MA in Education with Pedagogy

Anyone with an academic qualification from a country where English is the first language does not require IELTS. This means that any graduate of PGCE or iPGCE from Tes Institute would not need this: the qualification is evidence of your ability to study at postgraduate level in English.

We are working in collaboration with the University of East London (UEL) to offer this qualification. The award will come from UEL.

Will the award say the MA was studied online?

No. This is the mode of study and is irrelevant to the award that you gain. This will be a fully accredited MA like any MA from a UK university.

Will there be a graduation?

You have the option to graduate as part of UEL’s ceremony. You can opt-in through the student hub when you’re enrolled.

Absolutely! Our whole aim at Tes Institute is to create accessible training programmes. By offering everything online, you can fit study around the demands of your job and personal life. We’ll vary the times of lectures, offering them at different times, and we will always share recordings so you can be flexible in how you attend.
 
Are there reading weeks and holidays?

Yes, most of your time on this course will be self-directed. We provide the lectures and seminars, but you can decide how to structure any session work, reading and research you wish to undertake.

We have holidays for summer, winter (Christmas) and spring break (Easter) so there is plenty of available time to work as you wish to. We would always encourage you to ensure you have breaks in the holidays too as this is incredibly important for your health and wellbeing.

Is there any flexibility if I find that I’m struggling?

Yes, we offer extenuations and extensions in the same way we do on our PGCE/iPGCE. Flexibility is so important to us as a provider: we understand the demands teachers face, that the school year can have pressure points and that you also have other commitments. Please keep your pathway tutor informed so they can support you and we know when you need help.

Can I study the MA in a year?

We’re currently offering it over 18 months due to the workload involved, which would be intensive in a year. We may offer the chance to study the MA in a year in the future, for those who feel able to achieve it. We would suggest keeping our details and enquiring next year.

Is the MA for early years, SEND, primary or secondary?

We have kept the curriculum broad so you can apply it to the phase/specialism you are working in and we will accept applications from people working in any nursery/kindergarten, school or sixth form college. The MA isn’t appropriate for higher education teachers (working in universities). The specific phase/specialism will not be stated on the final certificate.

Can I specialise in leadership?

We won’t be covering leadership strategy specifically, although we may draw on it for some of our lectures. There is certainly an opportunity to look at whole school issues for your Applied Project and leadership issues within the module assignments if this is an aspect of understanding you’d like to develop during your MA.

There is an option to pay in instalments. One instalment must be paid just before the course starts.

Currently, instalments are termly but other frequencies and ways of paying will be confirmed.

Will I have to pay VAT?

This depends on who is invoiced. Any invoice going to a school will be exempt from VAT, but learners are not. If you are invoiced directly, 20% VAT will be added to the fee.

Can I fund this with a student loan in the UK?

No, only funding for full MAs is currently allowed through Student Loans and this is a top-up programme. Given that most teachers hold a third of an MA already, from PGCE and iPGCE, it’s something we’ll be looking into further. There are professional loans available from other sources.

Is there any other funding available from anywhere?

It’s always worth approaching your school to see if they can help towards your fees.

Will there be any face-to-face training?

No, everything will be online. We’ll run lectures and use either Teams or Zoom to hold seminar groups to give you the opportunity to meet your peers and the team.

Will there be sessions on Tes Learn?

Yes, we’ll offer lots of optional content on Tes Learn that you can draw upon for your reading and research. You won’t be expected to submit learning diaries though.

How will I work with my pathway tutor?

Your pathway tutor will hold regular online meetings with you throughout the course, to keep in touch and support you with your assignment work and Applied Project. They won’t write feedback on learning diaries, like they did on PGCE/iPGCE.

Do I need to have a mentor and/or be observed?

Not for the MA, but it’s good practice to inform your school that you’re undertaking the qualification. We ask that all applicants indicate that they’ve done this.

• Teaching is a profession of learning, so having a knowledge of education at postgraduate level is useful and reflects expertise
• In many countries, holding an MA in education will help you to get higher pay as it is higher status
• Having an MA reflects your desire to progress in your profession
• A better knowledge of teaching and learning makes you a more effective and impactful teacher
• You can cultivate expertise in areas that are of most use for you and become a leader in your field in your school and beyond
• Critical reflective practice makes for much more effective teaching and pertinent professional development; it is also a significant aspect of strategic leadership
• Undertaking an MA shows an investment of time in professional development and a commitment to being a better practitioner

You must inform your school that you are undertaking an MA as you will be asked to conduct action research, so there is an ethical obligation to them as they need to be aware of the work that you’re doing. Should they withhold consent for any reason, please contact us to discuss your options on masters.institute@tes.com. You do not require written permission as there is no teaching practice element in this course.

The MA is a discrete academic qualification, it will not qualify you to be a teacher in the UK. It does demonstrate the depth of your knowledge of education and your professional commitment to understanding teaching and learning at postgraduate level.

To teach in the UK, you need QTS – qualified teacher status. This can potentially be obtained overseas via our Assessment Only route. We offer a 20% discount to iPGCE graduates who are eligible and wish to take this route. For more information on QTS, please contact Andrew Locke on andrew.locke@tes.com.

Yes, it’s worth 180 credits at Level 7 in total (60 from your PGCE/iPGCE and 120 studied as part of the MA course).

Yes. UEL has an established research community and has close ties to various publications. The School of Education at UEL also has a blog which will accept articles, as do we. We really hope to grow our contribution to our academic field and will be actively seeking out opportunities for our learners to do this, should you wish to.

Part time study is 10-15 hours on average, but this can be less depending on the tasks for the particular week. It shouldn’t be more than this and we would always recommend contacting us if the workload becomes too pressured.

Ideally yes, or in a similar institution with responsibility for teaching large groups or classes. If you’re on a break from work, such as maternity leave or an agreed career break, and wish to make a start, that’s fine.
If you leave your current job for any reason and don’t move to another school, we would encourage you to let us know so we can discuss approaches to your final project work.

The MA content is very practical, although there may be room to apply it to other contexts.

Please contact us for a discussion of your situation and the possibility of undertaking the course on masters.institute@tes.com.

This will be a complete MA award carrying the 180 credits – equivalent to any accredited MA from the UK.

We are subject to the same rules and regulations. In order to offer the MA, we worked through a long process to demonstrate to a panel of independent academic experts how we meet QAA quality benchmarks for postgraduate study and education studies. We had to share the module specifications and course materials with the panel so they could validate it and agree that we can offer this programme.

All work is moderated by UEL and then external examiners to ensure that it meets UK standards for MA education studies. This is why the university is able to make the award to learners.

By studying education at this level, you’ll develop your expertise in your field and be able to disseminate this to others too. It should make you a better practitioner, a more sophisticated educator and more knowledgeable about the area of research that you picked. It may also be a catalyst for progressing to PhD level study.

Ultimately, the more you know about the aspects of teaching you decide to explore, the greater chance you have of being asked to lead on this area in the future.

Not at this stage. It is an accredited MA but it will not meet the requirements of HKCAAVQ in order to make pay progression in Hong Kong. It will have the same value as any UK qualification.

Yes. You must make every effort to attend a lecture or watch the recording if the times offered don’t work for you. The lectures are all tailored to the assignment objectives, so they are essential to ensure you are fully equipped to complete these.

We have a global intake, so we’ll offer lectures twice at different times. We’ll also supply a recording. This means that you can try to attend either the live session in person, or watch the recording afterwards. We’ll run evening time sessions for residents in the UK.

Study groups are seminars for discussion linked to the content of the lectures that have been delivered. They will run at different times every 2-3 weeks, so you can register for whichever session works best for you. They will be guided by a member of the MA team and will be an opportunity to meet other members of the course and share ideas and research plans.