MA in Education with Pedagogy

Students will need to import credits from previous qualifications (Level 7 UK, Level 9 IRL)  using Accreditation of Certificated Learning (ACL). You can apply for your 60 Master’s level credits to be transferred through our ACL form submitted during application.

You will need to demonstrate:

That the learning is relevant to the programme on which you wish to study.

1. It is up to the programme leader or programme manager to decide whether your prior learning is sufficiently relevant to your programme.
2. That your certificated learning is recent, up-to-date and remembered. Generally, learning gained in the last five years is acceptable.
3. The steps you have taken to keep your knowledge up-to-date (e.g. through reading, professional development activities or courses), this is demonstrated through the ACL form that you complete during the application process.

There is no charge for importing credits through the ACL route.

We recognise that for some students a postgraduate qualification isn't possible, is dated or doesn't demonstrate the required Level 7 credits for transfer using our Accreditation of Certificated Learning route (see Transferring my Level 7 credits).

If this is applicable to you then you may be able to gain entry to the course through Accreditation of Experiential Learning (AEL).

• You can apply to import credits based on an assessed portfolio of experience that you have acquired through work experience in a relevant field for a significant amount of time
• It’s up to the programme manager to decide whether your experience and prior work experience is sufficient to enable you to complete the AEL route
• There is a charge at £500, this includes support to submit your portfolio, assessment and importing credits through the AEL route
• For more information on the AEL process, please contact an advisor at institutesupport@tes.com

Anyone with an academic qualification from a country where English is the first language doesn’t require IELTS. So if you’re a Tes Institute PGCE or iPGCE graduate you wouldn’t need this: the qualification is evidence of your ability to study at postgraduate level in English.

We’re working in collaboration with the University of East London (UEL) to offer this qualification. The award will come from UEL and will be a complete MA award carrying the 180 credits – equivalent to any accredited MA from the UK.

We’re 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 can make the award to learners.

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.

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 in the 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.

We offer extenuations and extensions in the same way we do on our PGCE/iPGCE courses. 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.

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 always recommend contacting us if the workload becomes too pressured.

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

We’ve kept the curriculum broad so you can apply it to the phase/specialism you’re working in and we’ll 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.

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.

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 pick. 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.

• There is an option to pay in termly instalments. One instalment must be paid just before the course starts.
• Payment of VAT depends on who is invoiced. Any invoice going to a school will be exempt from VAT, but learners are not. If you’re invoiced directly, 20% VAT will be added to the fee.
• Student loan funding isn’t available - 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.
• It’s always worth approaching your school to see if they can help towards your fees.

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 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.

You must inform your school that you're undertaking an MA as you’ll 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. You don’t require written permission as there isn’t a teaching practice element in this course.

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

• 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’s 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’s 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