The MA in Education degree course provides graduates who have academic, professional or personal interests in education with an opportunity to pursue these through study and research at postgraduate level.

• The programme offers a number of elective modules in Educational Sciences and Professional Development.
• Students are exposed to a range of research skills and techniques which enable them to engage with, and produce, high quality educational research

 Full details on the programme can be found on the Graduate Admissions page.

The MEd Leadership (W328) deploys a broad concept of leadership that can be applied to teachers and school leaders at different stages of their career within schools as organisations.

The MEd Leadership is aimed at primary and post-primary teachers in the Irish education system. Applicants must hold an honours degree at undergraduate level (or equivalent) from a higher education institution, a recognised teaching qualification and should ideally have a minimum of three years’ teaching experience in either the Irish primary or Irish post-primary sector.

Programme participants will be  motivated to move into a leadership position as well as to challenge the way they think about their work in a variety of ways. The concept of leadership employed is broad and can be applied to teachers at different stages of their career within schools as organisations. The programme draws on a wide-ranging international literature to focus on contemporary policy, practice and leadership challenges and opportunities.

Year 1 and 2 of the programme includes some face-to-face sessions (typically on Saturdays to accommodate travel and attendance from all corners of the country). Our experience is that the combination of on campus days and online teaching and learning provide a dynamic and transformative learning experience for all students. The programme is intended to provide a dynamic and transformative learning experience for all students. We are committed to developing our students’ critical voice through reading, discussion, peer learning, presentations and critical review. These participative learning experiences have been tried and tested by us and ensure that high quality learning outcomes are achieved.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Leadership is a 30 credit programme and the MEd Leadership is a 90 credit programme (30 credits in Year 1 and 60 credits in Year 2). Year 1 of the PDEL programme corresponds directly with Year 1 of the MEd Leadership programme. Those who successfully complete Year 1 of the PDEL at UCD have the option of applying to Year 2 of the MEd Leadership. You can also apply directly to the 2 Year MEd Leadership programme.

We are offering direct entry to Year 2 of the MEd Leadership programme (W328) for recent graduates of the UCD Professional Diploma in Educational Leadership (W342) who have achieved a 2.1 grade or higher. This pathway is only recommended for graduates of the Professional Diploma in Educational Leadership W342 who have completed the course in the last five years. Students who are entering directly into Year 2 of the MEd Leadership (having already completed the PDEL) will carry their 30-credits from the Diploma into the Masters Programme and complete the remaining 60 credits.c

 Examples of Year 2 MEd Leadership Modules

1. School Effectiveness (10 credits).  This module primarily focuses on the evidentiary warrants that empirical research studies provide for the improvement of teaching, learning and leading in Irish primary and post-primary schools. The module selects significant studies from international literature that cumulatively over time have identified pivotal considerations that feed into the significance of effective schools, with emphasis on leadership for learning, pedagogical leadership, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), data use and effective teaching.
2. Qualitative Research Methods (10 credits). This module will explore different qualitative research methods, including research interviews, focus groups, discourse analysis, visual analysis and ethnography. At the same time, it will reflect upon theoretical and intellectual issues relating to the practice of doing qualitative research. The module will address key issues, debates and controversies relevant for the way we design and evaluate qualitative studies, while also addressing issues about how such studies are intended to function vis a vis the reader.
3. Quantitative Research Methods  (10 credits). This module provides an introduction to quantitative research techniques with a view to participants’ having a clear understanding of the key concepts that relate to quantitative inquiry. This module aims to develop a critical appreciation of the key methods including the generation and interpretation of descriptive and inferential statistics, such as cross-tabulations and chi-square. The evaluation of existing research instruments and the development and design of new questionnaires are discussed, as are the conceptual and contextual factors determining the meaning and value of quantitative data.
4. Research Thesis (30 credits).  Completion of a minor thesis of 15, 000 - 20,000 words on a leadership related topic forms the final programme requirement. This will be undertaken under supervision, and will seek to bring together all elements of your learning but with a particular focus on leadership within your school or cluster with the intention of gaining new insights and understanding as well as seeking to impact the quality of teaching, learning and leading in your own and other’s schools.

Applications for September 2024 are closed. For our next intake, applications will open on October 1st and remain open until June 2025 (exact date to be confirmed). Applications must be submitted online via www.ucd.ie/apply

Please note that this course tends to be oversubscribed annually so unfortunately not all applicants who apply will be offered a place. Late applications will not be considered.

Full details on the programme can be found on the Graduate Admissions page.

The MSc in Children and Youth Studies is an interdisciplinary programme specialising in research, policy and practice relating to children and young people. Underpinned by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the programme focuses on children and young people’s welfare, well-being and development, in the context of the complex and interdependent social issues facing contemporary childhoods and youth.

Full details on the programme can be found on the Graduate Admissions page.

The Professional Master of Education (PME) at the School of Education, University College Dublin is a two-year, full-time Level 9 programme which is creative, innovative and a leading model in teacher education internationally. The PME will qualify its graduates to teach subjects at post-primary level (junior and senior cycles) once they meet the requirements of the Teaching Council for those subjects. For further information on subject qualification please check the (opens in a new window)Teaching Council (opens in a new window)curricular subject requirements available on their website.

During the PME, you will study the foundation disciplines of education, methodologies related to your subject specialism, and hear from speakers, practitioners and researchers from a wide range of organisations who will inform, support and develop your practice as a teacher. You will complete a 6,000 word practitioner research study inquiring into one aspect of your practice as a teacher, which relates specifically to a phenomenon you observe during your school placement. The course is wide-ranging, informative both theoretically and practically, and features cutting-edge, stimulating and interesting contributors who have considerable experience and expertise about Irish schooling and education. 

Full details on the programme can be found on the PME page and the Graduate Admissions page.