MSc Research Methods with Education

Year of entry: 2024

Overview

Degree awarded
Master of Science (MSc)
Duration
1 year
Entry requirements

We require a UK Honours degree with a First classification or the overseas equivalent, in a field pertaining to the chosen pathway.

When assessing your academic record we take into account the grades you have achieved and the standing of the institution where you studied your qualification.

Full entry requirements

How to apply
Apply online

Course options

Full-time Part-time Full-time distance learning Part-time distance learning
MSc Y N N N

Course overview

  • Research-intensive master's degree perfect for those considering PhD study and/or a career in research.
  • Develop your research skills and knowledge of education.
  • Complies with the research training requirements for ESRC scholarships for a PhD scholarship (commonly termed +3), and is also suitable as the master's year as part of an ESRC scholarship award that covers both the master's and PhD (commonly termed a 1+3 award).
  • Ideal if you want to apply for an ESRC or School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED) scholarship, as 70% of the ESRC Core Training can be demonstrated prior to commencing a PhD.

Open days

The University holds regular open days , where you will have the opportunity to tour the campus and find out more about our facilities and courses.

You will find out more about the School of Environment, Education and Development, our resources, and meet academic and admissions staff who will be able to answer any questions you have.

Fees

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2024, the tuition fees are as follows:

  • MSc (full-time)
    UK students (per annum): £12,500
    International, including EU, students (per annum): £24,000

Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.

The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.

All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for international students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit postgraduate fees

Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1,000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.

Policy on additional costs

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Scholarships/sponsorships

MSc Research Methods complies with the research training requirements for ESRC scholarships for a PhD scholarship (commonly termed +3).

It is also suitable as the master's year as part of an ESRC scholarship award that covers both the master's and PhD (commonly termed a 1+3 award).

It is ideal if you want to apply for an ESRC scholarship or School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED) scholarship, as 70% of the ESRC Core Training can be demonstrated prior to commencing a PhD.

It will also be of interest to people who are considering a career in research in one of the pathway fields.

Additionally, we offer a number of postgraduate taught scholarships and merit awards to outstanding applicants and international students, including:

  • MIE Postgraduate (master’s) bursaries : 10 awards of £7,500 each (issued as a reduction in your tuition fees). All self-sponsored EU and international student with an offer to study on any MIE master’s programme are eligible.
  • Manchester Humanities International Excellence Scholarship : 20% scholarship in the form of a discount on the tuition fees of selected master’s programmes, available to applicants from a number of international countries.
  • Manchester Alumni Scholarship Scheme : £3,000 reduction in tuition fees to University of Manchester alumni who achieved a first-class bachelor's degree and are progressing to a postgraduate taught master's course.

For further information on available scholarships and bursaries as well as their full eligibility criteria, please visit our funding page.

Contact details

School/Faculty
School of Environment, Education and Development
Contact name
School of Environment, Education and Development +44 (0) 161 275 2814
Telephone
+44 (0) 161 275 2814
Email
School/Faculty
See: The School .

Courses in related subject areas

Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview

We require a UK Honours degree with a First classification or the overseas equivalent, in a field pertaining to the chosen pathway.

When assessing your academic record we take into account the grades you have achieved and the standing of the institution where you studied your qualification.

English language

For the latest information on demonstrating your English proficiency for those whose first language is not English, please see our language requirements .

This programme also accepts successful completion of the 6 and 10 Week Pre-sessional English Language course. We accept the following qualifications which must be valid on the start date of the Pre-sessional course.

Pre-sessional 6 Week Course Requirement:

IELTS - 6.0 Overall with 6.0 in writing, no more than one subskill at 5.5 and no subskill below 5.5

TOEFL iBT - 80 overall with 20 in writing, and 20 in speaking, with a minimum of 18 in all other subskills

Pearson PTE Academic or Academic UKVI - 65 overall with 65 in writing, no more than one subskill of 59 and no other subskill below 59.

Pre-sessional 10 Week Course Requirement:

IELTS - 5.5 overall with no element below 5.5

TOEFL iBT - 72 overall with 20 in speaking and no other element below 18

Pearson PTE Academic UKVI - 59 overall and no element below 59   

English language test validity

Some English Language test results are only valid for two years. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

Other international entry requirements

We accept a range of qualifications from across the globe. To help international students the university provides specific information for many individual countries. Please see our   country-specific information page      for guidance on the academic  qualifications which may be accepted from your country.

Application and selection

How to apply

Advice to applicants

Please submit the following documents with your completed application form:

  • copies of official degree certificates and transcripts of your previous study, showing the subjects taken and grades obtained. If these documents are in languages other than English, please provide official translations;
  • your CV;
  • copies of English Language Certification, such as IELTS, TOEFL or Pearson test score report.

Ensure that you enclose all the necessary documents to avoid delays.

How your application is considered

Applications for this course are very competitive. Due to the high demand for the programme we may not be able to offer places to all applicants who have the entry qualifications that we require. If we are unable to consider you for an offer you may be placed on a waiting list. Candidates on a waiting list will only be considered for an offer if places become available.  

Once your application has been received, our admissions team will contact you. We may ask you to submit additional information, if necessary.

Please note, the course may reach capacity before the official closing date of 31st of August, so all students are advised to apply as soon as possible. 

Re-applications

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry.

In your new application, you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.

Course details

Course description

MSc Research Methods is a research-intensive master's designed for those who wish to continue to PhD and/or are considering embarking on a career in research.

It has a strong focus on developing research skills combined with further study in education.

The MSc is designed to comply with the research training requirements for two ESRC scholarships as administered by the North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP): the three-year PhD scholarship (commonly termed +3) and the four-year scholarship that covers an eligible one year master's and a three-year PhD (commonly termed 1+3).

The course is ideal if you want to apply for an ESRC scholarship through the NWSSDTP or a School of Environment, Education and Development scholarship. NWSSDTP approved master's must meet the minimum research training requirement expected by the ESRC.

Aims

You will: 

  • develop as a well-rounded researcher who can access the full range of research in relation to education; 
  • actively and practically engage with research methods used in the context of education; 
  • attend introductory PhD research training lectures, seminars and tutorials and get a taste of life as a PhD student.

Special features

  • Education has been a discipline of study at Manchester since 1890.
  • Our students come from all over the globe, and our qualifications are recognised internationally.

Coursework and assessment

You will conduct a small-scale piece of empirical research of relevance and use this as the basis for your dissertation. The emphasis of the dissertation will be on the use of methodology in the context of:

  • tracing the application of certain methods to the investigation of particular issues;
  • discussing how that methodology functioned in practice;
  • research reflexivity.

You will be expected to report on the findings of the study, although the scale of the work will necessitate modest aims and outcomes, given that you will require space to provide in-depth methodological critique and potentially also methods development as an outcome of their study.

You'll also have the option to choose to undertake a literature-based dissertation, in which case there will be an expectation that a formal review methodology will be used to conduct the review.

The form the dissertation ultimately takes will reflect the particular study conducted, and its structure will be negotiated and agreed with your supervisor. All dissertations undertaken will be required to contribute to meeting the ESRC's research training criteria.

Course unit details

Core course units typically include:

  • Research Literacy and Design;
  • Qualitative Research Approaches;
  • Quantitative Research Approaches;
  • Dissertation.

You will select one from the following options:

  • Doing Environmental Research;
  • Development Fieldwork;
  • Independent Research Methods.

You will also select four units from our Education postgraduate portfolio.

Course unit list

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Research Literacy and Design EVDV70001 15 Mandatory
Qualitative Research Approaches EVDV70012 15 Mandatory
Quantitative Research EVDV70022 15 Mandatory
Theories of Teaching and Learning EDUC60491 15 Optional
Digital Media and Information Literacy EDUC61712 15 Optional
Beyond Approaches, Methods and Techniques EDUC70021 15 Optional
Language Learning and Technology EDUC70061 15 Optional
Educational Technology and Communication EDUC70141 30 Optional
Contemporary Issues in Education Leadership EDUC70331 15 Optional
Education Policy EDUC70531 15 Optional
Internationalising the Curriculum EDUC70732 15 Optional
Developing Researcher Reflexivity EVDV70011 15 Optional
Independent Research Methods EVDV70032 15 Optional
Doing Environmental Research GEOG70472 15 Optional
Development Fieldwork MGDI60502 15 Optional
Digital Planning - Decision Support Systems PLAN60962 15 Optional
Displaying 10 of 16 course units

Facilities

The course is taught by the Manchester Institute of Education (MIE) with most PGCE University days based in the Ellen Wilkinson building, centrally located on the University's Oxford Road campus, close to the Main Library, Alan Gilbert Learning Commons and the Students' Union.

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service.

For more information, email  dass@manchester.ac.uk

Careers

Career opportunities

MSc Research Methods is ideal if you are considering PhD study and/or a career in research in education.

Manchester Institute of Education (MIE) graduates go on to shape education policy and practice through positions in NGOs and in the public and private sector.

Potential careers include:

  • teaching;
  • lecturing;
  • research;
  • teacher education;
  • educational administration;
  • leadership;
  • consultancy;
  • publishing;
  • testing;
  • assessment.

Visit our careers and employability webpage for more information.

Careers support

The University has its own dedicated  Careers Service  that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate.

At Manchester you will have access to a number of  opportunities to help boost your employability .