MA

Education (Wales): Equity in Education

You are viewing this course for September start 2023

Key Facts

Course Code X3PG5

  • Qualification

    MA

  • Course duration

    3 years

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The National MA Education (Wales): Equity in Education at Aberystwyth University is a truly transformative and sector leading programme for educational professionals in Wales, from early career teachers to senior leaders with an interest in promoting equity and looking at ways to support pupils and students who are affected by aspects of inequity.

The National MA Education (Wales): Equity in Education pathway comes at a critical point in terms of educational policy and practice in Wales. The Education Minister’s call for radical action for an equitable education system for all requires collaboration across Wales’s education settings to consider what works, to learn from action and practice, both from established practice and from new ideas and thoughts.

The MA Education (Wales): Equity in Education programme, which has been collaboratively developed by seven universities in Wales, through direct engagement with a variety of key stakeholders including Welsh Government, will ensure that all education professionals in Wales have the same high-quality opportunity to actively engage with current research to improve their practice but also to challenge and reflect upon their thinking and mindset, and improve their professional practice.

In this programme, students will choose specialist modules in the area of equity in education.

Typical Entry Requirements

Entry Requirements Candidates must

• hold qualified teacher status (QTS) and be registered with the EWC as a teacher in a school, an advisory teacher in a local authority or a teacher in a setting such as a pupil referral unit (QTS and EWC registration must be maintained throughout the course of the programme) OR be a college lecturer and be registered with the EWC (EWC registration must be maintained throughout the course);
• be employed by a maintained school in Wales / college in Wales / local authority in Wales as a teacher / lecturer / advisory teacher OR be employed by a registered independent school or specialist college.

English Language Requirements IELTS 6.5 with minimum 5.5 in each component, or equivalent

Other Requirements Applicants are encouraged to submit an up-to-date CV as part of their application.

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Course Overview

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.

About this course

Course Duration

The MA Education (Wales): Equity in Education is a part-time Masters over three years.

Prospective students are encouraged to contact Dr Megan Hicks, Programme Director for the MA (meh19@aber.ac.uk) or Dr Andrew Davies, Head of Department (ajd2@aber.ac.uk) for more information about the course and to sign up for one of our online open evenings (these will take place in March, April, June, July).

To start the application process, applicants should:

  • Complete the general application form by clicking the ‘Apply now’ icon.
  • Following this, you will receive contact from the Postgraduate Admissions Teams who will send you 2 additional application forms to complete: the ‘Supplementary Application’ and ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ form. You will be asked to complete and submit both of these. These will then be forwarded to the department for consideration.
  • Applicants are encouraged to speak with the programme director prior to completion of the additional forms.

 For further information regarding policies and to view/obtain the application forms, please visit the dedicated MA Education (Wales) webpage.

Entry Requirements

Candidates must hold Qualified Teacher Status and be currently employed in the compulsory education sector in the UK. 

Course Fees

Welsh Government funding for this course is available to support teachers in years 3-6 of their careers. All teachers, regardless of length of experience, are welcome to apply for the MA as self-funded candidates.

Welsh Government funding for this course is available to support:

  • Teachers in years 3-6 of their careers 
  • Teachers and FE college teachers to follow the ALN pathway 
  • Teachers and FE college teachers to follow the Leadership pathway.

Please see conditions/eligibility for the funding.

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.

Modules September start - 2023

Please note: The modules listed below are those currently intended for delivery during the next academic year and may be subject to change. They are included here to give an indication of how the course is structured.

Core

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Collaborative and Professional Practice * EDM2220 20
Evidence-informed Practice * EDM2120 20
Pedagogy and Practice * EDM2020 20

Core

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Advanced Research and Enquiry Skills * EDM3120 20

Options

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Emotional Health, Mental Health and Wellbeing EDM2320 20
Equity and Diversity EDM2720 20

Core

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Dissertation * EDM3260 60

* Also available partially or entirely through the medium of Welsh

Teaching & Learning

How is the course structured?

All students undertaking the National MA Education (Wales): Equity in Education 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 of three specialist modules (Emotional Health, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Equity and Diversity or Responding to the Effects of Poverty and Disadvantage in Education).

·      Advanced Research and Enquiry Skills.

Year 3

Dissertation.

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