commence PhD research.

Postgraduate Tuition Fees (Academic Session 2022/23)

Academic Session 2022/23 Tuition Fees for 20-credit Modules (online)

Scottish

£560 Cost per 20-credit module of study

Rest of UK (English, Northern Irish, Welsh)

£560 Cost per 20-credit module of study

Republic of Ireland

£560 Cost per 20-credit module of study

International (including EU/EEA)

£1,350 Cost per 20-credit module of study

Check Your Tuition Fee Status

Academic Session 2022/23 Tuition Fees for 20-credit Modules (face-to-face)

Scottish

£1,000 Cost per 20-credit module of study

Rest of UK (English, Northern Irish, Welsh)

£1,610 Cost per 20-credit module of study

Republic of Ireland

£1,610 Cost per 20-credit module of study

International (including EU/EEA)

£2,070 Cost per 20-credit module of study

Check Your Tuition Fee Status

Postgraduate Tuition Fees (Academic Session 2023/24)

Tuition Fees for 20-credit Modules (online)

Scottish

£600 Cost per 20-credit module of study

Rest of UK (English, Northern Irish, Welsh)

£600 Cost per 20-credit module of study

Republic of Ireland

£600 Cost per 20-credit module of study

International (including EU/EEA)

£1,400 Cost per 20-credit module of study

Check Your Tuition Fee Status

Additional Costs & Sources of Funding

The cost of attending university is an investment in your future career.

In addition to tuition fees and living expenses, some courses involve extra costs like study materials, field trips, equipment and uniforms.

Fortunately, there is a great deal of financial support available to help students meet the cost of their study. This ranges from:

statutory government loans to pay for tuition fees
scholarships for Scottish, EU and International (non-EU) students
bursaries to help towards living expenses

The sections below provide details of additional costs that your course may involve along with any financial support that may be available.

You can also find additional information in our Postgraduate Money, Fees & Funding section.

Additional Costs

Students on certain degrees will incur some additional costs not covered by their tuition fees. These could be for things like specialist equipment, study materials, work placements, graduation, membership of relevant organisations or costs related to carrying out fieldwork.

For students on course with an element of fieldwork, there may also be extra costs for travel and accommodation.

Please contact the course leader for details of the additional costs associated with this course.

Tuition Fees & Living Cost Support

Tuition Fees & Additional Costs

Tuition fees are calculated based on where you are from and what you are studying. Some courses also involve additional costs, such as mandatory field trips, equipment or studying abroad.

Find out how much it will cost you to study at UWS as a postgraduate student.

Funding for Scottish Students

Scottish students studying at postgraduate level at UWS are entitled to various funds and support towards tuition fees and living costs.

Find out more.

Funding for English, Welsh & Norther Irish Students

English, Welsh and Northern Irish students studying at postgraduate level at UWS are entitled to various funds and support towards tuition fees and living costs.

Find out more.

Funding for EU Students

EU students studying at postgraduate level of UWS may be eligible for SAAS funding, as well as support to meet the costs of childcare and various sources of additional funding.

Find our more.

Funding for International Students

There are several scholarship and incentive schemes available to international students studying at postgraduate level at UWS, as well as support to meet the costs of childcare and various sources of additional funding.

Find out more.

Other Financial Support

Discretionary & Childcare Funds

UWS administer a range of discretionary and childcare funds. These are designed to support students who are experiencing financial difficulty or struggling to meet the costs of childcare.

Find out more.

Benefits & Tax Credits

Becoming a student can have an impact on your entitlement to certain benefits. It may mean you are no longer eligible to claim a benefit you have been receiving, or your new income from student funding may affect the amount you are able to receive.

Find out more.

Additional Financial Support

If there isn’t a statutory source of funding for you or your course, or you are in need of additional financial support, you may wish to consider more alternative sources of funding such as trust funds and scholarships.

Find out more.

WEST Scholarship Programme

At UWS, we believe financial restrictions should never be a barrier to your education.

The WEST (Widening Education and Supporting Talent) Scholarship Programme aims to remove the financial barriers that stop talented students from progressing throughout their degree to graduation.

Find out more.

Money & Debt Advice

Choosing to become a student can have a big impact on your budget and you may need to reassess your spending to account for a reduced income. We’ve put together some guidance to help you manage your money and make the right financial choices for you and your family.

Find out more.

How to apply

Postgraduate courses (MA, MSc, MEd, MBA, DBA, PG Cert, PG Dip, etc.) & some Post-experience courses (CertHE, BA, Grad Cert, Grad Dip, etc.)

All students should apply directly to the University through our online application system. Before you apply, you should check that you meet our entry requirements and you should have all your supporting documents ready.

The first stage of the process is to create a profile; you don't have to complete the application in one session - you can complete it in stages by saving each section and return to complete it at a later date.

You will need to upload documents with your applications, which may include transcripts and degree certificates.

Most courses don't have a formal closing date, but they will close when they are full; apply early to avoid disappointment. There may also be funding deadlines that apply to you. Please be aware that programme fees are subject to increases each year.

Before you begin your application, it is important to read the Postgraduate & Post-Experience application step-by-step guide for a smooth process.

An ATAS certificate is not required for overseas students applying for this course.

Get in touch

Do you have a question about applying for this course? Get in touch. We are here to help!

Open Days

07 Jun