Master of Arts
MA International Education
Due to high demand for this course, we operate a staged admissions process with multiple selection deadlines throughout the year, to maintain a fair and transparent approach.
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Fees and funding
Fees
Fees for entry in 2027 have not yet been set. For reference, the fees for the academic year beginning September 2026 were as follows:
-
MA (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £13,700
International, including EU, students (per annum): £29,400
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 .
Always contact the admissions team if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.
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
We know that student finance can be complicated. The links below provide further information to help guide you.
- Learn more about - student finance options for UK students .
- Learn more about - fees and finance for international students .
- Graduates of The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University can receive a 10% discount on their master's degree tuition fees as part of our Manchester Alumni Loyalty Discount scheme.
Course unit details:
Teacher Professional Learning
| Unit code | EDUC70892 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 15 |
| Unit level | FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
This unit aims to explore teacher professional learning in a range of global contexts through scholarship, research and reflection upon your own professional practice and educational experiences. In doing so, a key outcome of this unit is for you to begin to develop, and critically explore, what it means to be a teacher.
To achieve this, we will spend time examining key concepts, particularly the role of professional learning and learning communities in forming these. In doing so, you will make links between your own previous experiences of teaching and learning, current research, and your future aspirations as an educator. We will examine various case studies from around the world that facilitate engagement with both local and international teachers, and professional learning communities.
Although it would be useful to have some experience of working with learners within a teaching, tutoring, or training context, this is not essential.
Aims
This unit aims to:
- Introduce students to key concepts, theories, and practices in teacher professional learning in comparative international and intercultural contexts
- Develop students’ understanding of the role of individual, collective and collaborative forms of professional learning in international and intercultural education
- Enable students to develop as reflective, proactive, internationally minded future teachers
- Equip students with international skills and mindset, as well as theoretical and ethical understandings of these, that will enable them to plan and take ownership of their own professional learning as future teachers.
Learning outcomes
This unit provides students with a consistent range of opportunities to apply their learning to questions of practice through case study analysis and scenario-based learning, both in class and in the final assessment.
Through this approach – linking theory, research and practice – students are equipped with a combination of relevant conceptual understandings and practical knowledge that might be brought to bear in any education-related professional role – whether as a school-based practitioner or leader, an educational policymaker or an educational researcher. These skills are also transferable to a diverse range of other fields and professions.
Teaching and learning methods
Seminars take a scenario-/project-based, workshop format. Students are encouraged to apply the new knowledge and learning to a range of real-world case studies and scenarios. Students engage in individual, paired and whole-class discussion tasks to support and consolidate their learning.
Knowledge and understanding
- Understand a variety of forms of professional learning and professional learning communities and explore how they function in a variety of international and intercultural contexts
- Identify and consider the key factors associated with teacher resilience in relation to professional learning
Intellectual skills
- Critically reflect on their own teaching and learning practices and experiences
- Evaluate different forms of professional learning in relation to their own developing professional aspirations and context
Practical skills
- Develop exploratory enquiry skills to support professional practice and practitioner research
- Write reflectively
Transferable skills and personal qualities
- Evaluate, synthesise, and present information in written and oral form
- Develop research and enquiry skills
- Engage in group work
- Develop lifelong learning strategies and skills
- Further develop an international mindset and intercultural skills, underpinned by an understanding of the ethical responsibilities within these.
Assessment methods
| Method | Weight |
|---|---|
| Portfolio | 100% |
Feedback methods
Individual feedback on Tii 15 days after submission
Recommended reading
- Harris A, Jones M. (2010). Professional learning communities and system improvement. Improving Schools. 2010; 13(2):172-181.
- Kruse SD, Johnson BL. (2017). Tempering the normative demands of professional learning communities with the organizational realities of life in schools: Exploring the cognitive dilemmas faced by educational leaders. Educational Management Administration & Leadership. 45(4):588-604. doi:10.1177/1741143216636111
- Mansfield, C. F., Beltman, S., Broadley, T., & Weatherby-Fell, N. (2016). Building resilience in teacher education: An evidenced informed framework. Teaching and Teacher Education, 54, 77–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2015.11.016
- Schön, D. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing.
- Schutz, P.A., Hong, J., & Francis, D.C. (Eds.) (2018) Research on Teacher Identity. Mapping Challenges and Innovations. New York: Springer.
- Tripp, D. (1993). Critical incidents in teaching: Developing professional judgement. Abingdon: Routledge.
- Stoll, L., Bolam, R., McMahon, A., Thomas, S., Wallace, M., Greenwood, A., & Hawkey, K. (2018). Professional Learning Communities: source materials for school leaders and other leaders of professional learning. London, UK: National College for Teaching and Leadership
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Seminars | 24 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 126 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Claire Forbes | Unit coordinator |
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