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Education is not neutral. It both shapes and is shaped by power, inequality, and social relations. This module explores education as a contested space where political, economic, and cultural forces influence who succeeds, who is marginalised, and why.

You will engage with contemporary debates around policy, markets, globalisation, migration, technological change, and what counts as knowledge. Drawing on influential social theorists from around the world, you will use theory to make sense of these issues and their impact on education across local and global contexts.

Applying these perspectives to real-world challenges, you will examine how inequalities are produced and challenged through education and consider how education can contribute to more just and inclusive societies in your future professional context.

This module introduces key theories of learning and development, exploring how understandings of how people learn and grow have evolved across diverse cultural and global contexts. You will examine influential perspectives and engage with contemporary debates on the cognitive, emotional, and social processes that shape learning and development throughout the life course.

Drawing on insights from fields such as psychology, philosophy, and anthropology, the module provides a foundation for understanding how different traditions inform educational thought and practice worldwide.

Engaging with authentic learning experiences, you will investigate how people are supported to learn and grow in formal and informal environments. You will develop insight into how educational approaches shape development, and how these can be adapted to support learners in varied cultural settings, providing a foundation for your future study and professional development in education and related fields.

In a world with multiple conflicting claims, the ability to evaluate research is essential for advanced study and professional practice in education. This module develops your confidence and expertise in engaging with educational research, enabling you to read, interpret, and rigorously assess knowledge claims across diverse global contexts.

You will examine how research is designed, analysed, and communicated for different audiences and purposes, while exploring the assumptions that shape it and the ethical considerations it raises. Drawing on both international and local perspectives, the module uses structured, authentic tasks to support you in working with a range of research-informed materials, including data-rich, visual, and written forms. You will learn to evaluate methodologies, interrogate evidence, and assess the validity of research claims.

By the end of the module, you will be equipped to make independent, evidence-based judgments about the quality, credibility, and ethical integrity of educational research, preparing you for further study, research, and professional practice in a global educational landscape.

This module positions you as an active researcher and knowledge producer within your intended professional context. You will engage with real-world educational challenges from both global and local perspectives, developing the skills to frame meaningful, researchable questions that address practice and policy.

Building on your learning across the programme, you will explore a range of research methodologies and gain practical experience in designing rigorous and appropriate studies. You will work with qualitative, quantitative, mixed-method, and arts-based approaches, selecting methods that best suit your research aims and contexts.

A key focus of the module is developing your ability to communicate research effectively to diverse audiences. You will learn to present complex ideas clearly and persuasively to stakeholders across the education sector, supporting innovation, change, and research-informed practice.

Emphasising ethical inquiry and collaborative working, the module enables you to investigate educational issues with integrity and purpose, so you can contribute meaningfully to research and professional practice in an international educational landscape.

You will carry out an extended piece of scholarly work within the field of education. You will agree a topic in consultation with MSc Education staff. The topic will be based on interests and skills you have developed through modules already studied and opportunities available through the work and research interests of School of Education staff. In order to exit with a specialist pathway qualification, the project must be within the specialist area.

You will develop your work through carefully structured stages, resulting in a substantive research output which allows you to develop, and demonstrate, a range of transferable knowledge and skills

This module explores the nature and significance of educational leadership and management in shaping people, cultures, and organisations. You will engage with key concepts, theories, and perspectives, examining how educational values and purposes influence decision-making, practices, and outcomes.

Focusing on both individual and organisational leadership, you will reflect on your own development as a leader, exploring how to influence others and work towards shared goals. The module also examines contemporary challenges in educational leadership and policy, including issues of context, equity, and the purposes of educational change.

Adopting a multi-level perspective, you will analyse leadership across individual, institutional, and national/global contexts. This will enable you to develop a strong and applied understanding of how leadership operates in practice, preparing you to navigate and lead change in diverse international settings.

This module explores how educational change can be led effectively, ethically, and sustainably in a rapidly evolving world. You will examine how the purposes of education respond to the needs of learners and communities, shaping approaches to improvement within educational organisations.

Engaging with key concepts such as change, effectiveness, and sustainable development, you will analyse what drives successful improvement—and what can limit it. Through real-world case studies and applied activities, you will explore how learner outcomes can be enhanced and how educational environments can support both staff and students to flourish.

You will also examine how leadership decisions are made in complex contexts, drawing on collaborative and distributed approaches informed by evidence and data. A strong emphasis is placed on ethical leadership, with a focus on equity, inclusion, and social justice, ensuring that improvement benefits all members of the educational community.

By the end of the module, you will be equipped with the skills and understanding to contribute to meaningful, sustainable change across a range of educational settings, preparing you for leadership in a global context.

This module explores education in a rapidly evolving digital world. You will examine how technologies transform learning practices by enabling new forms of interaction—such as learning through play, collaboration, and dialogue, including emerging experiences with AI.

Engaging with a range of digital tools and learning experiences, you will explore how technologies are used across educational practice, considering the theories, pedagogies, and evidence that underpin their design and impact. Drawing on cognitive, sociocultural, and reflective perspectives, you will examine how digital education has developed—and where it may be heading—across diverse global contexts.

Rather than viewing technology as driving change alone, this module encourages you to understand the complex relationship between learning, culture, and innovation. You will develop a strong understanding of how education evolves alongside digital technologies, equipping you to respond thoughtfully and confidently to change in a global educational landscape.

This module explores how to design meaningful learning experiences in an increasingly digital and interconnected world. You will develop practical and analytical skills for designing education across a range of contexts—whether creating curriculum materials, shaping workplace learning, developing digital tools, or rethinking how existing technologies are used.

Recognising that effective design is deeply shaped by context, you will examine how cultural, social, and educational factors influence what makes learning meaningful. You will engage with existing designs and explore examples of design-based research, building your understanding of how ideas are translated into practice.

At the heart of the module is creative, hands-on design. You will take part in real-world design processes, developing and testing your own ideas while gaining transferable skills valued in education, digital learning, and related sectors.

This module explores the relationships between education, mental health, and wellbeing across a wide range of learning contexts. You will examine how factors such as globalisation, performance pressures, technological change, and economic conditions shape both educational environments and learners’ wellbeing.

As expectations grow for schools and other educational settings to support mental health, you will explore approaches such as counselling, social and emotional learning, and trauma-informed practice. These approaches highlight how education can play a key role in supporting positive wellbeing and enabling individuals to flourish.

You will engage with theoretical models and international perspectives on mental health and wellbeing in education, exploring issues such as psychological distress, social and emotional needs, and inclusive responses. Through applied and creative learning activities, you will begin to develop practical skills and build your understanding of how to support wellbeing in diverse settings.

By the end of the module, you will have developed a strong foundation for supporting wellbeing in your future professional context, with insight into how inclusive, supportive environments can be created across early years, school, tertiary, and community settings.

This module explores how education systems can become more equitable and inclusive across diverse global contexts. You will examine the historical development of inclusive education alongside the international policies that shape its implementation today.

Engaging with key theories, ideas, and debates, you will analyse what enables—and what constrains—inclusion within different national and cultural settings. You will consider how policy, leadership, and a range of system actors influence educational opportunities and outcomes.

You will reflect on the challenges of creating more inclusive systems, developing the insight and professional perspective needed to navigate and drive meaningful change in your future professional context.

This module situates education and education research within the social, cultural, political, and economic contexts that shape systems around the world. Through a comparative lens, you will explore how education is experienced across the life course in different countries and settings.

You will engage with theories of globalisation, development, and education policy, examining how colonial legacies, international agendas, and transnational actors influence education systems and knowledge production. The module also highlights contemporary issues such as whose knowledge is valued and recognised, technological change, and educational reform.

Combining theory with practice, you will develop skills in comparative research, engaging with case studies across early childhood, schooling, vocational and adult education, higher education, and non-formal learning. With an emphasis on ethics, reflexivity, and positionality, you will learn to analyse and communicate research that addresses complex global education challenges relevant to a wide range of professional contexts.

This module explores how childhood and early childhood education are understood across different cultural and global contexts. You will engage with a range of theoretical perspectives, examining how ideas about childhood are shaped by, and respond to, social, cultural, and educational influences.

You will explore how early childhood education both reflects and shapes wider societal priorities and practices, considering diverse approaches to pedagogy, including the development of language, literacy, and numeracy in early years settings.

You will be encouraged to reflect on your own perspectives, developing culturally sensitive and responsive approaches that can be applied thoughtfully in your future professional or practice contexts

This module explores how education systems can become more equitable and inclusive across diverse global contexts. You will examine the historical development of inclusive education alongside the international policies that shape its implementation today.

Engaging with key theories, ideas, and debates, you will analyse what enables—and what constrains—inclusion within different national and cultural settings. You will consider how policy, leadership, and a range of system actors influence educational opportunities and outcomes.

You will reflect on the challenges of creating more inclusive systems, developing the insight and professional perspective needed to navigate and drive meaningful change in your future professional context.

This module focuses on practices that enhance inclusivity in classrooms and other educational settings. You will reflect on teaching approaches which are known to promote equitable access for diverse learners. You will consider how different children and young people engage with learning, including those with disabilities, learning differences, and marginalised and oppressed identities. You will engage with ways in which practitioners across a range of global contexts can adapt their approaches to ensure that these children and young people have meaningful educational experiences. We will bring together practical experiences and theory to support you to create safe, supportive, and welcoming environments to enable students to realise their learning potential.