MA in Educational Leadership

Overview

Our MA in Educational Leadership is a taught Master’s course which is delivered either entirely online or via a blended delivery model (online and in-person). The blended version includes two 3-day residentials at our campus near Silverstone each term. The course is designed for current or aspiring senior leaders. You will have at least five years’ experience in schools and be in an existing leadership or management position in primary or secondary schools in the UK or internationally.

The aim of the course is to improve the quality of leadership in schools. The course materials have been written by successful head teachers who have combined their experience in leading schools with extensive research into the literature on leadership theory. The result is a taught course, which will expose you to real leadership expertise. It aims to give you a comprehensive understanding of the principles that define effective leadership and the personal skills to implement them.

Our course maintains that:

• the skills of effective leadership can be learnt and improved.
• there is no single and exclusive inherited leadership characteristic.
• by developing an understanding of the core principles for effective leadership and applying these principles in an authentic manner, responding appropriately to the context, then the abilities of a leader can be improved.

The course promotes the principle that effective leadership makes a significant difference to the culture of a school, the well-being and effectiveness of its staff and the quality of teaching & learning, all of which impact on outcomes for pupils. The course develops authentic practical skills through the use of The Harvard Business School Case Study Method, in which analysis and discussion of professionally useful approaches to real life scenarios help to develop the skills and principles of effective leadership.

Course information

Our MA in Educational Leadership encourages you to engage with a wide range of materials. These include research-based reading and case studies, which give examples of successful and unsuccessful leadership. You will have the opportunity to delve into different themes such as teaching & learning, changing the culture of a school and the needs of the people involved in school settings. These aim to enable you to understand the essential principles of effective leadership and to develop your own practice.

Our course maintains that leadership problems can be seen from the point of view of a 'principle', and we explore how leaders can apply these through their own personality and individual skill-sets. The principle-driven approach is a strength of the course, and the materials are designed to be helpful and developmental for school leaders in their day-to-day professional lives.

We plan to introduce you to a comprehensive range of academic material including theories of leadership, human psychology and current research on memory and learning. These are linked to practical application and relevance in leading modern educational institutions. Furthermore, the course uses real-life case study materials to reassure you that leadership can also be a source of amusement, inspiration and eccentricity.

Career prospects

The MA in Educational Leadership is designed to help you develop the skills needed for leadership in schools today.

Whether you’re an established head teacher, or looking to progress into a senior leadership role in your career, this course aims to expose you to real leadership expertise. It aims to give you a comprehensive understanding of the principles that define effective leadership and the personal skills to implement them.

You are encouraged to reflect on your own experiences and apply the action-based research project to their school.

In order to gain entry to the course all students must: hold an undergraduate degree, or equivalent as assessed by NARICbe employed in a school or college for the duration of study hold a leadership position in an educational setting as Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher, Assistant Headteacher or a Middle Management position such as Head of Department, Head of Year or Head of House.