MA Special Educational Needs
| UCAS code | 1234 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1 year full time |
| Entry year | 2027 |
| Campus | St Luke's Campus |
| Typical offer | We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree or above in a social science* or humanities subject. |
|---|---|
Why study MA Special Educational Needs at 黑料不打烊?
- You’ll study a range of topics such as critical perspectives on inclusion and disability, creativity in education and education policy
- We’ll encourage you to reflect critically on your own practice and investigate educational issues that interest you
- Our Education Studies module will provide you with a thorough grounding in education research, theory and practice
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Top 150 in the world for Education Studies
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2026
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82% of our Education research has internationally excellent impact
Based on research impact rated 4* + 3* in REF 2021
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Home to one of the largest Education libraries in the UK
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Top 150 for Education in the Shanghai Rankings of Academic Subjects 2025
Entry requirements for 2027 entry
We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree or above in a social science* or humanities subject. While we normally only consider applicants who meet this criteria, if you are coming from a different academic background which is equivalent to degree level, or have relevant work experience, we would welcome your application.
*Accepted social science subjects include:
- Anthropology
- Archaeology
- Area and Development Studies
- Criminology
- Demography
- Development Studies
- Economics
- Economic and Social History
- Education
- Environmental Planning
- Human Geography
- International Relations
- Law
- Linguistics
- Management and Business Studies
- Media and Communication Studies
- Philosophy
- Politics and International Studies
- Psychology
- Science and Technology Studies
- Social Policy
- Social Statistics, Methods, and Computing
- Social Work
- Socio Legal Studies
- Sociology
Please note, that for the optional module Special Educational Needs: Teaching and Learning and, in some circumstances, research projects as part of a dissertation, students will be required to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Please also see our guidance on essential documentation required for an initial decision on taught programme applications.
Entry requirements for international students
Please visit our entry requirements section for equivalencies from your country and further information on English language requirements.
Please also see our guidance on essential documentation required for an initial decision on taught programme applications.
Entry requirements for international students
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course.
The required IELTS test scores for this course fall under Profile B1.
Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Course content and modules
Our MA in Special Educational Needs (SEN) enables students to develop an excellent understanding of special educational needs and disability 'policy practice and provision' in the UK. At the same time, students are given opportunities to consider key concepts pertaining to special educational needs and inclusive education in international and country specific contexts. Students can often focus on an area of choice, such as deaf education, dyslexia, inclusion. The dissertation in particular enables students to focus in-depth and research, usually through gathering and analysis of empirical data, an area of their own interest.
There is the option to choose a module 'Reflecting on Educational Practices' as your optional module, thereby gaining skills which can be helpful in finding employment following the course. This module strongly supports you in connecting theory and practice. We also host a number of visiting speakers, including people who work with children with SEN in schools or other educational settings.
You must take 180 credits in total to qualify with an MA qualification. This will either consist of taught modules to the value of 120 credits and a dissertation worth 60 credits, or a combination of modules, dissertation and accredited prior learning or experience.
The modules below provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
Please note that the module information displayed here is subject to change.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory | ||
| International Concepts in Special Educational Needs and Disability | 15 | |
| Core Concepts of Special Educational Needs and Disability | 15 | |
| Education Futures | 30 | |
| Education Studies | 30 | |
| Compulsory Choice | ||
| Preparing for Educational Research and Dissertation | 60 | |
| Dissertation Portfolio | 60 | |
EFPM015: International Concepts in Special Educational Needs and Disability
This module critically explores special educational needs and disability from a range of perspectives. The concepts of inclusion, disability, difference and diversity will be discussed in relation to their applications in formal and informal education. Inclusive and special school provision in different global contexts will be studied in depth. Different critical perspectives will be analysed, including Disability Studies, Globalisation and Inclusive Pedagogy. You will be encouraged to reflect on the development of special educational needs and inclusive education systems in different national and cultural contexts; as well, you’ll be encouraged to consider a range of international and global perspectives. The module is interdisciplinary.
EFPM021: Core Concepts of Special Educational Needs and Disability
This module is designed to introduce you to core contemporary concepts of special educational needs and disability in education, and critically examine a range of theories and educational practices related to the teaching and learning of students with special educational needs and disabilities. Over the course of the module, you will attend lectures and seminars, debate the efficacy and relevance of key concepts and evaluate the application of theory to a range of learning contexts, both in the UK and internationally. The module is interdisciplinary, and includes elements of psychology, educational studies, disability studies and philosophy.
EFPM024: Education Futures
Through this module you will learn about and develop innovative ideas which address some of the most complex issues in education. You will work in teams to explore global educational challenges, including issues related to your own specialism or area of interest. You will be encouraged to collaboratively and critically produce original ideas, and to think creatively about the future through research-based activities and creative workshops. Using appropriately innovative pedagogical approaches and assessment techniques, the module will equip you to respond to the global complexity and uncertainty that you will inevitably encounter when you graduate.
EFPM914: Education Studies
Have you ever wondered what education is for, who it serves, or who decides how it should be organised? This module will enable you to take a critical and questioning approach to a number of issues in education and to further develop an engaged and informed understanding. You will be encouraged to explore different issues by adopting different theoretical approaches and disciplinary perspectives. This module provides an important foundation for further study on our other MA Education modules and will be accessible for current and future educational professionals alike.
There are no pre-requisites to this module. You may be asked to read material in advance of the taught session.
The module has the following principal aims:
To enable you to develop a strong understanding of the core theoretical approaches and disciplinary perspectives which underpin education, in order for you to be able to recognize the particular and distinct contributions that they make to this field of study
To advance your understanding of education as a complex, holistic, multi-dimensional field
To enable you to draw upon different approaches and perspectives in a confident, structured and imaginative manner, in order to address a range of key educational questions
EFPM308: Preparing for Educational Research and Dissertation
This is the final module for campus-based School of Education Masters programmes. This 60-credit module will introduce you to educational research and support you in designing and/or carrying out a small-scale research project on an educational topic of your choice; it is expected that this topic will be linked to your pathway/programme.
The module consists of online materials and/or taught components that build and support the research skills you require. If you choose to do an empirical or literature-based study, a dissertation supervisor will support you in writing a research proposal, carrying out your project and writing up your dissertation. If you choose to do an empirical study, a dissertation supervisor will support you in writing a research proposal, carrying out your project and writing up your dissertation. If you choose to write a more detailed research proposal, a supervisor will support you in developing and articulating your understanding of research paradigms, methodology, methods, and ethics.
The aim of the module is to develop your understanding of a range of methods of educational enquiry and to provide the necessary theoretical background to carry out a research enquiry, usually in a professional context. Specifically, the module will enable you to:
EFPM642: Dissertation Portfolio
Drawing from the discipline of teaching inquiry, this module will introduce you to ideas, resources, and tools to support your own education inquiry, promoting the discussion of contemporary issues in education, alongside creating an educational artefact or resource aimed at enhancing the teaching and learning of others. You will engage in iterative cycles of exploration, investigation, and reflection, deepening your understanding of key educational concepts and related them to developing questions regarding specific issues in contemporary education. Through inquiry-based learning, you will pose questions, reflect on your practice and the practices of others, gather information from existing academic research, and make informed decisions regarding how to enhance the learning of others.
We use the terms artefact and resource to refer to something which is designed and created by you with the intention of addressing a specific issue in education practice. Previous artefact examples and research questions include:
- How can Chinese education enhance teaching methods to foster critical thinking skills? Artefact: a Whodunit murder mystery role play lesson
- How does creative dance education enhance elementary school students' mental wellbeing: Artefacts: lesson plans and teaching resources
- How can we help busy teachers to embed creative thinking in everyday teaching? Artefact: Podcast Series which interviewed a range of academics regarding their conceptualisations of creativity.
- What are the existing problems faced by primary school teachers in China when disciplining students? Artefact: shadow puppet video
- What are the most effective strategies and tools for helping primary school students transition from spoken Arabic dialects to Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)? Artefacts: lesson plans and teaching resources
- How does the integration of identity formation in professional development programmes in Peru influence teachers' motivation and resilience? Artefact: in-service training materials
This module aims to develop your knowledge and skills in:
- Understanding teacher inquiry and its application to educational practice
- Developing, reviewing, and refining project aims within an inquiry framework
- Reviewing and synthesising relevant academic literature to support your understanding of a chosen educational problem
- Applying theory, research, and policy to practice through the design and creation of a practice?based educational artefact or resource
- Critically evaluating both the final artefact and the learning processes that informed its development
This module provides a distinctive opportunity to investigate an educational issue of personal or professional significance and to develop a practice?based artefact informed by research.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Optional 1 | ||
| Perspectives on International Education | 15 | |
| Educational Leadership and Management | 15 | |
| Education Policy | 15 | |
| Education for Diversity | 15 | |
| Critical Perspectives on Technologies and Education | 15 | |
| Creativity and Creative Pedagogies | 15 | |
| Contemporary Sociologies of Education | 15 | |
| Arts Education Theory, Practice and Potential | 15 | |
| Developing Language Teachers | 15 | |
| Principles and Practices of Curriculum Development and Syllabus Design | 15 | |
| Issues in English Language Teaching | 15 | |
| Technology, Learning and Pedagogy | 15 | |
EFPM014: Perspectives on International Education
We live in an increasingly complex, ever-changing and interconnected world where we face tensions that directly affect the ways we understand education. We will critically explore this complexity as part of this module. The module will offer you a unique opportunity to consider education in terms of its local and global dimensions, as well as to explore connections and tensions between them. Your study will involve critical examination of a wide range of social, economic, cultural, political and environmental factors which are considered to shape, and be shaped by, education. There are no pre-requisites for this module.
EFPM016: Educational Leadership and Management
This module explores theory and practice relating to leadership and change in educational contexts. It introduces major schools of thought in educational leadership and examines the research, policy environments, and professional practices that shape leadership in education. Participants will critically explore issues of leadership identity and diversity across local, national, and international contexts. You will be asked to critically examine leadership theory and practice in an educational setting with which you are familiar. Module participants will be exposed to and study skills and practices designed to develop their understanding of leadership, including approaches to coaching and mentoring, and their application in complex educational settings.
EFPM017: Education Policy
The purpose of this module is to explore key issues and debates in the field of education. The module will introduce you to the ideas, theories and concepts underpinning education policy debates and to contemporary developments in this field. It seeks to enable you to critically examine education policy developments both within and between national contexts and travelling policy as it moves between different international settings. As such you will be asked to critically examine policy developments in a range of local, national and international contexts and to undertake a study of an education policy development in a setting with which you are familiar.
EFPM018: Education for Diversity
This module explores diversity and issues of identity in education from a range of theoretical and practical perspectives. It draws on an intersectional framework (gender, social class, disability, race, culture, etc.) that is organised around important and timely issues in education. Your study will involve a critical examination of a wide range of different ideas and theories associated with identity and diversity, such as intersectionality, post-colonial theory, critical race theory, feminist theory, inclusion, and social justice, which are considered to shape, and be shaped by, education.
EFPM019: Critical Perspectives on Technologies and Education
In this module you will interrogate the role of digital technologies in education and education futures. You will examine how datafication, algorithmic influence and misinformation shape what learners experience, and consider how educators might respond critically and ethically. Through case studies and debate, the module asks how education can challenge digital inequalities, protect privacy, sustain teacher autonomy, and foster digital and AI literacies. Ultimately, it will encourage you to think about the fundamental purposes of education in a world where technology shapes how we know, relate, work, and live.
EFPM020: Creativity and Creative Pedagogies
This module explores why creativity matters in contemporary education and how it can be nurtured, recognised and assessed across disciplines and settings—in the arts and beyond. Drawing on leading 黑料不打烊 research, the module introduces you to frameworks such as Possibility Thinking, Wise Humanising Creativity and Posthumanising Creativity. Through these, you will examine creativity’s relationship with disciplinary knowledge, social change, attainment pressures and systemic challenges including decolonisation and the climate emergency, alongside emerging human–AI creativity relationships. Through a structured reflective process, you will critically study, apply and evaluate creative pedagogies, exploring practical strategies to strengthen learners’ creativity, whilst developing related theoretical understanding.
EFPM022: Contemporary Sociologies of Education
This module offers you introductory sessions on the relationship between society and education in contemporary times from diverse perspectives considering global and local contexts. It draws on key contemporary thinkers and concepts apply to different pressing issues in education. You will study core ideas in sociologies of education from scholars such as Pierre Bourdieu, Michael Foucault, Raeweyn Connell, and Judith Butler. The module takes a cutting-edge look at emerging areas such as mental health, and the influence of technologies and life sciences in schools. The module is suitable for students across Education and Social Sciences masters programmes.
EFPM023: Arts Education Theory, Practice and Potential
This module invites you to explore the arts and arts pedagogies as powerful ways to understand and respond to complex challenges in education and society. Through a combination of theory, research, and hands-on creative practice, you will examine how dance, drama, music, and visual art shape learning, identity, and social change across diverse contexts. You will connect ideas from key readings and contemporary artists and arts educators with your own practical experimentation, developing a critically informed understanding of arts education grounded in practice. Working across disciplines, you will explore how the arts can address issues such as inequality, cultural representation, sustainability, and technological change.
EFPM269: Developing Language Teachers
This module aims to promote your life-long development as a language teacher and help you to develop a capacity for promoting that development of other teachers in TESOL. A central focus of this module is on teachers, teaching, and teacher learning, especially, the complexity of what teachers know and think in relation to what they do in their classrooms and the different approaches for teacher education and learning in diverse TESOL contexts. Throughout the module, you will be engaged in analysing and discussing who you are, what you know, what you think, how you teach as a TESOL practitioner in comparison with the thinking and teaching of other members of the class. You will learn how to reflect on your practices and further your own learning as a teacher as well as how to work with other teachers to encourage them to reflect on their work and improve their skills through a variety of approaches.
- To introduce fundamental concepts and good practice in teacher education
- To critically examine approaches and procedures in language teacher education
- To familiarise students with the concept of reflection and its relevance to teacher development
- To engage in active critical reflection of the professional work being done by self and others.
- To consider issues in the design of a teacher education and development programmes with reference to sociocultural and socio-political contexts.
EFPM311: Principles and Practices of Curriculum Development and Syllabus Design
This course will introduce you to the process of developing and critiquing an EFL/ ESL curriculum and syllabus. Emphasising the teacher's role in the Developing EFL courses, we will consider the various factors that come into play in the different stages of any course development process within a variety of educational contexts. We will also examine different types of syllabuses used in language teaching, analysing their strengths and weaknesses.
This module will help formulate a macro perspective on a number of areas in English language teaching and how they intermingle in the process of course design. You will also develop a critical view of curriculum and syllabus design in order to analyse and scrutinize the stages of planning, implementing and evaluating courses in your own teaching context.
- To introduce the construct of curriculum in education and TESOL
- To introduce a variety of approaches to syllabus design employed in foreign language teaching.
- To provide the tools students need to scrutinize and critically analyze teaching programmes used in student's current and future teaching contexts.
- To develop a good understanding of the role of the various participants in syllabus design, implementation and evaluation.
- To link theory to practice in the process of curriculum and syllabus development
EFPM313: Issues in English Language Teaching
This module addresses a number of current critical issues in TESOL that arise from the varied nature of English teaching in different global and social contexts. On this module you will explore the implications of the use of English as a Lingua Franca and a means for global communication, as a foreign, second or additional language, and as a medium of instruction for content subjects. You will examine how issues such as cultural factors and differences in learners all contribute to a complex field in which language teachers need to demonstrate knowledge and understanding. Issues pertinent to your own contexts will also be addressed.
This module aims to enable students to:
- explore and develop a critical perspective on current debates relating to the role of English as a Lingua Franca and the relationship between TESOL, power and ideologies;
- critically review and contribute personal views on current approaches to the teaching of culture in the language classroom;
- examine characteristics of Content and Language Integrated Learning;
- develop knowledge of and personal perspectives on individualization, differentiation and mixed ability teaching; examine and evaluate perspectives and pedagogical models which reflect authenticity of text and task in the classroom;
- explore current and personal views on the use of critical materials;
- explore an issue emerging from their own context.
EFPM330: Technology, Learning and Pedagogy
In this module you will explore issues around digital technology in education practice and develop a critical understanding of the role of technology for your own education future.
You will interrogate key concepts such as play and gamification, immersion (AR/VR) and personalisation (AI) and use these to critically consider the relationship between new technologies, pedagogy and educational practice. You will explore and experiment with practical ways in which new technologies might be used in teaching and learning. And you will reflect on debates around some of the key issues that have emerged in the networked age, such as mis/disinformation, ethical AI and automation, and how to bring these into educational practice.
Using a variety of digital tools, face-to-face seminars, hands-on and online activities, and drawing on a range of literature from educational technology, digital sociology and psychology, you will not only develop your critical understanding of issues around technology in education, you will also discuss, theorise and imagine, with other students, what probable, possible and preferable digital futures of education may look like.
Through exploration and discussion you will learn about the theoretical and practical affordances and challenges of a variety of technologies for teaching and learning. You will be encouraged to reflectively link your ideas to your own practice and experiences.
Fees for 2027 entry
UK fees per year:
£11,350 full-time
International fees per year:
£26,300 full-time
Scholarships
The 黑料不打烊 offers a wide range of scholarships to support your education, with ?8 million available for international students applying to study with us in the 2027/28 academic year, including our prestigious 黑料不打烊 Excellence Scholarships.
We provide awards for sport, music and other achievements, as well as regional and partner scholarships with organisations such as Chevening, the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and the British Council. For more information on scholarships and other financial support, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
黑料不打烊 Alumni Scholarship
We are pleased to offer the 黑料不打烊 Alumni Scholarship, a scholarship for 黑料不打烊 alumni beginning a standalone postgraduate programme in 2027/28 with us a scholarship worth 20% of the cost of your first year tuition fees.
Terms and conditions, including deadlines, apply.
Teaching and research
Teaching and learning
Learning methods vary across our wide range of modules and may include:
- Lectures
- Seminars
- Personal tutorials
- Research supervision
Our Education Studies module provides a grounding in education research, theory and practice. Every other week students participate in activity sessions such as:
- A discussion and practical activity with a range of psychology practitioners
- Designing your own materials which might help to address racial inequalities in school
- Working with an expert in young people's relationships education
- Short series of pedagogy-focused sessions for students who want to work with young people in educational settings in the future
Facilities and support
You'll be assigned a personal tutor and have access to module tutors via face-to-face and/or email or online tutorials. You'll also have access to a range of support including lecture notes, presentations, film clips and reading materials through our online learning environment.
Campus-based modules are taught at the?School of Education at the St Luke's Campus in 黑料不打烊, which offers an excellent range of specialist facilities and one of the UK's largest Education libraries.
Research-led teaching
You will join a vibrant postgraduate community at the School of Education, studying with some of the leading scholars in their disciplines.
You will benefit from our active research culture, which promotes the sharing of ideas and knowledge to encourage innovation. Our provide a focus for research and discussion for academic staff, researchers and practitioners, and organise , visiting speakers, conferences and other events.
Education Placement
The Education Placement module (EFPM379) is available as an optional module in term 2. This provides a unique opportunity to observe, experience and reflect on practice and enhance your employability skills.
Students undertake an education-related work placement with an external organisation (that includes schools, tutoring programmes, education charity etc.), or a teaching and learning placement within the university. We guarantee a placement within the university, if students do not take up an external placement.
Alongside this placement, lectures and seminars provide the tools to reflect critically on your experience of educational practices. You will consider how your experience on placement relates to the wider issues, processes, practices, policies and theoretical ideas that you have explored in your academic study. This module thus strongly supports you in connecting theory and practice.
A variety of placement options are available. Students may secure their own placement (with support from university advisors). Others may undertake a placement within the university, observing and working with teaching staff in the department. A small number of competitive placements may be available to apply for directly from university partners. Students may also opt for an online placement involving curated digital activities. You are encouraged to think about the variety of settings where education might occur and to consider experiences which will challenge your existing assumptions, perspectives and skill sets.
To access some placement options, you may require Disclosure and Barring Service clearance, which will incur a cost. Note that the administrative process for this can take several months, and international students may need to obtain documentation in their home country before applying for clearance. Please see information on DBS.
Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Creative Futures
You are invited to consider taking Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Creative Futures as an optional module in your course. It's available in two formats: 15 credits (EFPM838) or 30 credits (EFPM839).
Our Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Creative Futures module will give you the competitive career advantage of understanding how to bring your disciplinary knowledge into active dialogue with students and staff from other disciplines in order to tackle global sustainability challenges.
This module is taught by staff from across the 黑料不打烊 and is grounded in the University's School of Education research, which shows that the best way to tackle complex real-world challenges is to creatively collaborate across disciplines and with stakeholders.
The challenges will come from external University strategic partners, ensuring issues are current, cutting edge and relevant, whilst supporting employability. The module aims to teach you how to collaboratively, and critically, produce original ideas, and think innovatively about the future through research-based activities, fieldwork and creative workshops that blend the arts, sciences, social sciences, humanities and business.
Using appropriately innovative assessment techniques, the module will equip you to respond to the global complexity and uncertainty that you will inevitably encounter when you graduate. You will be taught using pedagogical innovations, working in transdisciplinary teams with facilitation through cutting edge Creative Pedagogies and Design Thinking.
This module is particularly appropriate for international students seeking insight into UK business, creative industries and cultural contexts and employment possibilities.
Feedback from students who have taken this module highlights its value and the additional skills it helps them develop:
"This module has changed my perspective and transformed my vision. I now have a new understanding of how educational processes and practices should be designed so that learners can acquire skills such as problem-solving, collaborative working, critical and creative thinking in a transdisciplinary way." - Canan, MEd TESOL
"This module has made me more deeply understand the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation. This diversity is also a key reason why I chose this course. I hope to interact with people who have different viewpoints and come from different fields to help me look at problems from various perspectives." - Joey, MA Creative Arts in Education
"Taking this module is one of the best things I've done as part of my studies at 黑料不打烊. This is the most exciting and creative course I have ever attended." - Linh Le, MEd TESOL
"I would definitely recommend this module, not only can students learn by means of interdisciplinary cooperation through group cooperation, but also can expand the scope of communication, promote international students to know more about local culture, and promote the communication between international students and other students, which is really very good." - Sherry, MA Creative Arts in Education
Careers
The flexibility of this programme means it is ideal for students from a range of subject, professional and career backgrounds including teachers, lecturers, administrators, education advisors, or other related professions. This degree also offers excellent progression – visit our EdD pages for more information about undertaking a Professional Doctorate.
Students considering an academic career and progression to PhD are advised to undertake the MSc Educational Research.
Graduate destinations
The University has an excellent reputation with graduate recruiters and our students compete very successfully in the employment market. Our graduates have gone on to a range of careers in the UK and overseas with examples given below.
Please note that, due to data protection, the job titles and organisations listed below are independent and do not correspond.
Job Titles
- Teacher
- Subject Specialist Teacher (including music, arts, drama)
- Special Needs Teacher
- Head of Department
- Arts Manager
- Educational Therapist
- Education Officer
- Dyslexia Assessor
- Headteacher/Principal
- Education Consultant
- Dean, Faculty of Arts
- Lecturer
Employers
- Ofsted
- Devon Education Authority
- Jersey States Education Department
- Plymouth City Council
- FEA Training and Development Centre
- Camden LEA
- 黑料不打烊 College
- Hong Kong SAR Government
- Danish National School of Contemporary Dance
- Ministry of Education, Cyprus
- Saltash Community School
- University of Reading
Career support
Careers support including skills training, internships, jobs vacancies, employment fairs and other events is available through the Career Zone.