MA Educational Leadership
    Duration1 years
    Tuition Fee
    GBP 26,898 / Year
    Next IntakeSeptember 1, 2026

    MA Educational Leadership

    About

    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

    Course information

    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:

    • An interview-based analysis of educational leadership in schools in Iraq
    • Women and leadership in further education in the UK
    • Leadership in American education: race, gender and social justice

    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.

    Requirements

    Entry Requirements

    Entry requirements

    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.

    English Requirements

    • IELTSMin 6.5

    English Program Requirements

    You need to have a recognised English language qualification to study at Manchester Metropolitan.

    The score required will vary depending on the qualification and the area of study you have chosen. If you hold an offer of a place from the University, your offer will give you the specific requirements for your course. 

    Typical International English Language Testing System (IELTS) requirements are:

    • 6.0 (no less than 5.5 in any section) or equivalent for undergraduate courses
    • 6.5 (no less than 5.5 in any section) or equivalent for postgraduate courses

    Visit our English language requirements page for examples of recognised tests and minimum acceptable scores.

    Career

    Career prospects

    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.

    Fee Information

    Tuition Fee
    26,898 / year

    MA Educational Leadership

    Manchester Metropolitan University

    Manchester Metropolitan University

    United Kingdom

    United Kingdom, Manchester