Education (Wales)

The course is 3 years part-time. There is no full-time option. Applicants who have completed a PGCE (or equivalent) with 60 credits at level 7 and/or significant professional experience are likely to be exempt from the first year of study. To be eligible for consideration, applicants must provide appropriate academic and/or professional evidence of this in the application process via the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Form. Please contact us for more information on this.  

The programme consists of 200 hours of study per 20 credit module, of which 22 will be contact hours.

Learning will be a blend of online independent study and face-to-face activities. This will include a combination of activities.

Students on this course will join students on the same course at 6 other HEIs. This includes joining for face-to-face sessions online at the National Saturday events.

Assessments are all coursework assignments and will be submitted at the end of each module. Wherever possible, assignments have been designed to complement the working contexts and schedules of full-time teacher. More information about assessment can be found on the specific module pages. The final year will focus on completing a dissertation.

The course can be study via the medium of Welsh.

The School of Education has been offering stimulating and innovative study programmes for over 100 years.

School of Education staff are either qualified to PhD standard or are experienced practitioners in their field.

Course Duration

The MA Education (Wales) is a part-time Masters over three years, but applicants may be exempted from the first year by completing the RPL form.

General course information:

The modules and structure of the course are noted in the sections ‘Modules’ and ‘Teaching and Learning’.

Prospective students are encouraged to contact Dr Megan Hicks, Programme Director for the MA (meh19@aber.ac.uk) for more information about the course. You will have the opprtunity to ask questions and sign up for one of our online open evenings (these will take place in April, May, June, July).

For further information regarding policies or information about the MA, please visit the dedicated National MA Education (Wales) webpage and the School of Education MA Education (Wales) webpage.

Application information:

Applications are currently being accepted until 31st August, but applicants are encouraged to submit as early as possible. Applications will be reviewed by a departmental application panel and a national funding panel. These panels take place May-September.

To start the application process, applicants should:

• Complete the general application form by clicking the ‘Apply now’ icon.
• Download and complete the additional application forms: the ‘Supplementary Application’ and ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ form.
• These additional forms should then be uploaded to your application.
• Applicants are strongly advised to speak with the Programme Director prior to completion of these forms.

Course Fees and funding:

Welsh Government funding is available for eligible candidates. For information on this and to view the conditions/eligibility of funding criteria click the link - Funding criteria. 

If you would like to discuss your eligibility for funding, please contact the Programme Director.

In addition, applicants who meet the entry requirements are welcome to apply for the MA as self-funded candidates.

Additional Costs

Access to your own digital device/the appropriate IT kit will be essential during your time studying at Aberystwyth University.

You may face additional costs while at university, including (but not limited to):

• Travel to and from campus
• Printing, photocopying, binding, stationery and equipment costs (e.g. USB sticks)
• Purchase of books or texts
• Gowns for graduation ceremonies.

Contact details:

Dr Megan Hicks (meh19@aber.ac.uk) Programme Director MA Education (Wales).

Some useful FAQs are provided on the National MA Education (Wales) webpage.

How is the course structured?

All students undertaking the National MA Education (Wales) will follow the course structure below (unless you are applying for RPL in Year 1):

Year 1

• Collaborative and Professional Practice
• Evidence Informed Practice
• Pedagogy and Practice.

Year 2

• Two optional modules from Term 1, Term 2 or Term 3.
• Advanced Research and Enquiry Skills.

Year 3

• Dissertation.

Module tutors and personal tutors are provided for the students studying the MA Education (Wales).

For those who wish to study the MA Education (Wales) with a specific pathway, there will be specialist modules required to follow. For more information, please view the relevant course profiles. 

"I chose the Masters in Education (Wales) because I was looking for a new challenge and way to ensure research continued to inform my teaching and leadership in the school. As we move towards the new curriculum and Schools as Learning Organisation I identified my own professional development need to engage more broadly with educational thought. The idea of University staff and teachers across both primary and secondary sector across Wales collaborating together sounded exciting and I wanted to be part of it. I chose Aber University because it is where I did my PGCE so I knew the department and the quality of teaching I would receive. As one of the 7 partner universities in the Masters of Education (Wales) I also knew they would be at the forefront of educational thought in Wales, which is heading in an exciting direction. The most rewarding element of the course so far has certainly been the National Conference Days which see experts and lecturers from across Wales explaining their latest research and sharing their knowledge with us. The course is designed well so that assignments are due after school holidays and lots of the work is related to what I am doing day to day in school which all makes it easier to achieve.” 

Andrew Morel, MA Education (Wales) student