MSc Research Methods with Education

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2027, the tuition fees are as follows:

• MSc (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £14,400
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £27,600

The fees quoted above are fully inclusive of tuition, administration and computational costs.

Fees for entry are subject to yearly review. The University reserves the right to increase your tuition fee by up to 7% each year for courses lasting more than one year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our educational and wider student experience. Postgraduate fees information .

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International student CAS deposit

Self-funded international applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2500 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. Some applicants will be required to pay a higher deposit. More information on tuition fee deposits .

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The course unit will introduce contemporary issues in researching education leadership. It includes examining major schools of thought on education leadership (with variations e.g. school leadership). It seeks to relate leadership to educational matters in different social and cultural contexts and explores the preparation, training and developing of leadership identities.

This unit critically analyses and challenges the concepts of leader, leading and leadership.

 

This unit aims to:

• To develop students’ knowledge and understanding of education leadership and to reflect upon its interpretation and application in different contexts
• To enable students to engage critically with models of educational leadership, and also with the reasons for educational leadership’s popular conceptualisation as models;
• To develop understanding of the relationship between performance, accountability and practice in educational leadership.

  

Category of outcome	Upon completion of the unit, students should be able to:
Knowledge and understanding	An understanding of major schools of thought on education leadership An understanding of key ideas underpinning theories of education leadership An understanding of educational leadership practices as they have developed in the context of educational institutions, education policy and in different social and cultural contexts An understanding of research traditions and methodologies in educational leadership.
Intellectual skills	Critically thinking in relation to education leadership and its potential application to different contexts. Critically examining theoretical perspectives on education leadership. Critically examining the implications of education leadership theories for young people and education professional/workers in different social and cultural contexts.
Practical skills	Effectively contribute to debates about education leadership in different institutional, policy and socio-cultural contexts. Examine institutional practices in the light of emerging understandings of education leadership. Examine the relationship between the organisation and wider society through an analysis of access and equity.
Transferable skills and personal qualities	Conceptual and analytical skills Information handling Group working

 

 

Activity	Hours Allocated
Staff/Student Contact	20
Tutorials	2
Private Study	58
Directed Reading	40
Assessment methods Method Weight Written assignment (inc essay) 100% Feedback methods Feedback will be available via VLE Recommended reading   Core   Courtney, S.J., Gunter, H.M., Niesche, R., and Trujillo, T. (Eds.), (2020). Understanding educational leadership: Critical perspectives and approaches. London. Bloomsbury.   Essential   Bottery, M. (2004) The Challenges of Educational Leadership. London: PCP. Currie, G. and Lockett, A. (2007) A critique of transformational leadership: moral, professional and contingent dimensions of leadership within public services organizations. Human Relations 60 (2), 341-370. Courtney, S.J., McGinity, R., and Gunter, H.M. (Eds.), (2018). Educational leadership: Theorising professional practice in neoliberal times. London: Routledge. Gewirtz, S. (2002) The Managerial School. London: Routledge. Grace, G. (1995) School Leadership: Beyond Educational Management. London: The Falmer Press. Gunter, H.M. (2001) Leaders and Leadership in Education. London: PCP. Gunter, H.M. (2012) Leadership and the Reform of Education. Bristol: Policy Press. Gunter, H.M. (2015) School Leadership: An Intellectual History of Research and Practice. London: Bloomsbury Press. Gunter, H.M., Hall, D. and Bragg, J. (2013) Distributed Leadership: a study in knowledge production.  Educational Leadership, Management and Administration. 41 (5) 556 - 581. Hall, D., Gunter, H.M. and Bragg, J. (2013) Leadership, New Public Management and the remodelling and regulation of teacher identities. International Journal of Leadership in Education. 16 (2), 173-190., Leithwood, K., Jantzi, D. and Steinbach, R. (1999) Changing Leadership for Changing Times. Buckingham: OUP. Lingard, B., Hayes, D., Mills, M. and Christie, P. (2003) Leading Learning. Maidenhead: OUP. Lumby, J., Crow, G. and Pashiardis, P. (eds) (2008) International Handbook of the Preparation and Development of School Leaders. New York: Routledge. MacBeath, J. (1998) Effective School Leadership. London: PCP. Smyth, J. (ed) (1989) Critical Perspectives on Educational Leadership. London: Falmer Press. Thomson, P. (2009) School Leadership, Heads on the Block? London: Routledge.   Further Reading   Ball, S.J. (2010) New voices, new knowledges and the new politics of education research: the gathering of the perfect storm? European Educational Research Journal. 9 (2), 124-137. Ball, S.J. (2012) Global Education Inc. Abingdon: Routledge. Barker, B. (2007) The leadership paradox: can school leaders transform student outcomes? School Effectiveness and School Improvement. 18 (1), 21-43. Foster, W. (1986) Paradigms and Promises. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. Rizvi, F. and Lingard, B. (2010) Globalizing Education Policy. London: Routledge.   Study hours Scheduled activity hours Assessment written exam 30 Lectures 20 Project supervision 40 Tutorials 2 Independent study hours Independent study 58 Teaching staff Staff member Role Karen Healey Unit coordinator Additional notes Contact hours: 10 weeks at 2 hours per week School responsible: Manchester Institute of Education, SEED ECT: 7.5 Notional hours of learning: 150   Return to course details Regulated by the Office for Students The University of Manchester is regulated by the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS aims to help students succeed in Higher Education by ensuring they receive excellent information and guidance, get high quality education that prepares them for the future and by protecting their interests. More information can be found at the OfS website. You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at The University of Manchester, including our Degree Regulations and Complaints Procedure, on our regulations website.