Bath Spa University

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Education Studies - International Education and Global Citizenship

This MA is an opportunity to study educational issues in depth for the programmes cover policy, practice and education theory within an international context. Education is much more than the study of teaching. Our programmes are designed to get you questioning the assumptions that lie beneath educational policy and practice.

Course Structure and Content

Both the Education Studies and International Education and Global Citizenship awards form part of the Professional Master's Programme within the School of Education and offer a mixture of theory and practice with professional development within a global and international context.

Students come from a wide range of countries - from Cyprus, the Gambia, the United States, Germany, Indonesia, China, Japan, and so on, as well as the United Kingdom. They also come from many backgrounds. Some have educational studies as a first degree while others have been marine biologists, musicians or experts in fibre optics. We welcome this diversity. All come, however, with a good first degree and a thirst to know more about education:

• What is the nature of learning and teaching in different countries and cultures?
• What is the relationship between education and the economy?
• How is education changing as it enters the market place?
• How are education systems managed?
• Who takes decisions about the curriculum and teaching?
• How far do governments control education?
• How far should they?
• What is the role of professional educators?
• What will be the role of schools and universities in the future?
• What is the future for education in the knowledge economy?
• Is education becoming an 'instrument' of capitalism?

Compulsory Modules

There are four compulsory modules and a dissertation:

• Research and the Professional Part 1 will improve your awareness of how to do educational research, covering topics from e-Literacy and the application of research library skills, through to epistemological and ontological questions that underpin research. The module will help you find the direction you wish to take with your own dissertation and give you time to examine and question research undertaken by fellow students.
• Research and the Professional Part 2 (Research Project Preparation) further develops your understanding of research and of your ability to engage critically with theoretical texts. Flexible learning themes are used in contact sessions, but mostly freestanding materials are used to structure the communication between you and your specialist tutor and produce clarity and enthusiasm for your main area of enquiry through a negotiated project action plan.
• Education, Politics and Society explores how education can be understood in a complex and changing world where education is a significant factor in economic growth and competition. You will learn to question how governments attempt to control education processes and outcomes and examine the impact of recent policy initiatives.
• Learning and Knowledge Technology concentrates on linking pedagogical theory with ICT tools and applications across the curriculum. It examines how technological tools can be integrated into teaching and learning in all educational sectors.

Optional Modules

You also take two additional optional modules that allow for further in-depth study. Because the programme operates alongside the part-time programme, there is the opportunity to select from other modules. While these have a strong professional application they may still be relevant to your intended career.

• International Education and Globalisation looks at education within a global context and deals with issues like 'antiglobalisation' 'terrorism' and 'cultural resistance'. It examines the nature of the entrepreneurial university, the idea of the 'knowledge economy', and the way governments have systematically used the curriculum for nation building.
• Global Citizenship reflects a concern in the twenty-first century for a curriculum that is increasingly expected to be responsive to a range of social and political needs, e.g. citizenship education, and the need for pupils to acquire a global perspective. It examines history, principles, research and educational practice where these fields converge as global citizenship.
• Education Policy is about the politics of education. At its core is the examination of who makes policy and the comparison of the UK with other countries, making links with global issues.
• Language, Ideology and Education looks at the way language mediates and constructs educational matters. It draws from Foucault and Fairclough for its rationale, and uses wide ranging educational discourses to illustrate its theoretical stance.
• Education in the Social and Cultural Context of the UK is devised for overseas students who need a clearer awareness of the social and cultural backdrop to UK education. Tailored to student's interests and needs, it can include school and cultural visits.
• Cultural and Historical Roots of Mathematics is aimed at educationalists who would like to study mathematical history and its roots in various cultures from around the world, whilst equipping them with the skills and tools to enrich their knowledge and understanding of mathematical pedagogy.

Teaching Methods and Resources

Modules are taught through lectures and small group seminars. There are also individual tutorials and good opportunities for extended discussion with tutors. Analysis of ideas through discussion is the key to teaching and learning in the programme. Some lectures and seminars occur during the day. Others take place from late afternoon.

Staff

• Dr Howard Gibson
• Dr Steve Coombs
• Ms Christine Eden
• Prof David Coulby

Assessment Methods

There are no written exams and each module is assessed by coursework. This typically involves an essay of 2,500 words for a 15 credit module and 5,000 words for a 30 credit module. Sometimes assessment is by verbal presentation. The dissertation is 15,000–20,000 words and worth 60 credits. It focuses on an area mutually agreed with a specialist tutor who also offers guidance and support in the writing of the dissertation. Subjects vary widely, from the nature and quality of Supply Teaching in the UK to the education of women in the Gambia, from the role of the modern Museum Educator to the theoretical role of education in the unification of Cyprus. To achieve the award you will need 180 credits in total.

Entry Requirements

Students are expected to have an Honours degree from a recognised Higher Education Institution in the UK, although we often accept applicants with appropriate experience that we consider sufficient and comparable, or an equivalent degree from overseas. Equivalence of overseas students' academic qualifications is assessed by NARIC. The content and subject matter of a student's first degree is open. In some circumstances, professional work in education (e.g. PGCE) or related field can be assessed as appropriate credit for 'prior learning' (APL) and a reduction in the number of credits required to pass the programme can be negotiated. For overseas applicants who are non-native speakers of English, a minimum language level of IELTS 6.5, or equivalent, is required.

Who Can Apply?

• Prospective teachers: The UK government has recently announced that teaching will become a postgraduate level profession in England. If your ambition is to teach in a school, then our MA is ideally suited (although it is not itself a UK teaching qualification). Some students apply for our MA having completed their PGCE with the intention of postponing their entry to the profession, whereas others apply before making a decision whether to become a teacher.
• Non-teachers looking for new career paths: Most of our students, however, have no intention of teaching. They are attracted by the academic nature of this award, by its habit of enabling new thinking about things that seemed like common sense, and by the prospect of improving academic skills and qualities and applying them in educationally related fields.

Employability

Many of our students seek new career paths to educational management, training or in related fields, maybe in their non-UK home. Some wish to continue their undergraduate expertise in Education Studies and gain a broader and deeper view of education. Others wish to gain employment in, say, a museum or gallery setting, while others start with the intention of taking their studies further – to PhD level – and seek eventual employment in an academic institution.

Student Profile

I chose this course to gain a deeper understanding of the theoretical, social, cultural and political influences in education. I found that Bath Spa presented a variety of modules and the capacity to step back and reflect on the 'big' themes. The flexibility of the course and the tutorials were the main things I enjoyed about studying at Bath Spa – this, along with the wonderful setting made my MA really enjoyable. Before studying here, I was an Education Officer in a small independent museum in Bath. Since leaving the university I run the formal learning department at Geffrye Museum, London. Studying the MA has provided the theoretical foundation for all my subsequent educational work and has given me the opportunity to challenge and reflect within my day-to-day practice.

Emma Dunn, MA Education Studies.

Finance

• For information on financial assistance to support your learning, please visit www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning or contact 0800 100 900.
• Qualified UK teachers are eligible for discounted fees. The full-time programme is recognised by the Training and Development Agency (TDA) as appropriate Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for in-service training and academic study.
• Those students who enter the programme with relevant academic credits at level 'M' can apply for assessment of prior learning (APL) and can also negotiate a pro rata fee reduction.
• Fees are paid in total at the beginning of each academic year, or in instalments by standing order throughout the duration of the course. Please note that students contract to pay the fees for their full course when they register, and fees are not normally refundable. Students failing to complete their course must continue to honour any instalment plan, even in the event of a subsequent withdrawal.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: This is a full-time one year course, but could I take longer to complete it?
  • A: Yes, if you are a UK/EU student – you could request to study the same modules as a part-time student and complete in two years or more. No, if you are an overseas student – visa requirements determine that you have to register full-time.
• Q: What's the difference between Education Studies and International Education and Global Citizenship?
  • A: Both include a significant international component. We differentiate the awards through the content of the student's 60 credit dissertation and the content of module assessments that are negotiated between Tutor and Student.