MA Education
The MA Education is designed to help you develop your professional practice in a way that’s both critical and grounded in real experience. It draws on strong expertise in education and related fields and offers you the chance to focus on what really matters to you. It’s suitable for graduates looking to study a full-time Master’s, practitioners who need a flexible option alongside work or those who want to begin with a PGCert or PGDip and potentially build up to a full MA.
Find out more about Marjon University Cornwall.
Marjon University Cornwall
Entry requirements
An undergraduate degree is usually required, however admission on the grounds of experience is considered for highly experienced applicants
Accreditation of prior, certificated learning can be given for up to 90 credits for relevant Masters' study undertaken within the last five years
UCAS code Apply to Marjon
UCAS institution code P63
Duration One year full-time or two years part-time
Any questions about postgraduate study at Marjon?
Contact Rachel Bailey-Lewis, our Student Recruitment Officer (Postgraduate).
Course Summary
Our MA Education provides opportunities for practitioners across a wide range of contexts to research and apply theory to practice in order to drive improvements in their current professional settings. The course offers flexibility for busy professionals to engage in postgraduate study. It can be studied either part-time or full-time at our Plymouth campus or part-time at our Marjon University Cornwall in Truro to fit in with professional and family commitments.
Our MA Education is taught in partnership with Teaching School Alliances, Multi-Academy Trusts, SCITT partners, Diocesan offices, military, health, sport, outdoor education, local authorities and a wide range of other employers and organisations throughout the South-West and beyond.
The course ethos is informed, first and foremost, by a renowned student-centred approach focusing on developing and enhancing professionals’ practice and specific subject expertise, which allows you to identify your own research focus.
Why this course at Marjon?
An individual student-centred approach with outstanding support from a community of expert tutors
Flexible modules which enable students to develop their subject and research focus
Opportunities to join an inter-disciplinary Masters’ community for the sharing of innovative ideas and practice
Taught by highly experienced expert tutors
A flexible and practice-centred approach developed to support the needs of busy professionals
Modules for this course
1st Year
Positionality and Research Design
Evidence Informed Practice
Contemporary and Critical Issues in Practice
Building Collaborative Leadership
Dissertation
Current students say...
Rebecca Brewer
鈥淭he most enjoyable aspect of my course has to be the research I have been inspired to carry out: local schools have embraced the papers I have written and written policy based on recommendations I have made. It couldn鈥檛 be more fulfilling. I have looked at how schools and families best engage and the impact it can have, and how children鈥檚 characters are developed throughout their time at school. This MA has enabled me to gain deep insight into how I can add real value.鈥�
This course is perfect if you’re curious about
How can I enhance my own subject expertise?
How do I develop research ideas to explore something that matters to me and/or my employer?
How can I enhance my own capacity for excellence as an educator?
How can I develop my critical writing skills at Masters’ level?
How do I publish my research to reach a wide professional community?
How can I use this as an opportunity to contribute to the organisation I am a part of?
See where our graduates are now
Emmanuel Rouve
鈥淚 use my Masters鈥� every day, specifically in the creation of a coaching culture within the School. I also using my knowledge and pedagogical practice to inform wider change in educational technologies. The findings of my research provided me with strong arguments to create an innovative culture and to create a Learning Lab. I am in no doubt that this initiative influenced my appointment as Director of the School of Apprenticeships.鈥�
Emmanuel is the Director of the School of Apprenticeships for the French Navy.
John Blackmore
鈥淭he course allowed me to reflect on my classroom practice and consider how to address the barriers to learning faced by my students. My action research papers transformed the ways I broach certain skills, topics and modules with my students, while the breadth of my critical reading has made me more receptive to new teaching strategies. The MA has given me confidence to take new risks in the classroom and provided reassurance and direction in my pursuit to become an even better practitioner.鈥�
Jon is Head of Faculty for English and Drama.
Pam Bryant
鈥淢y research looked at how to close the attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged learners within music, which involved trialling many different methods. This has enabled me to ensure that the gap remains very small within my classes. In turn I have been able to share this practice with the wider educational community, a skill which will stand me in good stead when I look to progress further in my career. I cannot wait to progress further by undertaking a Doctorate鈥�.
Pam teaches music and drama.
What might you become?
In general terms, a Masters鈥� degree can enable career progression in a highly competitive market place and promote career mobility. Career opportunities will vary according to students鈥� fields of work, but holders of a Masters鈥� degree can expect to demonstrate highly flexible and transferable skills such as high levels of initiative, leadership of learning and mastery of a subject area. For example, previous graduates have progressed to County Advisor positions, middle leadership, school leadership and/or executive leadership positions.
Exeed College
Exeed College, an enterprise of Westford Education Group, is a global education provider with a worldwide network committed to enhancing learning, helping people progress in their careers, and giving them opportunities to get ahead or gain new skills. Exeed College believes in the power of education to change lives and the importance of making education affordable and accessible. The partnership between 蜜芽TV University and Exeed College enables Exeed's students to complete a Marjon-validated Master's in Education.
How you鈥檒l be taught and assessed?
How will you be taught?
The course is delivered to fit in with your work. The campus-based learning is supported by 1:1 tutorials, practice-based conversations, professional focus groups, and workshops with keynote lectures at our campuses in Plymouth or Truro. Hours per week vary depending on the programme of study and/or on work, life and family commitments.
How will you be assessed?
The key assessment methodology is action research, taking the form of small practice-focused projects, a research proposal poster and a final-stage research dissertation. You'll use evaluative, investigative, and/or analytical methods to diagnose problems or weaknesses and to develop practical solutions to address them quickly and efficiently.
Please note that Dr Alison Milner (amilner@marjon.ac.uk) is the Programme Lead for this course at our Plymouth campus, while Vic Brown (vbrown@marjon.ac.uk) is the Programme Lead for this course at our Truro campus.
Fees and funding
Fees UK students: 拢8800 per annum
Fees for International students: 拢16,500 per annum
This fee covers your tuition and access to course-specific equipment and facilities, as well associated services including access to the library, study skills support, IT support, student support and wellbeing services and membership of the Student Union. There may be additional costs by course.
Funding available for this course
Our Student Funding Advisors offer confidential and impartial advice about your funding options.
Learn moreLecturers
Victoria Brown is a Senior Lecturer for the Marjon Teacher Education Partnership at 蜜芽TV University with interests in:
- Early Years, Play and Child Development
- Research methods and dissertation supervision
- Teacher Professional Development
- Learning and Teaching
- Creativity
Selina Day is a qualified teacher who has extensive experience working within the primary sector. She is the programme lead for BA Primary Education and lecturers within the Institute of Education and School of Arts and Humanities. At the university she is involved in various activities that sit outside her programme and school responsibilities. She is member of SCION (Sustainability, Creativity and Innovation) research group and has been a chair of governors at a local Plymouth school. Currently Selina is a member of the First Federation Academy Trust. As well as her academic role at the university, she is undertaking her PhD in the area Contemporary Children’s Literature and Religious Education.
Giles is the Academic Director of Education with strategic and operational oversight of programme development across the Department of Education, ensuring alignment with Marjon 2030 and its priorities for student success, research, knowledge exchange, and social purpose.
Jayne is an experienced Early Years Teacher and Pre-School Manager with additional insight into primary education, including school governance. She teaches Child Development and Early Years Initial Teacher Training with a focus on Attachment, Transitions and Children's Emotional Development, as well as Leadership in Early Years.
Jan was previously a primary head teacher in the South West and she now leads a teaching team at Marjon who together draw on decades of classroom experience and wide-ranging research specialisms to deliver Education courses.
Jonathan's specialist area is disability studies. He is interested in viewing disability and impairment in terms of the way they impact on inclusion and much of his work is concerned with how social theory can be used to make sense of the lives of disabled people. Jonathan has an acquired brain injury so his work is influenced by direct experience of disability.
Hannah is a former SureStart Children's Centre Manager, Nursery Manager and Early Years Professional, assessor and mentor. She is particularly interested in early years, play, inclusion and leadership.
An innovative academic, Tanya’s research focus is on educational isolation of coastal, rural and small schools and the relationship with teacher development , teacher supply and educational improvement.
Tanya is currently supervising the following theses:
- Educational Isolation - composite indicator
- Early career teacher identity
- HE in FE Teacher identity
- Muslim parent school choices
- Pupil wellbeing and SATs
- Recovery conversations and pupils from persistently disadvantaged backgrounds.
More information
The MA Education uses a range of teaching approaches to suit the level of study and the different topics covered. You’ll be encouraged to work independently, take initiative, and explore your own interests through ongoing research and wider reading.
Teaching includes a mix of lectures, seminars, workshops and webinars. These introduce key ideas and give you space to discuss, question and apply them in practice. Sessions are interactive, often involving group discussions, debates, and collaborative activities.
You’ll also learn through practical approaches such as case studies, enquiry-based learning, and action learning sets, where you work with others to reflect on real professional issues. Critical reflection is a key part of the course, helping you think carefully about your own experiences and how these shape your practice.
There are regular opportunities to share your work, whether through presentations, group critique, or peer discussions. You’ll be encouraged to give and receive feedback, helping you develop your ideas over time.
Alongside taught sessions, a significant part of the course involves independent study. You’ll follow tutor-guided reading and tasks as you develop your enquiry. Online tools and platforms are used to support learning and keep discussions going outside of timetabled sessions.
The course also draws on wider expertise. Guest speakers and masterclasses provide insight into different areas of education, and you’ll often be learning alongside people from a range of professional backgrounds. This creates a strong learning community where ideas and experiences can be shared.
Throughout the programme, you’ll be supported by tutors through tutorials and, later on, dissertation supervision. There is also a focus on personal and professional development, helping you reflect on your progress and plan your next steps.
Overall, the approach is designed to be flexible, engaging and relevant to your own practice, combining structured teaching with opportunities to shape your own learning.