MEd Educational Leadership and Management

This Master’s programme is an 18-month course, which combines theoretical and practical approaches to enable current and aspiring leaders to develop both their understanding and skills.  The course aims to develop and improve the quality of leadership in schools and is suitable for those currently in a leadership post and those aspiring to leadership.  The course content is suitable for both Secondary and Primary/Prep teachers. Assessment is via the submission of four written assignments, contributions to an online seminar forum and will culminate in a research dissertation.

Our intention is that, at all times, the work should be directly relevant to your interests and professional challenges.  The course draws from best existing practice in the independent and state sectors, yet the leadership models on the course are not confined to the world of education but draw upon relevant research from wider leadership discussions, for example, in business.

What is the point of doing a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Management when I have a PGCE or am an experienced teacher?

1. Professionals do not stop learning at any stage in their working lives.  Doctors and lawyers, for example, have to have regular refresher courses.  In the same way teachers are primarily trained to teach and so to move onto Middle and Senior Leadership positions brings  a whole new set of responsibilities and challenges to navigate.  This programme will enable you to take on those challenges with confidence.
2. Not only will you learn about recent research in education, but you will also learn how to research yourself.
3. Having taken the trouble to gain this qualification will show your employer and future employers that you are a serious, professional employee.  The course will equip you with the ability to talk about particular areas of leadership with acquired knowledge and experience.
4. You will find the course intellectually stimulating as a whole new area of study will be opened up to you.

Course content

The course is distance-learning with the expectation that you will attend four residential stays in the UK (a total of just 8 trainee study days over the course of the 18 months) and these will be followed by an online discussion as well as an essay. Throughout the programme, each student will be assigned a supervisor who will support them through the assignments and with the final dissertation.  The course covers the following topics:

Module 1 The Leadership Landscape: Role, Responsibilities and Relationships. This module sets the MEd in the broader context of the range of theory that currently exists relating to Educational Leadership and Management.  We will consider how this is reflected in different forms of leadership within schools.  We will look at it means to want to be a leader and how leadership is often portrayed in conflict with management.  The course will also look at your role as a reflective practitioner and how this can enhance your understanding of the course.

Module 2 Leadership in Action: Making Changes.This module introduces the concept of change management and its place within educational leadership.  This is linked to the challenges facing schools today and ways in which the educational landscape has changed over the last fifty years.  This module looks at the different ways in which leaders can bring change about in their institutions and how this links to the different kinds of contexts that you can find in modern schools.  An understanding of these processes includes practical applications to modern leadership challenges, for example with regard to finance and funding concerns.

Module 3 Developing Strategy. The module begins with a focus on different styles of leadership and the effect that this would have on decision-making in schools.  This is then linked to a unit on managing people, whether this is working with staff or with the parental community.  The module looks at managing underperformance and connects this back to work on change management.  Strategic thinking is looked at and how this links to organisational structures and whether there are alternative ways of this being organised. The module links all of this to teaching and learning issues and how leadership is linked to pedagogy.  The research project is introduced in more detail at this point.

Module 4 Researching Leadership and Management. The focus of this module is the development of the research project in relation to each student’s educational context.  This looks at research topics such as finding your critical voice, exploring research paradigms and methodologies, how data can be analysed and confidence in relation to ethics and validity.  The project is set in the context of the educational leadership academic community and the implications for the immediate and wider settings.  These issues are linked to educational research and the organisations that exist looking at these topics.

Module 5 Dissertation. This is the culmination of the programme and the production of a 12,000-15,000-word dissertation.  The students will work independently on this whilst also being supported by their supervisor and with the option of attending online webinars.

Course delivery

You can take this course in two ways:

Option 1 – Face to face with the tutor
You will attend four two-day residentials during the course (which will be online if Covid-19 prevents the course happening live).
Dates of the course residentials:

• 1-2 October 2020
• 28-29 January 2021
• 29-30 April 2021
• 4-5 November 2021

Overseas students get two night’s accommodation included.

Option 2 – Fully online including online live meetings with the tutor, course content same as above.

To enrol on the course you are likely to be an experienced graduate teacher who is either currently aspiring to leadership or is already in a leadership role. We welcome applications from those living and working abroad but applicants will need to be able to travel to the UK for the four study residentials (dates above).

How to Apply

Please use the ‘Apply Now’ button or contact The School of Education on +44 (0)1280 820222 or email education@buckingham.ac.uk. To apply you will need to supply:

• copy of passport photo page (and visa/work permit where necessary)
• head and shoulder style photo for your University identity card

The closing date for applications is 17 July 2020.

Terms and conditions for prospective students

When you are offered a place at the University you will be notified of the terms and conditions between the University and students on our courses of study. When you accept an offer of a place on the course at the University a legal contract is formed between you and the University on the basis of the terms and conditions outlined in your offer letter. Your offer letter and the terms and conditions contain important information which you should read carefully before accepting any offer. Read the admissions terms and conditions > >

1 Face to face with tutor including residential stays

2 Fully online – £5000 per course

Applicants must also pay a £275 non-refundable Registration Fee.

Fees are invoiced for in September, at the beginning of the course, and can be paid in termly instalments or in one lump sum. Termly instalments can be arranged directly with the Finance department upon receipt of the invoice.

You may be eligible for a Student Finance England loan. For more information please visit: www.gov.uk/funding-for-postgraduate-study

Accommodation will be provided for all residentials at Whittlebury Hall or alternatively in nearby hotels, all of which will be arranged by the School of Education staff. The cost of this is included in the course fee.

If you have any questions please contact the School of Education on +44 (0)1280 820222 or email education@buckingham.ac.uk