Master of Science by Coursework in Education

Differences from 2020/21 to 2023/24

    1. 1. Candidates must follow for three terms aThe course shall be under the supervision of instructionthe inAcademic Committee of the Department of Education,.

    2. Candidates specialisingwill specialise in one of the following pathways:   
      1. Comparative and International Education,   
      2. Higher Education, Learning  
      3. Digital and Technology,Social Change 
      4. Child Development and Education, or  
      5. Research Design and Methodology. 
    3. Candidates Themust follow a course of instruction for three terms full-time or for the Research and Design and Methodology coursepathway mayeither bethree undertakenterms on a partfull-time basis and must be followed foror six terms over two yearspart-time.

       
    4. 2.For Candidateseach pathway candidates will take a combination of six one term required pathway-specific core papers andas set out in the Schedule below. Details of the option papers. Candidatesavailable will be informed of the available options, along with the assessment requirement,published by Friday of noughthweek week0 of Michaelmas Term in the year in which the examination is taken. OnFor some pathways, students are also required to successfully complete a research internship. Partpart-time students take, four papers will be taken in theiryear first year1, and two papers in theiryear second year, alongside their dissertation2.

    5. Each paper will be assessed by course work as set out in the Course Handbook.
    6. 3. 

    7. Exceptionally, candidates may offer one paper from a relevant Master's degree in another department in the University, in place of one option paper, subject to permission from the relevant pathway convenor and, the Course Director and the owning department. Applications to take such a paper must normally be made by FridayThursday of theweek fifth week5 of Michaelmas Term.

        In such cases, the method of assessment shall be as described for the owning department. Further details are set out in the Course Handbook.
    8. 4. Papers are normally assessed by one or more coursework assignments totalling no more than 3,000 words (inclusive of footnotes but excluding bibliography and appendices). All such assignments must be uploaded to the Assignments section of the Higher Degrees WebLearn site by the times and dates specified at the start of the course. For part-time students, times and dates will be specified at the beginning of each year of the course. Each submission must be accompanied by a declaration indicating that it is the candidate’s own work. Exceptionally, candidates are assessed by unseen examination.

    9. 5. Candidates are also required to submit a dissertation of 15,00020,000 words (including footnotes/endnotes but excluding appendices and references or bibliography), the title to be selected in consultation with the supervisor, on a topic relevant to the pathway being followed. The subject and title selected by the candidate must be approved by the Course Director at a time to be announced at the beginning of the academic year in which the dissertation is to be submitted.

    10. 6. An electronic copy of the dissertation must be uploadedsubmitted toby the Assignments section of the Department of Education’s Higher Degrees WebLearn site, notno later than noon on the second FridayThursday in August in the year in which the written examination is taken. For part-time students, this will be during the second year of the course.

    11. All Thisassessments copy shouldmust be anonymoussubmitted exceptusing the University approved online submission system.  Technical information on the requirements for theonline candidate number, and accompanied by a declaration indicating that itsubmissions is provided in the candidate’sCourse own workHandbook.   
    12. Candidates aremay also be required to submitattend aan hardboundoral copy of the work to the Department of Education no later than one week after submission of the electronic copyexamination. The hardoral boundexamination copywill ofnormally be on the candidate’s dissertation of each candidate who passes the examination shall be retained by the department for deposit in the departmental library.

    13. 7.  If a candidate receives a failing mark for any of the summative assessments, they may resubmit the assessment on one further occasion, normally either by a date for resubmission which will be published by the Course Director when the results are released, and will be no sooner than 6 weeks from the release of the results, or when the assessment is next examined the following year. If a candidate fails the dissertation, they may resubmit the dissertation one further time on the next occasion when this is examined, or at an earlier date as agreed with the Course Director. Candidates who fail any ofmodules or the core or option papersdissertation at the first attempt cannot normally be awarded more than 50 at resubmission.

    Schedule 

    Child Development and Education 

    1. Foundations of Educational Research I: Concepts and Design 
    2. Foundations Learning and Wellbeing 
    3. 8. Candidates may also be requiredIntroduction to attendQuantitative anResearch 
    4. Cognitive oralDevelopment examination.and Educational Attainment 
    5. Two option papers as set out in the Course Handbook 

    Comparative and International Education 

    1. Foundations of Educational Research I: Concepts and Design 
    2. Comparative and International Education: An overview of the field 
    3. Systems Thinking in Comparative and International Education 
    4. Foundations of Educational Research II:  Strategies and Methods 
    5. The oralImplementation examinationof willthe normallyRights beof Children 
    6. One option paper as set out in the Course Handbook 

    Digital and Social Change 

    1. Foundations of Educational Research I: Concepts and Design 
    2. Key Concepts in Digital Education 
    3. Social Justice and Technology 
    4. EITHER Foundations of Education Research II: Strategies and Methods, OR Perspectives and Debates on Qualitative Research, OR Intermediate Quantitative Research 
    5. EITHER Critical Digital Innovation OR Education, the candidate’sInternet dissertation.

      and Society
       
  • EITHER Critical Digital Innovation OR Education, the Internet and Society (if not already taken), OR one option paper as set out in the Course Handbook 
  • Higher Education 

    1. Foundations of Educational Research I: Concepts and Design 
    2. Higher Education: Systems, Structures and Institutions 
    3. Higher Education in the Economy and Society 
    4. Foundations of Education Research II: Strategies and Methods 
    5. Global Higher Education 
    6. One option paper as set out in the Course Handbook  

    Research Design and Methodology 

    1. Introduction to Quantitative Research 
    2. Foundations of Educational Research I: Concepts and Design 
    3. Philosophy of Educational Research 
    4. Foundations of Education Research II: Strategies and Methods  
    5. EITHER Intermediate Quantitative Research, OR Perspective and Debates on Qualitative Research 
    6. One option paper as set out in the Course Handbook