This Masters programme is ideal for inspirational educators who want to transform the prospects of others. The course makes use of the latest policy and research to support you in making meaningful connections between your studies and your own experiences. You will have the opportunity to learn with leading educators in the field and will explore the complexities of inclusion. The course has a choice of optional units so you can create a programme that meets your needs.

What will you study?

Our part-time MA Education (Special Educational Needs) offers an opportunity to explore the wide range of need that children can present with and the evidence underpinning current and emerging approaches to meeting those needs. Our core unit in Meeting Diverse Needs aims to explore the range of needs presented, explore the different meanings of inclusion, and how best to identify and address different needs. To better understand children and their needs, Childrens Voice: Researching and Analysing Childrens Lives will allow you to examine childrens lived experiences based on tensions within family, welfare and education policies. This may involve considering how low pay or long working hours of parents could place constraints on family time available to children, and the implications of issues such as this for policy and practice. Aside from external factors, you will then consider student behaviour in our Understanding Pupil Behaviour in Schools unit where you will learn of theories and approaches to behaviour management and inclusion including for problematic or challenging behaviour in schools.

As an educator, child development is a core part of your learning and practice, and this is where our Early Years Education and Care unit will introduce you to theoretical concepts surrounding young childrens learning. More importantly, you will also learn to support students with literacy difficulties in our Understanding Difficulties in Literacy and Dyslexia unit using a range of interventions. Aside from teaching, our unit in Exploring Coaching and Mentoring will help you gain a better understanding of your role as a coach or mentor including how to make an effective and positive impact in your work. To add to this, you will also explore key literature and theory around leadership and management within educational contexts in our Educational Leadership in Context unit. It is also important that you are adaptable and able to facilitate change in the workplace, therefore this is where our Leading Change in Education unit will enable you to adopt changing practice in education settings and how to develop positive staff relationships to bring about this change.

More importantly, you will adopt a reflective approach in our Enhancing Practice in Educational Settings unit that will enable you to identify your strengths and areas for development to be responsive to student needs. Finally, you will complete a Dissertation in Education (Special Educational Needs) in a research area that interests you. To help you with this, our Research Methods in the Workplace unit aims to develop your research skills through a range of activities.

Careers

This Masters qualification will enhance your chances for promotion and for employment in other contexts. Masters study supports promotion to senior positions in the field of education.

As a Masters graduate therefore you will have the confidence knowledge and critical skills to prepare and present a strong application to senior posts in the field of education.

Previous graduates have also gone on to undertake PhD/EdD study.