Educational Leadership and Management (MA)

General entry requirements

Minimum requirements

2:2 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a related subject.

English language requirements

You can find out more about our English language requirementsLink opens in a new window. This course requires the following:

• Band B
• IELTS overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above.

International qualifications

We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.

For more information, please visit the international entry requirements pageLink opens in a new window.

Academic References

We typically ask for one academic reference for taught courses.

You will be asked to include an email address for your referee(s) when submitting your application and we will contact them for you.

View our guide to academic references.Link opens in a new window

Additional requirements

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

Core modules

Optional modules

This programme has a number of optional modules to choose from. Our optional module lists are subject to change each year to keep the student learning experience current and up-to-date.

Find the most up-to-date optional module list on the Education Studies website.Link opens in a new window

Teaching

For full-time students, all of our modules are delivered in person at our well-equipped university campus. Please note that if you wish to study on a part-time basis you should be aware that most modules are taught during the normal working day and there is no out-of-hours provision. If this is a consideration for you please contact us prior to applying so that we can advise you further. Part-time students are able to complete some of their modules as asynchronous distance-learning modules. 

Most modules include weekly teaching sessions, giving you the opportunity to join with your colleagues to discuss and debate the topics being explored. These sessions are delivered in a range of formats that suit the module (these may include lectures, seminars, group work and practical workshops, for example). In addition, you will be given various pre- and post-session tasks and readings to support your learning. 

Typical contact hours

You will attend one or two 3-hour lectures and/or seminars each week during the Autumn and Spring Terms of modules plus research methods training lectures and seminars throughout all three terms.

Assessment

Assessment types vary depending on modules selected but may be a mixture of assignments and oral presentations. You will also complete a dissertation based on an individual research project, with support from a research supervisor. 

Reading lists

If you would like to view reading lists for current or previous cohorts of students, most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library on the Talis Aspire platform.  

You can search for reading lists by module title, code or convenor. Please see the modules tab of this page or the module catalogue.   

Please note that some reading lists may have restricted access or be unavailable at certain times of year due to not yet being published. If you cannot access the reading list for a particular module, please check again later or contact the module’s host department.  

Additional course costs

You may wish to undertake some research with children or young people that may require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check or a Certificate of Good Conduct for students from outside of the UK. A Certificate of Good Conduct can vary in price.

Please contact your academic department for information about department specific costs, which should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below, such as:

• Core text books
• Printer credits
• Dissertation binding
• Robe hire for your degree ceremony

Find out more about our additional course costs.

Your timetable

Your personalised timetable will be complete when you are registered for all modules, compulsory and optional, and you have been allocated to your lectures, seminars and other small group classes. Your compulsory modules will be registered for you and you will be able to choose your optional modules when you join us.

Helping you find the right career

Our degrees equip you with the skills and experiences needed to excel in your career. With access to exceptional career services, industry connections, and global opportunities, we’ll inspire and help you to aim high and achieve your goals. Our guidance ensures you graduate as a well-rounded professional ready for lifelong success. 

The median salary for University of Warwick 2021/22 postgraduates whose main employment was full-time work in the UK was £38,000 (based on 971 respondents - 17% of the total postgraduate population)*.

Previous graduates from the Department of Education Studies have pursued occupations such as the following*: 

• Authors, writers and translators 
• Business and financial project management professionals 
• Charitable organisation managers and directors 
• Education advisor and school inspectors 
• Education managers and leaders 
• Primary, secondary and higher education teaching professionals 
• Higher level teaching assistants 
• Nursery education teaching professionals
• Officers in armed forces
• Social and humanities scientists
• Social workers
• Welfare and housing associate professionals
• Youth and community workers 

Graduates of this course would be well equipped to work in leadership positions relating to early years and children’s education, in addition to informal and non-formal educational institutions and organisations, including but not limited to NGOs, charities, local government educational provision. 

Helping you find the right career 

Your career path is unique to you. Our university careers team offer personalised support to help you develop your skills, plan your career path, and get experience at any point during your time at Warwick, and after graduation.  

The dedicated, professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant we work with offers impartial advice and guidance together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include: 

• Careers in Education 
• Careers with Children and Young People 
• Warwick careers fairs throughout the year 
• Meet Your Alumni: real-life career stories from the Department of Education Studies Alumni 

Discover more about postgraduate careers support at Warwick. 

Education Studies at Warwick

Education Studies is an interdisciplinary department committed to high quality, rigorous interdisciplinary research, scholarship and teaching in the broad and diverse field of Education.

What does it mean to study and research Education?

Education provides us with an essential foundation for a fulfilling life in a thriving and equitable society – it underpins how we act and see the world and is the engine of social and cultural change and reproduction.

Education gives the basis for innovation in thought, culture and technology; it nurtures a sense of citizenship and social participation; it underpins our political and economic robustness; and is the foundation of the knowledge and skills that society shares.

Education is fundamentally about human development, knowledge and social justice. Education is something that everyone experiences: it is life-long and society wide; it is local as well as global; it takes place in the home, in prisons, in refugee centres, in places of worship, in the workplace, on the sports field, in the theatre, in the pub as well as in the classroom.

Education is inherently interdisciplinary – it is an applied field of study which draws on a range of disciplines including: sociology, psychology, history and philosophy. It is necessarily pluralist and eclectic, drawing upon a range of theoretical, conceptual and methodological perspectives.

Therefore, in studying and researching Education we work to understand the fundamental questions about why we educate, how we educate, who we educate and what purpose education serves.

Find out more about us on our websiteLink opens in a new window

Our Postgraduate Taught courses

• Childhood in Society (MA)
• Drama and Theatre Education (MA)
• Drama Education and English Language Teaching (MA)
• Education (MA)
• Educational Innovation (MA)
• Educational Leadership and Management (MA)
• Global Education and International Development (MA)
• Islamic Education (PGA)
• Islamic Education: Theory and Practice (MA)
• Leading Educational Change and Improvement (PGA)
• Psychology and Education (MA)
• Research Methods in Education (PGA)

Our Postgraduate Research courses

• Education (MPhil/PhD)
• Education and Psychology (MPhil/PhD)

Tuition fees

Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and registration and some student amenities.

Find your taught course fees  

Fee Status Guidance

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.

Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?

If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.

Find out more about how universities assess fee status

Additional course costs

As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.

For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on the course web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module Catalogue (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).

Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2025/26 year of study). Information about module department specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:

• Core text books
• Printer credits
• Dissertation binding
• Robe hire for your degree ceremony

Scholarships and funding