About This Course
This is the Welsh-medium course. See the English-medium course here.
The national Education (Wales) MA is a truly transformative and sector leading programme 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 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. Prospective students are encouraged to contact Kaydee Owen.
This is a blended learning programme involving local face-to-face teaching and online learning for all modules. Materials and resources will be hosted on the Welsh Government HWB professional learning platform and students will access the materials and resources via a link through their registered institutional Virtual Learning Environment.
The programme will 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.
There are three different programme pathways available:
MA Education (Wales) – this is a general course and involves studying two optional modules which are combined with studying two compulsory modules - Advanced Research and Enquiry Skills and Dissertation.
MA Education (Wales) Leadership – this course of study involves the study of two specialist modules in leadership combined with studying two compulsory modules, one of which is the Dissertation module based in an area of study related to leadership in education and the other Advanced Research and Enquiry Skills.
MA Education (Wales) Additional Learning Needs - this course of study involves the study of two specialist modules in Additional Learning Needs combined with studying specific compulsory modules, one of which is the Dissertation module based in an area of study related to Additional Learning Needs in education and the other Advanced Research and Enquiry Skills.
Welsh Government funded places are available for Teachers in Wales who are Welsh domiciled and employed at least at 0.4 (FTE) within a maintained school in Wales in years 3-6 of their career. See the Funding tab for details.
As this is a 3 year part-time only programme, it is not open to international students. While it is open to applicants from non-teaching in Wales backgrounds those applicants wouldn’t be eligible for funding from the Welsh Government. It may be possible to use Level 7 qualifications (e.g. a PGCE) as prior learning for up to 60 credits of this masters enabling the course to be completed more quickly.
Video - National Education (Wales) MA
Course Content
What will you study on this course?
Learning will be a blend of online and face-to-face. Activities will be a combination of lectures, seminars, group activities and individual activities.
Assessments are all coursework assignments and will be submitted at the end of each module. Wherever possible, assignments have been designed to complement the working contexts and schedules of full-time teachers.
The six ‘Principles of Masters’ Level Professional Learning in Wales’ will inform the pedagogical content of both the face to face and online instructional design of the modules. These are:
- Professional learning positively impacts on all learners who are at the centre of the NAPL.
- Professional learning enables all practitioners to take a sustained, critical, contextual and collaborative approach to professional practice.
- Professional learning is led by practitioners’ individual needs and interests and is aligned to the National Mission.
- Professional learning develops practitioner research and enquiry skills and knowledge through critical analysis and reflection on practice.
- Professional learning fosters research literacy and evidence-based practice.
- Professional learning enhances pedagogical content knowledge and informs the improvement of professional practice and judgement.
Modules typically include:
- Advanced Research and Enquiry Skills
- Additional Learning Needs
- Excellence in Practice
- Curriculum Design and Realisation
- Evidence-Informed Practice
Modules for the current academic year
Module listings are for guide purposes only and are subject to change. Find out what our students are currently studying on the National Education (Wales) (Welsh-medium) Modules page.
Course content is for guidance purposes only and may be subject to change.
Funding
It has been agreed that Welsh Government will support individuals in their early career stage (years 3-6 of practice as a teacher) to be able to access the Masters from 2021 (covering the course costs).
The information below sets out the criteria that will be required for eligibility to access funding for the programme. Academic eligibility will be defined by the Universities including any credit equivalence values.
The eligibility criteria set out below are specific to students who commence the Masters programme in 2021 (as the Welsh Government will continue to fund students via this grant funded route throughout their study) – future cohorts may be subject to additional or changed criteria.
This is a part-time programme only and is not available to international learners. Please note non-WG funded students are able to access the Masters programme but will not be able to access the special funding identified here.
Eligibility Criteria
All candidates must meet the university’s academic entry requirements. To be eligible you must be:
- Resident in Wales
- Educated to degree level or equivalent; holder of qualified teacher status (QTS) and registered with the EWC
- Employed by a maintained school in Wales as a teacher
- Employed on a minimum of 0.4 FTE contracts, this can include supply teachers who are on long term contracts either with a Local Authority, school or an agency.
- In year 3 to year 6 of practice at the start of the course.
- Accepted /Enrolled on this specific MA Education offered at Bangor University
- Candidates should have where possible the support of their Headteacher and access to a coach and mentor.
For clarity, WG confirm that for this scheme:
- 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.
All prospective candidates for support must acknowledge and agree to the following condition of funding:
- 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.
- Candidates in receipt of this funding must not make an application for further post graduate finance support through the SLC.
Leadership and Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Programme Pathways
Funded places are available for the Leadership programme pathway and the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) programme pathway, eligibility criteria include:
- Holders of qualified teacher status (QTS) and be registered with the EWC.
- Employed 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 OR be a college lecturer and be registered with the EWC.
- Have 60 credits of prior Masters Level learning. This learning must be formally recognised by the HEI.
- To discuss the full list of eligibility criteria or for more information on the ALN pathway, contact Kaydee Owen.
Process to access funding
The grant will be established between the WG and the participating Universities. Individuals will not apply to the WG or SLC for support.
For more information, view our Funding FAQs document.
View our Funding Eligibility, Allocation Process and Terms and Conditions.
Entry Requirements
Candidates must hold Qualified Teacher Status and be currently employed in the compulsory education sector in the UK. Candidates with existing level 7 qualifications (such as a PGCE) may be approved to use up to 60 credits of this prior learning towards the Masters degree and complete the Masters over a shorter time period. Please contact Kaydee Owen for more details.
As this is a 3 year part-time only programme it is not open to international students and while it is open to applicants from non-teaching in Wales backgrounds those applicants wouldn’t be eligible for funding from the Welsh Government. It may be possible to use Level 7 qualifications (e.g. a PGCE) as prior learning for up to 60 credits of this masters enabling the course to be completed more quickly.
Supplementary Application Form: Please ensure you complete all relevant parts of the Supplementary Application form and that your completed form is submitted with your application (your chosen University will provide guidance on how to do this). We are unable to consider applications without the Supplementary Application form.
For more information, view our Admissions FAQ document.
View our Recognition of Prior Learning Policy.
