• Study on a modular course designed for existing and aspiring education professionals, that allows you to accumulate credit at a pace that suits you, with assessments based around needs specific to your role in your educational organisation
• Explore the process of teaching, learning support and/or educational leadership, focusing on personal, academic and vocational interests relevant to your educational context
• Develop your understanding of assessment formats with a negotiated focus in support of both individual and organisational needs
• Undertake primary research that informs your current practice, as well as acquire the necessary research skills to engage in future research and progress to a PhD or EdD programme
• Progress your study in education, e.g. following your Initial Teacher Education (ITE) course
• Develop your work in educational contexts
• Support developments within the organisation where you work
• Be prepared for further study at doctoral level (PhD and EdD).

Units

• Citizenship And Welfare In The 21st Century (EDC116-6) Compulsory
• Dissertation In Education (EDC121-6) Compulsory
• Education And International Development (EDC123-6) Compulsory
• Research Methods In The Workplace (EDC129-6) Compulsory
• Analysing Policy: Children'S Voice (EDC115-6) Optional
• Early Years Education And Care (EDC122-6) Optional
• Meeting Diverse Needs (EDC128-6) Optional

Each unit in this course has its own assessment. Wherever possible, the specific focus of assignments is negotiated individually between the unit co-ordinator and the student, within the parameters of the unit, in order to ensure that the assignment meets your personal and professional needs. The course provides students with a carefully planned and coherent sequence of learning opportunities that facilitate their development through formative and summative assessments. At this level the expectations, in terms of the quality of work produced, are high and students will need to take active control of their learning. At Master's level the expectation is that students are autonomous and confident learners, will undertake assessments that are challenging and require mature argument and sustained research, and fluent and cogent presentation. You are encouraged in their 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. Students are required to demonstrate an appropriate level of research, of independent argument, and to reference in an appropriate way. Through the assessments designed for individual units, students 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 threshold 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.

We aim to integrate examples from practice, up to date case studies and projects focused on particular development projects and organisations throughout the course.

Visits to workplace settings and speakers from a range of settings will help to provide a good understanding of a range of future employment contexts as well as providing practice related understandings.

The course is designed to help you engage, study and critique key issues in education as well as to be able to identify and justify recommendations for further action.

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 gone on to take up enhanced roles within their organisation; some have undertaken PhD study.

Physical Education and Sports Science Centre

Sports Hall

The sports hall is an integral space in the School of Sport Science and Physical Activity, complementing discipline leading Sport and Exercise Science and modern biological analysis laboratories, all co-located on the Bedford campus.

The sports hall is a major teaching facility for the University's Sport and Physical Education degree courses which have trained physical educators in the UK for over a century.

Together with its associated facilities it provides our trainee teachers and coaches with a superb environment in which to coach and teach pupils from local primary schools who are also benefiting from this new facility.

The sports hall is proud to host all Bedfordshire Bulls students' sports matches as well as national standard sporting events including British University College Sports championships – one of the few indoor sporting venues in the county to host prestigious tournaments all year round.

The facility also plays host to a number of University promoted Get into Sport activities which are open to all University students and staff.

Specialist labs

Our specialist labs give students a fantastic environment to develop their research skills and expertise, where a student can explore the biology of an elite athlete who could be performing simultaneously within the sports hall.

Few Sport Science courses in the country offer students such unique discipline leading research experience and skills, alongside intimate access to world leading researchers within their field. Students are regularly offered the opportunity to be involved within discipline defining Sport, Health and Exercise Science research

Our state-of-the-art laboratories are purpose built for research and teaching in the fields of exercise and nutrition science. This includes specialised equipment and facilities for assessing human health risk and delivering exercise and diet interventions for health promotion.

This includes:

• Dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for assessing bone density and body fat content
• BodPod and underwater weighing tank for body composition assessment
• Environmental chamber that controls temperature, humidity, and oxygen levels in the air
• Wet lab for assessing metabolic and hormone markers in blood

Our £8m Physical Education and Sport Science Centre was used to train athletes in the 2012 Olympics.

Theatre and dance studio facilities

• 280 seat theatre
• 80 studio theatre
• Four fully-sprung dance studios
• Dance studios equipped with ballet bars, mirrors, audio playback, internet and projection
• Large dressing rooms with en suite showers
• A scenery workshop reserved solely for student productions
• Large 6m by 12m white Cyclorama screen for projection and lighting
• State of the art HD projectors
• Full backstage comms system with audio and video relay
• Extensive lantern stock including Led fixtures, strobes and moving lights
• State-of-the-art, industry-standard lighting and sound consoles
• Built in media desk and roll-down screen

Gateway Building

Opened in January 2015 the Gateway is an impressive building featuring high-quality teaching spaces, informal learning spaces, and lecture theatres (including a Harvard style lecture theatre); as well as a new student services centre.

Campus Centre

Campus Centre featuring a 280-seat professional theatre, dance studios, a fairtrade café and social space for students.

Accommodation at Bedford

For on-campus student accommodation choose from luxury living at Liberty Park's modern en-suite study bedrooms or the Student Village which offers standard rooms with shared bathroom facilities, and en-suite rooms with a private shower. All have fully-equipped kitchens. Our rooms are on-campus and have easy access to the town centre and train station.

Subjects studied at Bedford campus

• Primary Education
• Secondary and Post-Compulsory Education
• Education Studies
• Physical Education and Sport Studies
• Sport and Exercise Sciences
• Tourism and Leisure
• Accounting and Business Management
• Performing Arts and Dance
• Social Work

Bedford town location

The Bedford campus is a 20-minute walk from the town centre. The University offers a free bus service for staff and students that runs between Bedford town centre and the campus.

Directions to Bedford campus

Bedford offers excellent transport links to the rest of the UK as it sits between the M1 and the A1. The town connects by train to Luton (20 minutes) and London (40 minutes).