About this qualification
Delivered by our partners at the National Institute of Teaching and Education (NITE).
If you are an experienced teacher and a school leader, or aspire to be one, then this course could be for you. Designed by experienced head teachers, it incorporates a deep set of leadership theories to encourage you to reflect on how your learning can improve your professional practice.
Our MA in Educational Leadership is a taught master’s degree delivered via an online or blended delivery model (online and in-person). The blended version includes two 3-day residentials near Milton Keynes in the UK.
Our course maintains that:
- The skills of effective leadership can be learnt and improved.
- There is no single and exclusive inherited leadership characteristic.
- By developing an understanding of the core principles of effective leadership and applying these principles in an authentic manner, responding appropriately to the context, the abilities of a leader can be improved.
Entry Requirements
Prior experience in teaching or in schools is not a pre-requisite of acceptance onto the qualification. Trainees can include recent graduates who have secured a teaching or teaching assistant job in a school, career changers and teachers/assistants who have worked in a school for a time but have no formal teaching qualification. To gain entry to the qualification, all trainees must:
Employment
Be employed in a school for the duration of your study
Higher Education
Hold an undergraduate degree or equivalent as assessed by NARIC
Applicants whose first language is not English should have an IELTS of 6.5 overall.
Participants whose first language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in verbal and written English language equivalent to IELTS 6.5 overall with no component less than 5.5, or TOEFL 600. If you have IELTS 6.0 you may be eligible to study our online pre-sessional English qualification.
Qualification information
Our Educational Leadership Master’s programme immerses you in diverse materials: research-based readings, successful and failed leadership case studies, covering themes like teaching, cultural change, and school stakeholders. These materials foster understanding of effective leadership principles and self-improvement.
We emphasize a principle-driven approach, showing how leaders can adapt them to their personalities and skills, enhancing day-to-day professional lives.
The curriculum introduces theories, psychology, and current research on leadership, memory, and learning, all tied to practical application in modern education. Real-life cases highlight leadership’s variety and entertainment.
Career Path
On successful completion of this course, you will have gained valuable knowledge and practical experience in educational leadership. You will have developed skills in areas such as strategic planning, staff management, curriculum development, policy implementation, and stakeholder engagement. You will have led a transformation project in your organisation and expanded your leadership skill set.
Units Covered
Comprising six modules and an ‘action-research’ project, the qualification is typically part-time over two years, flexible based on personal/professional needs. Flexible delivery includes modular study with exit awards: Postgrad Certificate (60 credits) or Postgrad Diploma (120 credits). Our blended version includes two 3-day residentials, fostering peer support and collaboration at the Silverstone campus, with accommodation and meals covered.
Blended: September start. Online: September, January, April start.
How you’ll be taught
Online study including tutorials, group discussions, engagement with reading materials and case studies.
Year One
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Unit 1
Overview
You’ll have a designated university tutor who will conduct an initial self-analysis discussion with you via online conferencing. This helps assess your leadership experience and study goals, including your final project. Throughout the qualification, your tutor guides discussions, case study responses, and acts as your main point of contact. Year one focuses on teaching theory, key skills, and fundamental leadership principles, offering engaging online materials. These cover effective leadership evidence, institutional culture, and leader-follower needs. Case study exercises emphasize core themes, encouraging critical evaluation and tailored individual approaches.
Unit 2
Leadership Theory
This module aims to develop and enhance your understanding of the fundamental theories and principles which underlie effective leadership in schools. This is enriched by a varied collection of case studies from a range of settings. Students critically evaluate leadership concepts and apply them to their own practice.
Unit 3
Leadership of Culture
This module introduces you to the importance of institutional culture. It explores analytical models which provide a research base for understanding how cultures operate in a school context. The module investigates the features of leadership behaviour that determine a school’s culture and how change is inspired and inhibited.
Unit 4
Leadership of People
This module develops your understanding of the effective leadership of the people in a school setting. You will critically reflect on key themes such as teacher and staff management, lesson observation, target setting and performance.
Final Year
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Unit 1
Overview
This qualification cultivates confident, effective leaders who blend theory and practice to enhance school performance. Year two emphasizes teaching and learning leadership. You’ll explore teaching best practices, professionalizing teaching, learning science, and linking theory to classroom practice. The programme ends with an individual action-research project, bridging theory and practice, focusing on change leadership in your context.
Unit 2
Leadership of teaching and Learning
This module aims to develop your ability to lead teaching and learning in a school setting and influence pupil outcomes. It aims to build expertise in the analysis of classroom performance, the science and theory of pedagogy and the development of teacher skills.
Unit 3
Action Research Proposal
In this module, students have the chance to plan a substantive piece of individual research into leadership within their own context, applying theory to practice. You are supported with the additional research skills required, including online sessions on research methods and ethics in educational research.
Unit 4
Action Research Project
Following the research proposal, you can implement your research project, investigating an area related to their professional practice. You will select an appropriate methodology, consider research design, methods and ethics. It should be presented in a written format to a Master’s level, interpreting your findings and making recommendations for its implementation.
We regularly review our qualification content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, qualification modules may be updated.
How you’ll be assessed
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods, depending upon the module.
Assessment methods include:
- Case study research
- Online discussions
- Written responses to real-life situations and longer written projects on ‘The Nature of Leadership’ and ‘The Leadership of Teaching and Teachers’
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progress towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.
Fees & Funding
Student
Full-time
Part-time
UK
Not available
£5,000- Online only
£6,500 – Blended learning
International
Not available
£5,000- Online only
£8,000 – Blended learning
