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Why choose the School of Education
A flexible, part-time course that can work with your other commitments.
Designed for practising professionals in special educational needs and disability (SEND) or those interested in research in the field.
Supported by a very experienced team of highly skilled educators who are focused on helping you achieve your aims.
About the course
This Master’s programme is ideal for inspirational educators who want to transform the prospects of others. The course makes use of the latest policy and research to support you in making meaningful connections between your studies and your own experiences. You will have the opportunity to learn with leading educators in the field and will explore the complexities of inclusion. The course has a choice of optional units so you can create a programme that meets your needs.
Facilities and specialist equipment
- Multimedia space for webinars and podcasting
- Forest School for training in outdoor learning
- Specialist sensory building for teaching SEND
- Extensive library with physical learning spaces and online resources to support your studies
Industry links
We have well-established partnerships with more than 500 schools and other associated organisations across our region. This network is extended nationally and internationally through research activity, putting us in a strong position when it comes to understanding national priorities, issues and key developments in SEND.
Your student experience
The course covers a wide range of theoretical and practical aspects of working in SEND and is informed by recent research.
Through activities and assessments, you develop analytical and practical skills that support you to progress successfully along your chosen career path.
The course team have extensive experience, are all professionals who understand the sector and contribute to wider knowledge through cutting-edge research.
The University of Bedfordshire’s Bedford campus is a small, thriving academic community where staff get to know you well and provide individualised support.
Course Leader - Dr Cathal Butler
Since 2013, I have been the course co-ordinator for our MA Education Pathways. These courses support the continuing development of practicing educators, as well as supporting the academic development of recent graduates, both British and International.
I teach across a range of our postgraduate courses and units, as well as supervising PhD students. I am also link co-ordinator for the MA Education (Leadership) course that is running at a partner institution in Guyana. I also co-ordinate our recently approved MA International Education Courses.
Course Leader - Dr Cathal Butler
Since 2013, I have been the course co-ordinator for our MA Education Pathways. These courses support the continuing development of practicing educators, as well as supporting the academic development of recent graduates, both British and International.
I teach across a range of our postgraduate courses and units, as well as supervising PhD students. I am also link co-ordinator for the MA Education (Leadership) course that is running at a partner institution in Guyana. I also co-ordinate our recently approved MA International Education Courses.
What will you study?
Our part-time MA Education (Special Educational Needs) offers an opportunity to explore the wide range of need that children can present with and the evidence underpinning current and emerging approaches to meeting those needs. Our core unit in Meeting Diverse Needs aims to explore the range of needs presented, explore the different meanings of inclusion, and how best to identify and address different needs. To better understand children and their needs, Children’s Voice: Researching and Analysing Children’s Lives will allow you to examine children’s lived experiences based on tensions within family, welfare and education policies. This may involve considering how low pay or long working hours of parents could place constraints on family time available to children, and the implications of issues such as this for policy and practice. Aside from external factors, you will then consider student behaviour in our Understanding Pupil Behaviour in Schools unit where you will learn of theories and approaches to behaviour management and inclusion including for problematic or challenging behaviour in schools.
As an educator, child development is a core part of your learning and practice, and this is where our Early Years Education and Care unit will introduce you to theoretical concepts surrounding young children’s learning. More importantly, you will also learn to support students with literacy difficulties in our Understanding Difficulties in Literacy and Dyslexia unit using a range of interventions. Aside from teaching, our unit in Exploring Coaching and Mentoring will help you gain a better understanding of your role as a coach or mentor including how to make an effective and positive impact in your work. To add to this, you will also explore key literature and theory around leadership and management within educational contexts in our Educational Leadership in Context unit. It is also important that you are adaptable and able to facilitate change in the workplace, therefore this is where our Leading Change in Education unit will enable you to adopt changing practice in education settings and how to develop positive staff relationships to bring about this change.
More importantly, you will adopt a reflective approach in our Enhancing Practice in Educational Settings unit that will enable you to identify your strengths and areas for development to be responsive to student needs. Finally, you will complete a Dissertation in Education (Special Educational Needs) in a research area that interests you. To help you with this, our Research Methods in the Workplace unit aims to develop your research skills through a range of activities.
How will you be assessed?
Each unit in this course has its own assessment. Wherever possible the specific focus of assignments is negotiated individually between the unit tutor and the student within the parameters of the unit in order to ensure that the assignment meets the personal and professional needs of the student.
The course provides you with a carefully planned and coherent sequence of learning opportunities that facilitate your development through formative and summative assessments. At this level the expectations in terms of the quality of work produced are high and you will need to take active control of your learning. At Master's level the expectation is that you are an autonomous and confident learner particularly when you are undertaking distance learning units that you will undertake assessments that are challenging and require mature argument developed from sustained research and that you will demonstrate fluent and cogent presentation.
You are encouraged in your assessments to draw upon an extensive range of sources to demonstrate a deep theoretical understanding and the ability to apply that to current issues and contexts. The assessments test the ability to construct a reasoned sustained and coherent argument and to articulate it fluently in a range of contexts. You are required to demonstrate an appropriate level of research of independent argument and to reference in an appropriate and accurate manner.
Through the assessments designed for individual units you will practise and reinforce skills in researching evaluating and synthesising materials with a critical eye; quantitative and qualitative data collection and handling together with skills associated with conventional academic tasks.
Unit assessment is based on specified learning outcomes and assessment criteria. The unit information forms state clearly the aims objectives and learning outcomes of the unit and delineate the criteria of assessment for each outcome. The unit assessment feedback offers detailed comment to the student on the assessment piece. The taught stage of the course (stage 1) requires you to pass 120 credits before progressing to stage 2 the 60 credit dissertation.
Careers
This Master’s qualification will enhance your chances for promotion and for employment in other contexts. Master’s study supports promotion to senior positions in the field of education.
As a Master’s graduate therefore you will have the confidence knowledge and critical skills to prepare and present a strong application to senior posts in the field of education.
Previous graduates have also gone on to undertake PhD/EdD study.
Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £10,000 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees and living costs. Visit www.gov.uk/postgraduate-loan
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
International 2024/25
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £16,900
If you have any questions around fees and funding, please email international@beds.ac.uk
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £10,000 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees and living costs. Visit www.gov.uk/postgraduate-loan
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
International 2024/25
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £16,900
If you have any questions around fees and funding, please email international@beds.ac.uk
