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How do we understand the complexity of leadership in educational organisations? How do we develop ourselves as more reflective leaders and managers? Can educational leadership deliver social change?
Our MA Educational Leadership masters is a flexible course for anyone interested in critically exploring educational leadership. We offer a full-time and part-time route, as well as an offsite provision so that you can study at a pace that suits you.
Whether you are a current or aspiring leader in education or a related field, our course appeals to a variety of backgrounds and professions. You’ll be joining a diverse and thriving community of postgraduate students from the UK and across the world.
You’ll critically analyse the key approaches and debates in the field of educational leadership from UK and global perspectives and develop your understanding of different leadership models.
You’ll evaluate and learn to think with a range of theoretical fra...
One year: full-time on campus
Two years: part-time blended learning
Whether you take our part-time or full-time course, you will start your MA Educational Leadership with two core modules.
In your first module, you’ll critically explore current key issues in educational leadership. You’ll develop your understanding of, and critically analyse, a wide range of different leadership concepts such as transformational, transformative, democratic, and ethical leadership models.
And in the second core module, you’ll engage with theoretical frameworks to deepen your analysis of educational leadership and explore how theory informs how we interpret and analyse key issues in education today. Exploring these different theoretical lenses will help you think about educational leadership in relation to contemporary challenges of globalisation, power, agency, inequality and diversity, and sustainability.
You’ll join students from other education-based masters courses in a third core module, Principles and Practice of Educational Research. We’ve designed this module to develop your understanding of critical issues and methodologies within research and help prepare you for completing your own dissertation.
In the fourth module, you’ll pursue your own individual interests by choosing one of a series of option modules. Our option modules are designed and delivered by active researchers from within our internationally renowned Educational and Social Research Institute (ESRI). We’ve designed these option modules to reflect our world-class research carried out in the Faculty of Health and Education.
Our taught modules are assessed by coursework. This allows you to focus the topic of your work on areas that suit your professional and personal interests.
The final part of your masters is a dissertation. For many students, this is the most challenging part of the course, but also the most interesting and most rewarding.
With guidance from your expert teaching and support team, you’ll design and carry out a research project of your own and complete a written thesis. Some recent examples of topics include:
You’ll also benefit from our integrated support network of services offered at Manchester Met, as well as our programme-specific support provided by your programme team. You’ll have a personal tutor to accompany you throughout your studies. Your tutor aims to provide tailored support and advice from start to finish.
As a student at Manchester Met, you’ll also be able to access Masterclass. Masterclass is a wide range of optional reading groups, writing workshops and events designed specifically for and with masters students in the Faculty of Health and Education.
Whether you've already made your decision about what you want to study, or you're just considering whether postgraduate study is right for you, there are lots of ways you can meet us and find out more about postgraduate student life at Manchester Met.
We offer:
Your studies are supported by a department of committed and enthusiastic teachers and researchers, experts in their chosen field.
We often link up with external professionals too, helping to enhance your learning and build valuable connections to the working world.
These typical entry requirements may be subject to change for the 2025/26 academic year. Please check back for further details.
You must have a relevant first degree, postgraduate diploma or professional qualification recognised as equivalent to an undergraduate UK honours degree of at least a 2:2. Other qualifications or experience may be considered.
Advanced standing
If you’ve completed a PGCE within the last five years, you can normally join the course with advanced standing. This means you’ll put 60 credits from your PGCE towards your masters and complete less units to achieve your MA. Usually, this means you’ll complete just two core units before progressing to your dissertation.
With the agreement of your programme leader, other relevant and recent level seven qualifications may also permit advanced standing.
If you do not have a recent level seven qualification, you may be eligible to claim for recognition of prior experiential learning (e.g. relevant work experience). Further advice and guidance on this will be available after you enrol.
English language
Applicants whose first language is not English must have IELTS with an overall score of 6.5 with no less than 5.5 in any category, or an equivalent accepted English qualification.
Full-time fee: £10,250 per year. Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of your course providing you complete it in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).
Part-time fee: £1709 per 30 credits studied. The fee per credit will remain the same for each year of your course providing you complete it in the normal timeframe (eg no repeat years or breaks in study). The total amount you pay each year may differ based on the number of credits studied.
Full-time fee: £20,000 per year. Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of your course providing you complete it in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).
Part-time fee: £3334 per 30 credits studied. The fee per credit will remain the same for each year of your course providing you complete it in the normal timeframe (eg no repeat years or breaks in study). The total amount you pay each year may differ based on the number of credits studied.
A masters qualification typically comprises 180 credits, a PGDip 120 credits, a PGCert 60 credits, and an MFA 300 credits. Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of study provided the course is completed in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).
Depending on where you live, if you are studying part-time you may need to pay for travel to the university and accommodation for weekend conferences up to three times a year.
You may also wish to buy books, although purchase is not required.
Our suite of masters courses are designed to help you secure positions in senior leadership, consultancy or research scholarships.
Our graduates have taken up leadership roles in nurseries, schools and colleges, from assistant head teachers and head teachers to nursery managers. One of recent graduates achieved a masters distinction in educational leadership and was a refugee aspiring to set up education projects in refugee camps.
You’ll gain skills to help you pursue a leadership or management position in education and develop a clear understanding of the role a leader plays in education to define your vision as a leader.
By choosing your own topics and option modules, you can focus on your areas of interest – your priorities, targets and aspirations.
Our graduates have used our courses to help further careers, either in their current sector, or to make an informed move into a different role or field of education. Many students who complete our courses intend to study at PhD level. If you’re considering pursuing a research degree (such as an MPhil, PhD or EdD) in education, this masters course is a good foundation towards that ambition. Each year, several of our current and former students win scholarships for further study or have articles published.
Please contact our course enquiries team.
Get advice and support on making a successful application.
You can review our current terms and conditions before you make your application. If you are successful with your application, we will send you up to date information alongside your offer letter.
Programme review
Our programmes undergo an annual review and major review (normally
at 6 year intervals) to ensure an up-to-date curriculum supported by the
latest online learning technology. For further information on when we
may make changes to our programmes, please see the changes section of our
terms and conditions.
Important notice
This online prospectus provides an overview of our programmes of study
and the University. We regularly update our online prospectus so that
our published course information is accurate. Please check back to the
online prospectus before making an application to us to access the most
up to date information for your chosen course of study.
Confirmation of regulator
The Manchester Metropolitan University is regulated by the Office for
Students (OfS). The OfS is the independent regulator of higher education
in England. More information on the role of the OfS and its regulatory
framework can be found at
officeforstudents.org.uk.
All higher education providers registered with the OfS must have a student protection plan in place. The student protection plan sets out what students can expect to happen should a course, campus, or institution close. Access our current student protection plan.