MEd Educational Leadership
ApplyKey facts
- Start date: September
- Application deadline: August
- Study mode and duration: 36 months part-time
Study with us
- enhance your professional practice in leadership
- develop your understanding of leadership and the purposes which educational leadership serves
- gain insights into your own professional development and an understanding of yourself as a leader
Why this course?
If you're already in employment and looking for a qualification to enhance your professional practice, this is the course for you. The course will be delivered by a high-quality team of staff, including experts in their fields of study with experience of leadership in educational settings.
The MEd Educational Leadership is part-time blended learning course, designed for professionals working in education, who are already in or want to move into leadership roles.
You'll develop your understanding of leadership, the purposes which educational leadership serves, school improvement, and the international, national and local policy contexts that shape how leadership is enacted.
You'll gain a thorough grounding in research methods and reasoning which will enable you to study an area of specific interest to yourself through a dissertation.
The course draws on recent insights into educational leadership across the world. It focuses on leadership in a range of educational settings:
- pre-school
- school
- further education
- higher education
- the voluntary sector
The course will enable you to:
- build on your existing knowledge, understanding skills
- develop insights into your own professional development and your understanding of yourself as a leader
- build understanding which will enable you to develop your leadership capacities and skills
- specialise in an area of specific interest to yourself
What you’ll study
This course is studied part-time over three years.
Induction
You'll attend a one-day induction at a weekend before the course begins. You'll be introduced to the course, receive guidance on study skills and be introduced to our University facilities and systems including the library and our virtual learning environment, Myplace.
Year 1
You'll undertake three classes, normally one class per semester. On-campus classes are delivered either in the evening or on Saturday mornings and involve attending three hours per week. In total, each class should take 200 hours including self-study. If you decide to complete your studies after Year 1, you'll graduate with a Postgraduate Certificate.
Year 2
You'll undertake three classes – one class per semester. These normally include two optional classes and the compulsory Research Methods & Reasoning class. The compulsory class, delivered online via Myplace in Semester 1, provides the basis for undertaking the Masters-level dissertation. Each class should take 200 hours including self-study. If you decide to complete your studies at the end of Year 2, you'll graduate with a Postgraduate Diploma.
Year 3
You’ll carry out a research dissertation of 15,000 words in a subject area of your choice, worth 60 credits. A supervisor, matched with the best fit for your specialist area, will provide one-to-one support while you carry out and report your dissertation.
You can complete your final dissertation by distance learning. This provides the flexibility to complete your studies around work commitments.
Work-based project
As an alternative to a dissertation, you can instigate a strategic change initiative in your workplace and evaluate its impact upon your learning.
Learning & teaching
Teaching will involve a highly interactive approach with clearly set readings and tasks, some of which will be undertaken independently and others in groups.
Assessment
You'll undertake formative tasks throughout the course, including maintaining a reflective journal.
For most classes, assessments will consist of a written assignment (3,000 words) and a piece of reflective writing encouraging you to think about your professional learning and your understanding of yourself as a leader.
Programme leader
Iain Moore is the course leader. A Strathclyde graduate, Iain has worked as a Principal Teacher, a Teaching Fellow, and is currently Director of STEM within the Strathclyde Institute of Education.
I thoroughly enjoyed the course, met some fantastic friends and had the benefit of being taught by some inspirational lecturers.
MEd Educational Leadership
Course content
Please note that the below is an indicative list of classes. These are subject to change.
Conceptions of Leadership
Level 5, 20 credits
Through study of this module, students will gain insight into the different ways in which leadership is understood and why this is the case.
Leadership for Learning
Level 5, 20 credits
This module will enable you to focus upon the relationship between leadership and learning and the role of leadership in furthering learning.
Leadership for Equity, Inclusion & Social Justice
Level 5, 20 credits
This module will focus upon education for all, inclusive pedagogy, children’s rights and issues of equity and social justice as they pertain to education and the role of leadership in furthering these important ends.
Research Methods & Reasoning
This module will introduce you to research methods and help you develop the criticality required to be able to critique the literature.
Leadership for School Improvement
Level 5, 20 credits
This module will enable you to critique the concept of school improvement as it's portrayed within the policy context and to understand the role of leadership in furthering school improvement.
Contexts for Leadership
Level 5, 20 credits
This module should enable you to develop an understanding of the international and national policy contexts, how this impacts upon educational establishments and the implications of such for leadership.
You’ll choose from the following options, dissertation or strategic leadership and work-based project:
Dissertation
The dissertation will enable you to carry out a detailed study focused upon an area of specific interest.
It can either take the form of a literature-based study or an empirical study. If an empirical study, you might be able to gain access to an educational establishment to carry out your study subject to gaining ethical approval from the University of Strathclyde and undertaking disclosure procedures which are required by the Scottish Government if requiring access to a school.
or
Strategic Leadership
This module focuses upon vision, values, school culture, managing people and managing change effectively. The outcome will be a proposal to instigate a strategic change initiative within the work setting.
Work-based project
Students will instigate a strategic change initiative within their workplace setting and evaluate its impact upon student learning.
Entry requirements
| Academic requirements / experience | A good undergraduate degree, or relevant professional qualification, and a teaching qualification (or its equivalent) or relevant experience within an educational setting. |
|---|
Chat to a student ambassador
If you want to know more about what it’s like to be a Humanities & Social Sciences student at the University of Strathclyde, a selection of our current students are here to help!
Our Unibuddy ambassadors can answer all the questions you might have about courses and studying at Strathclyde, along with offering insight into their experiences of life in Glasgow and Scotland.
Iain Moore is the course leader. A Strathclyde graduate, Iain has worked as a Principal Teacher, a Teaching Fellow, and is currently Director of STEM within the Strathclyde Institute of Education.
Programme leader
Fees & funding
All fees quoted are per 20 credit module unless stated otherwise. Please note second year will be subject to increases.
Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter.
All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision.
Annual revision of fees
Students on programmes of study of more than one year (or studying standalone modules) should be aware that the majority of fees will increase annually. The University will take a range of factors into account, including, but not limited to, UK inflation, changes in delivery costs and changes in Scottish and/or UK Government funding. Changes in fees will be published on the University website in October each year for the following year of study and any annual increase will be capped at a maximum of 10% per year.
| Scotland | £861 |
|---|---|
| England, Wales & Northern Ireland | £861 |
| Republic of Ireland |
If you are an Irish citizen and have been ordinary resident in the Republic of Ireland for the three years prior to the relevant date, and will be coming to Scotland for Educational purposes only, you will meet the criteria of England, Wales & Northern Ireland fee status. For more information and advice on tuition fee status, you can visit the UKCISA - International student advice and guidance - Scotland: fee status webpage. Find out more about the University of Strathclyde's fee assessments process. |
| International | £2,394 |
| Available scholarships | Take a look at our scholarships search for funding opportunities. |
| Additional costs | International students may have associated visa and immigration costs. Please see student visa guidance for more information. |
Please note: the fees shown are annual and may be subject to an increase each year. Find out more about fees.
How can I fund my course?
Scottish postgraduate students
Scottish postgraduate students may be able to apply for support from the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). The support is in the form of a tuition fee loan and for eligible students, a living cost loan. Find out more about the support and how to apply.
Don’t forget to check our scholarship search for more help with fees and funding.
Students coming from England
Students ordinarily resident in England may be to apply for postgraduate support from Student Finance England. The support is a loan of up to £10,280 which can be used for both tuition fees and living costs. Find out more about the support and how to apply.
Don’t forget to check our scholarship search for more help with fees and funding.
Students coming from Wales
Students ordinarily resident in Wales may be to apply for postgraduate support from Student Finance Wales. The support is a loan of up to £10,280 which can be used for both tuition fees and living costs. Find out more about the support and how to apply.
Don’t forget to check our scholarship search for more help with fees and funding.
Students coming from Northern Ireland
Postgraduate students who are ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland may be able to apply for support from Student Finance Northern Ireland. The support is a tuition fee loan of up to £5,500. Find out more about the support and how to apply.
Don’t forget to check our scholarship search for more help with fees and funding.
Applicants should contact their Local Authority to enquire about potential funding opportunities.
Glasgow is Scotland's biggest & most cosmopolitan city
Our campus is based right in the very heart of Glasgow. We're in the city centre, next to the Merchant City, both of which are great locations for sightseeing, shopping and socialising alongside your studies.
Apply
Start date: Sep 2025
Educational Leadership
Contact us
Prospective student enquiries
Contact a member of our team on LiveChat between 10am and 4pm (GMT)
Telephone: +44 (0) 141 444 8600
Have you considered?
We've a range of postgraduate taught and Masters courses similar to this one which may also be of interest.