Education (Wales): Leadership, MA

Work in a Welsh maintained school (or in the case of ALN Pathway this could include a Welsh FE institution).

Educated to degree level or equivalent.

Registered with the EWC (which must be maintained throughout the course of the programme).

Employed on a minimum of 0.4 FTE contract, this can include supply teachers who are on long term contracts either with a Local Authority, school or an agency.

Candidates should have, where possible, the support of their Head teacher (or equivalent such as Principal, MD, CEO or Head of Service).

To be eligible for funding you must:

1. Be an early career stage practitioner i.e., an individual in years 3-6 of practice as a teacher at the start of the programme, or

• ITE partner school staff.

• Teaching Assistants who meet the academic entry requirements for the programme.

• School Improvement Partners/regional consortia staff/Estyn staff/LAstaff/Middle tier.

• ALNCO (including FE).

• Applicants on the fringe of years 3-6 criteria but at the discretion of the university and in exceptional circumstances.

Please note that the requirement to be in years 3-6 of practice does not apply to either the ALN or Leadership Pathway.

Students with appropriate teaching qualifications may be eligible for 60 credits of Recognised Prior Learning and will not need to complete the modules in year 1. For students without relevant Recognised Prior Learning, these modules will be compulsory:

• Pedagogy and Practice (20 credits)
• Collaboration and Professional Practice (20 credits)
• Evidence-Informed Practice (20 credits)

Year 2 will see students taking one core module (20 credits), Advanced Research Enquiry Skills, alongside any 2 optional specialist modules (all 20 credits):

• Leading and Managing Education Professionals
• Leading Organisational Change
• Leading within and across Education Systems

Year 3 will be a 60 credit Dissertation

200 hours of study per 20 credit module, of which 22 will be contact hours. Learning will be a blend of online and face-to-face. Activities will be a combination of lectures, seminars, group activities and individual activities.

Students on this course will join students on the same course at 6 other HEIs. There will be peer-to-peer support hosted on the EWC PLP, alongside all the regular Swansea University support services and mechanisms.

At least 80 credits

You can study 80 credits or more of this postgraduate course through the medium of Welsh. You can study a combination of modules through the medium of Welsh where there is the opportunity and / or submit your dissertation in Welsh with guidance from a subject specialist through the medium of Welsh.

Academi Hywel Teifi is here to support you throughout your time at Swansea University. We can offer you:

• Access to generous Welsh-language study scholarships or bursaries.
• Access to modules taught wholly or partly in Welsh.
• Access to the Arwain app for the latest information about Welsh-medium courses and modules available to download free on the App Store and Google Play.
• An interview through the medium of Welsh when applying for a place.
• Personal correspondence in Welsh, English or bilingually.
• The option to create and submit your coursework or sit exams through the medium of Welsh (even if you have chosen to study in English), and your work will be assessed in Welsh.
• A Welsh-speaking Personal Tutor.
• One-to-one support to improve your academic Welsh language skills.
• Membership of the Swansea University Branch of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

Visit the Welsh Language Rights webpage for further information about Students' Welsh Language Rights.

Continuing to study through the medium of Welsh will be:

• a natural step for you if you have studied through the medium of Welsh at undergraduate level.
• a way of maximizing your chances of getting the best education.
• a way of receiving a high level of support as the study groups are smaller.
• a valuable addition to your CV and career development.

The course is offered bilingually and therefore you can study in both English and Welsh.

Our degrees are taught by experts, who have a wealth of knowledge to pass on to our students.

You can find out more about our academic expertise on our staff pages.

Tuition fees for years of study after your first year are subject to an increase of 3%.

You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

International students and part-time study: It may be possible for some students to study part-time under the Student Visa route. However, this is dependent on factors relating to the course and your individual situation. It may also be possible to study with us if you are already in the UK under a different visa category (e.g. Tier 1 or 2, PBS Dependant, ILR etc.). Please visit the University information on Visas and Immigration for further guidance and support.

Current students: You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.

If you're a UK or EU student starting a master’s degree at Swansea University, you may be eligible to apply for Government funding to help towards the cost of your studies. To find out more, please visit our postgraduate loans page.

To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a number of generous scholarships and bursaries for students who wish to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually. For further information about the opportunities available to you, visit the Academi Hywel Teifi Scholarships and Bursaries page.

See funding criteria.

Access to your own digital device/the appropriate IT kit will be essential during your time studying at Swansea University. Access to wifi in your accommodation will also be essential to allow you to fully engage with your programme. See our dedicated webpages for further guidance on suitable devices to purchase, and for a full guide on getting your device set up.

You may face additional costs while at university, including (but not limited to):

• Travel to and from campus
• Printing, photocopying, binding, stationery and equipment costs (e.g. USB sticks)
• Purchase of books or texts
• Gowns for graduation ceremonies

Swansea Employability Academy (SEA) will support you at each stage of your career journey helping you build a bright future.

Our career support services include:

• Employability workshops, employers’ talks, bespoke events and careers fairs
• Individual advice and guidance from professionally qualified Careers Advisers
• Help with finding jobs, internships, work placements and volunteering opportunities
• Access to information resources on a wide range of career management topics
• Funding to support student internship opportunities and Student Society/Club events.

We also provide help and advice for Swansea University Alumni up to two years after you graduate.

The National MA Education (Wales), The National MA Education (Wales) Additional Learning Needs and The National MA Education (Wales) Leadership have been designed to equip participants with key learning experiences to support their research and enquiry into professional practice. It will enhance their leadership capabilities, encourage professional autonomy, and improve professional judgement in all contexts and situations. This practice-focused emphasis will equip education practitioners to act ethically, engage critically with research and practice, work collaboratively and to respond innovatively to challenges in their context. 

As well as subject specific support by college teaching staff and your personal tutor, the Centre for Academic Success provides courses, workshops and one-to-one support in areas such as:

• Academic writing
• Maths and statistics
• Critical thinking
• Time management
• Digital skills
• Presentation skills
• Note taking
• Revision, memory and exam techniques
• English language skills (if English is not your first language).

In addition, if you have a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), disability, mental health or medical condition, the Centre for Academic Success have Specialist Tutors to support your learning, working alongside the Disability Office and Wellbeing Service to support all your needs and requirements whilst studying at Swansea University.

Please note that candidates must complete all of the forms listed below and submit along with their formal application form:

RPL policy

Recognition of Prior Learning Application Form

Supplementary Application Form

Student Exemplars

EU students - visa and immigration information is available and will be regularly updated on our information for EU students page.

We recommend that you submit your application to our courses as early as you can in advance of our application deadlines. Courses will close earlier than the application deadlines listed if all available places are filled. You can find further information on our Application Deadlines webpage.

How do I apply?

Please apply direct to your first-choice institution.

Who is this programme for?

The National MA Education (Wales) and the specialist ALN and Leadership pathways are truly transformative and sector leading programmes for educational professionals in Wales, from early career teachers to senior leaders. The educational landscape in Wales is changing rapidly. Teaching not only requires the mastery of a complex set of skills to guide, motivate, and facilitate student learning, but also the ability to enquire into professional practice in order to improve it. The National MA Education (Wales), which has been collaboratively developed by seven universities in Wales, through direct engagement with a variety of key stakeholders including Welsh Government - will ensure that all education professionals in Wales have the same high-quality opportunity to enhance their professional knowledge, engage with research, and to improve their professional practice.

What specialist pathways are there within the National MA Education (Wales)?

The National MA Education (Wales): Additional Learning Needs is a truly transformative and sector leading programme for educational professionals in Wales, from early career teachers to senior leaders with an interest in Additional Learning Needs.

The educational landscape in Wales is changing rapidly. Teaching not only requires the mastery of a complex set of skills to guide, motivate, and facilitate student learning, but also the ability to enquire into professional practice in order to improve it.

The National MA Education (Wales): Additional Learning Needs programme - which has been collaboratively developed by seven universities in Wales, through direct engagement with a variety of key stakeholders including Welsh Government - will ensure that all education professionals in Wales have the same high-quality opportunity to enhance their professional knowledge, engage with research, and to improve their professional practice in the area of Additional Learning Needs. The National MA Education (Wales): Leadership is a truly transformative and sector leading programme for educational professionals in Wales, from early career teachers to senior leaders with an interest in leadership.

The educational landscape in Wales is changing rapidly. Teaching not only requires the mastery of a complex set of skills to guide, motivate, and facilitate student learning, but also the ability to enquire into professional practice in order to improve it.

The National MA Education (Wales): Leadership programme - which has been collaboratively developed by seven universities in Wales, through direct engagement with a variety of key stakeholders including Welsh Government - will ensure that all education professionals in Wales have the same high-quality opportunity to enhance their leadership and professional knowledge, engage with research, and improve their professional practice.

What are the entry requirements?

• Be educated to degree level or equivalent;
• Have qualified teacher status (QTS) and be registered with the EWC as a teacher in a school, an advisory teacher in a local authority or a teacher in a setting such as a pupil referral unit (QTS and EWC registration must be maintained throughout the course of the programme) OR be a college lecturer and be registered with the EWC (EWC registration must be maintained throughout the course)
• Be employed by a maintained school in Wales / college in Wales / local authority in Wales as a teacher / lecturer / advisory teacher OR be employed by a registered independent school or specialist college;
• Be employed on a minimum of 0.4 FTE contracts, this can include supply teachers/lecturers who are on long term contracts either with a Local Authority, school, college or an agency;
• Be accepted/enrolled on this specific Masters in Education offered by the seven partnership HEIs which are:
  • Swansea University
  • Aberystwyth University
  • Bangor University
  • Cardiff Met
  • UWTSD
  • USW
  • Wrexham Glyndwr University
• Candidates should have, where possible, the required approvals and support from their employer (school, local authority, setting or college) to undertake the National Masters in Education.
• Where someone has already achieved a subject specific Masters, they are still eligible to apply for the funding towards this programme.
• No other Masters in Education qualifications offered by the HEIs are eligible for this funding.

Does the course require a specific degree classification at UG level?

No - but candidates must hold Qualified Teacher Status and meet the specified eligibility criteria.

What is Recognition of Prior Learning?

Recognition of Prior Learning signifies the process recognising learning achieved by an individual before entry to the MA. For the purpose of this programme, the term covers the following: a) Credit Transfer - Where the credits or qualification have been awarded by a UK higher education institution as part of a formal qualification; b) Recognition of Prior experiential Learning (RPeL) – where learning gained through experience is assessed and recognised. (See new RPL documents)

Can I be exempted from part of the MA i.e., accepted with Recognition of Prior Learning?

It may be possible to admit you to the MA with advanced standing on the basis of M-Level modules studied elsewhere in the UK during the last five years. Please apply using the standard application form but ensure that you include your previous academic transcripts plus a copy of the course syllabus giving details of learning outcomes and credit weightings.

What documents do I need to send you?

A personal Statement or CV (the latter is required if you are applying for Accreditation of Experiential Learning; If you are applying for Credit Transfer, you will need to enclose your QTS Academic Transcript listing modules; Supplementary Funding Application form if you are applying for Welsh Government financial support studied and grades obtained.

How do I apply for Recognition of Prior Learning?

Recognition of Prior Learning (often referred to as RPL) enables Universities to make exemptions for modules or subject areas that applicants have already ‘completed’, either through formal education or through professional experience and development. Successful candidates will therefore not be required to repeat or complete learning that they are recognised as having already achieved.

The National MA Education (Wales) has been designed to recognise that many students will already have qualifications and/or professional experience that means they can demonstrate that they have achieved the modules comprising Year 1 of the programme, so that they do not need to repeat content. Recognition of Prior Learning will not apply to year 2 modules or the Dissertation, all of which must be completed by all students.

As a result, applicants who hold recognised qualifications (e.g. PGCE) and/or significant professional experience may apply for these to be formally recognised to offset some or all of the 60 credits of modules which comprise year 1 of the programme. To be eligible for consideration, applicants must provide appropriate academic and/or professional evidence that they meet the Learning Outcomes for the modules, listed on the RPL Application Form.

If you have a PGCE worth 60 credits at FHEQ Level 7 achieved normally in the last 5 years, you do not need to map your professional learning to the Learning Outcomes on the RPL Application form and should submit your transcript (if you do not have this, you should be able to request a new one from your University). 

If you have QTS without a PGCE, your PGCE was achieved more than 5 years ago, or your PGCE consists of fewer than 60 Level 7 credits, you will need to submit your transcript for any elements of credit that you wish to include, and you will need to map your professional and/or experiential learning to the Learning Outcomes on the RPL Application form to the value of the credits missing (e.g. if your PGCE gives you 40 Level 7 credits, you will only need to demonstrate experiential learning worth 20 credits). You should map to the module(s) with the Learning Outcomes you feel best demonstrate your professional and/or experiential learning.

Where you can only provide evidence against some of the Learning Outcomes, you will enrol on any modules in year one as necessary to complete the necessary Learning Outcomes to progress to year two of the programme.

Student Exemplars:

• A: National MA Supplementary Application form
• B: National MA Supplementary Application form
• C: National MA Supplementary Application form
• D: National MA Supplementary Application form

What is the 'Supplementary Application Form'?

This form will detail initial module preferences for study and if any chosen are linked to either the ALN or Leadership specialist pathways. A statement of support can also be provided here from your school in order to reflect their commitment to your study on the course.

Do I need a GCSE in Welsh Language?

You do not need a GCSE in Welsh Language to apply for this programme.

How can I register on a Virtual Open Day?

Please check individual institutions websites.

Where can I find out more about this Programme?

Please see the course pages.

Do I need to provide a programme specific enhanced criminal disclosure via the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)?

No.

I am a teacher in England/Scotland/Northern Ireland - can I still apply for the programme?

Yes, but you will not be eligible for funding.

I am a teacher from the EU/Overseas - can I still apply for the programme?

No.

How do I apply for funding?

Follow the application process for the Programme, your funding eligibility will be determined by a funding panel.

What is the process for applying for funding the National MA Education (Wales), the National MA in Education (Wales) Additional Learning Needs and the National MA in Education (Wales) Leadership?

There is one set of funding criteria for the National MA and all pathways for 2022 start. Candidates from independent schools and the Regions please refer to the ALN and Leadership pathway funding criteria only.

Am I eligible for funding?

See funding criteria.

The funding eligibility criteria states that I must be in year 3 to 6 of practice at the start of the course, what does this mean?

Teachers in years 3-6 of their career qualify for funding. However, if you choose to follow the ALN or Leadership pathways, you can be at any stage of your career to qualify. Staff from ITE Partner schools, Local Authority, ESTYN and Teaching Assistants also qualify for full Welsh Government funding.

Why is the funding only available for teachers in years 3-6 of practice?

The funding for this programme is offered by the Welsh Government as part of the Early Career Teacher Package. However, there are other funded routs available. Please contact the Programme Director for more information.

I am not in years 3-6 of practice - what are my options for funding?

Funding is also available for teachers at any stage of their career if they choose the ALN or Leadership pathway. Staff from ITE Partner schools, Local Authority, ESTYN and Teaching Assistants also qualify for full Welsh Government funding.

Following completion of my NQT induction, I spent a period of time working overseas / took a career break, does this count?

Time spent employed as a teacher outside of the UK or time taken as a career break will not be counted as years of practice.

Do I need to maintain my registration with the EWC for the duration of the programme?

Yes, you should be registered with the EWC as schoolteacher (which must be maintained throughout the course of the programme).

Am I required to have a teaching contract for a minimum period of time, e.g. an academic term / year? What happens if my contract ends part way through the programme?

Yes as long as you are employed on a minimum of 0.4 FTE contract, this can include supply teachers/lecturers who are on long term contracts either with a Local Authority, school, college or an agency.

I am employed as a teacher in a number of schools and my contracts total more than 0.4FTE. Am I eligible for funding?

Yes, as long as your contracts total 0.4FTE or higher, you are eligible to apply for funding.

I am a part time and/or supply teacher, can I apply for funding?

Yes, as long as your contracts total 0.4FTE or higher, you are eligible to apply for funding.

I am registered with the EWC but not in the category of schoolteacher, am I still eligible to apply for funding?

No, you must be registered with the EWC in the category of schoolteacher to be eligible to apply for funding.

Do I need to commit to working in Wales after I have completed the MA Education?

In accepting this grant offer teachers are required to continue to work in Wales, within the maintained education system for a minimum of 2 years after completing the programme.

I would like to self-fund, how much are the fees?

If you wish to self-fund your course please speak with the Programme Director, the fee may be different to what is currently stated for self-funding students.

Residency requirement (pre-study)

In order to be eligible for funding you must be resident in Wales (no time limit is stipulated).

I have previously undertaken masters level study, am I eligible for funding for this programme?

If you have previously studied a subject specific master's programme then you are still eligible to apply for funding (subject to meeting all other criteria). Please note that if you have previously undertaken a funded MEd then you will not be eligible to apply for funding for the National MA.

My application for funding was unsuccessful, how can I appeal against the decision?

Applicants who are not satisfied with the decision of the National MA Education (Wales) Funding Award Panel should contact the Chair of the Panel in the first instance.

Who decides on funding allocation?

Upon receipt of your application, the Admissions team at your chosen institution will ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria. The National MA Education (Wales) Funding Award Panel will then assess all eligible applications to determine the outcome and award funding to those who are successful. The Panel consists of representatives from each Partner University and reports to the National Management Board (which has membership from the Welsh Government), to ensure clear accountability and oversight.

How many funded places are available?

There are 500 funded places across the National MA Education (Wales) partnership.

How many funded places are available on the specialist ALN and Leadership pathways?

There are 30 places for the ALN pathway and 50 places for the Leadership pathway, these are not in addition to the 500 but will form part of this cohort who meet the specific eligibility criteria.

Am I eligible for a student loan?

No.

I work in an ITE partner School of University X, is there any funding specific to me?

ITE partner funding is only for students in ITE Partner Schools linked with a particular University. Candidates must be supporting ITE Students.