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Education (History) MA

London, Bloomsbury

In the MA Education (History), you will explore educational, political and philosophical debates that have influenced curriculum and the learning and teaching of history in schools, colleges and related settings. You will be encouraged to critically reflect on principles, practices and issues that shape and relate to policy and professional practice in history education and to develop theorized and evidence-informed perspectives on policy and practice.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£12,700
£6,350
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
£31,100
£15,550
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2024
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 05 Apr 2024

Applications closed

Applicants who do not require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 30 Aug 2024
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of a second-class UK Bachelor's degree in a relevant subject or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard and a developed interest in history education (usually evidenced by teaching experience or by experience related to education).

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

This programme is suitable for international students on a Student visa – study must be full-time, face-to-face, starting October.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

You will explore the key concepts involved in understanding history education. You will develop an understanding of contemporary issues and key research findings in history education and related areas, and you will be supported to apply this knowledge in your practice in educational settings and related contexts.

Who this course is for

You will be well suited to this programme if you are a teacher of history, a policy-maker working in history education, a museum educator, or someone interested in history education working in NGOs and other organisations with educational remits. 

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº

What this course will give you

The MA Education is located in the Department of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment, a world-leading centre for subject-specialist education. By studying the history education route, you will have the opportunity to reflect on practice in history education and, through assignments focused on contemporary subject-specific teaching and learning, you will have opportunities to develop and evaluate interventions to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in history in educational settings and related contexts.

You will be encouraged to read widely in specialist literature and be introduced to world-leading theory and research in history education and in education studies more broadly. You will be encouraged to innovate and test ideas and to contribute to ongoing discussions about improving history education.

Our programme offers you the opportunity to study face-to-face, to combine online study with face-to-face sessions, or to pursue your studies entirely by online learning. Online learning and blended learning provide access to our courses for if you are studying at a distance.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

The programme develops your ability to think critically and analytically about theory and practice in educational settings and your ability to organise and evaluate empirical and theoretical claims and arguments about educational aims and practices. You will learn to organise, evaluate and present data and argument in robust and critically informed ways and to read, design, conduct and evaluate educational research, taking account of relevant practical, theoretical and ethical issues.

Employability

Graduates of this programme are currently working across a broad range of areas. Some are working as teachers, senior leaders in schools in the UK and internationally, while others work in a range of other educational settings and for governments in curriculum design and related areas.

Networking

Your experiences on the course will involve mixing with the large number of students completing post graduate courses at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº. In addition, you will work with a range of lecturers, guest lecturers and visiting academics. The History Education route also involves sessions with the latest cohort of student teachers who are training to be history teachers in the UK.

Teaching and learning

Teaching on MA Education (History) takes place on a blended basis with the options to study (a) mostly face to face, (b) entirely online or (c) by a mixture of the two approaches.

Our pedagogy is based around discussion and debate which takes place face to face or online in seminars and tutorials, or online through discussion forums. We use a mixture of group seminars, group tutorials and individual tutorials to support student learning.

For the dissertation/report element of your studies, you will be allocated a supervisor. For most of the module, teaching and learning takes place through regular one-to-one research supervision meetings with your supervisor. You can take part in these supervisions face-to-face and/or via distance learning.

The programme is assessed through essays and a written dissertation or report. There are no examinations. Module essays involve critical engagement with specific area of history education - on the history elements of the programme - and of education, on the general educational modules. Students have considerable freedom to decide what aspects of history education or education to focus on in their assignments and this is particularly true of the dissertation and report element of the programme. chosen by the student from a range of areas covered within the module.

Formative assessment is provided by tutor feedback in tutorials and elsewhere and in comments on draft assignments. 

Each 30-credit module has 300 nominal learning hours. This is made up of formal learning and teaching events such as lectures, seminars, tutorials as well independent study.

During term time you will be expected to study between 15-20 hours per module, per week, including personal time. Learning hours continue outside term and full-time study on the MA and would amount to 40 hours a week over 45 weeks.

Modules

All students on the programme take What is Education? and Understanding Research as common compulsory modules. The compulsory elements of each route, along with the optional elements, are as follows

MA Education (History)

  • What is Education? (compulsory)
  • Curriculum Research and Development in History (formerly named Effective Learning in History) (compulsory)
  • Dissertation with Integrated Research Methods (IRM) (compulsory)
  • Understanding Research (compulsory)
  • Optional module

OR

  • What is Education? (compulsory)
  • Curriculum Research and Development in History (formerly named Effective Learning in History) (compulsory)
  • Report with Integrated Research Methods (IRM) (compulsory)
  • Understanding Research (compulsory)
  • Optional module 1
  • Optional module 2

Your programme can be studied full-time (one academic year), part-time (over two years) or modular/flexible (up to 5 years). Your schedule for module completion will depend on the length of time that you have to complete the MA programme.

If you complete the programme full time you will usually take two modules in the Autumn term and two in the Spring term. In both Autumn and Spring terms, you must complete either What is Education? or Understanding Research. During the year, you must also complete two or three further modules (including any that are compulsory to your route) in addition to the report or dissertation. You are free to select one of their optional modules from the wider range of MA level modules offered across IOE/¹û¶³Ó°Ôº subject to availability.

All students on the programme take What is Education? and Understanding Research as common compulsory modules. The compulsory elements of each route, along with the optional elements, are as follows

MA Education (History)

  • What is Education? (compulsory)
  • Curriculum Research and Development in History (formerly named Effective Learning in History) (compulsory)
  • Dissertation with Integrated Research Methods (IRM) (compulsory)
  • Understanding Research (compulsory)
  • Optional module

OR

  • What is Education? (compulsory)
  • Curriculum Research and Development in History (formerly named Effective Learning in History) (compulsory)
  • Report with Integrated Research Methods (IRM) (compulsory)
  • Understanding Research (compulsory)
  • Optional module 1
  • Optional module 2

If you complete the programme Part Time you will you must complete 90 credits (3 modules) in both your two years of study. Typically, students take one module in each term of year 1. In year 2 of your studies, you will need to take either a dissertation (60 credits) or a report (30 credits): these run throughout the year starting in the Autumn term. If you take a report you will have two further modules to complete in Year 2 and if you take a dissertation you will have one further module to complete. It is up to you to decide in which terms you take these modules. You are free to select one of their optional modules from the wider range of MA level modules offered across IOE/¹û¶³Ó°Ôº subject to availability.

All students on the programme take What is Education? and Understanding Research as common compulsory modules. The compulsory elements of each route, along with the optional elements, are as follows

MA Education (History)

  • What is Education? (compulsory)
  • Curriculum Research and Development in History (formerly named Effective Learning in History) (compulsory)
  • Dissertation with Integrated Research Methods (IRM) (compulsory)
  • Understanding Research (compulsory)
  • Optional module

OR

  • What is Education? (compulsory)
  • Curriculum Research and Development in History (formerly named Effective Learning in History) (compulsory)
  • Report with Integrated Research Methods (IRM) (compulsory)
  • Understanding Research (compulsory)
  • Optional module 1
  • Optional module 2

If you complete the programme on a flexible basis, you will have up to 5 years in which to complete the 6 modules (180 credits) needed for the MA award. It is up to you how you distribute these modules over your five years of study. You must remain enrolled throughout the five years but you are free to decide whether or not to take modules in any particular term or year. Students studying on the flexible route typically complete one (30 credits) or two (60 credits) modules per year and students typically complete in much less than five years. You are free to select one of their optional modules from the wider range of MA level modules offered across IOE/¹û¶³Ó°Ôº subject to availability. Many students apply to import PGCE module credits into the programme.

Compulsory modules







Optional modules









Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Education (History).

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº buildings can be obtained from . Further information can also be obtained from the ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Student Support and Wellbeing team.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £12,700 £6,350
Tuition fees (2024/25) £31,100 £15,550

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

Students should take into account any travel, accommodation and expenses involved in their report or dissertation.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

IOE-Clarke Scholarships

Deadline: 3 May 2024
Value: Tuition fees, return flights and stipend (1 year)
Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need
Eligibility: EU, Overseas

IOE-ISH Centenary Masters Scholarships

Deadline: 3 May 2024
Value: Tuition fees and accommodation (1 year)
Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need
Eligibility: EU, Overseas

Next steps

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Education (History) at graduate level
  • why you want to study Education (History) at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº
  • what particularly attracts you to the chosen programme
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment

christopher.edwards@ucl.ac.uk

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