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Faculty of Education and Language Studies > Study With Us > Postgraduate > Masters in Education

Masters in Education

The Masters in Education is designed particularly for those with experience of teaching, professional development and training, the advisory service, educational administration, or an allied field. It is a modular degree, with options that best fit with your personal interests and professional goals.

There is a core module, E891 (Educational Enquiry), which is compulsory for the Masters Degree. You are strongly advised to take this module first as other modules are written with the assumption that you have.

On successful completion you obtain a Masters of Arts in Education or a Masters in Education. Postgraduate Certificates and Postgraduate Diplomas are also available.

By choosing specific combinations of modules, you can gain a degree with a specialist designation, such as Master of Arts in Education (Leadership & Management) or Master of Education (Leadership & Management). Other specialisms are Applied Linguistics and Equality & Diversity. Successful completion of an OU Masters in Education entitles you to apply for entry into the Doctorate in Education Programme.

OU Masters in Education modules are designed to:

  • equip you to identify issues and concerns in professional areas of interest to you and to design study plans or research strategies to help you deal with them;
  • enable you to make a critical evaluation of academic literature;
  • entroduce you to research methodology and provide you with appropriate knowledge and skills to undertake research; and
  • enhance your professional knowledge and skills.

TDA PPD bursaries

The Open University has been recognised by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) as a high quality provider of CPD for teachers. Students in receipt of postgraduate professional development (PPD) bursaries can continue to be receive them until they complete their studies. This funding is applicable to E801, E807, E846, E848, E849, E852, E854, E856, E859, E891, ED841, ME825 and SEH806. The TDA are not supporting any new applications for PPD bursaries. From September 2011, only those already in receipt of bursaries in previous academic years are eligible for continued support until July 2013.

Associate Membership of the British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA)

Successful completion of Masters in Education module E801 - Difficulties in Literacy Development can lead to accreditation by the British Dyslexia Association (BDA).  E801 fulfils the theoretical and academic requirements for AMBDA (Associate Membership of the British Dyslexia Association) but not the practical element. Therefore, for an additional fee, the Open University offers E801 students the opportunity to submit evidence of their practical assessment and teaching competence to the E801 AMBDA Assessment panel. This takes the form of: 
  • 3 diagnostic assessments (using 3 diagnostic tests with each of 3 learners) and accompanying paperwork, including reports.
  • 4 x 1 hour filmed (on DVD) evidence of assessment and teaching practice. (I hour of assessment and 3 hours of teaching.)
  • 30 hours of appropriate teaching as evidenced by annotated teaching notes/lesson plans linked to assessments.  
The AMBDA panel meets 4 times each year and students are required to submit their DVDs and accompanying evidence individually and sequentially to each of the 4 panels as it is a BDA criterion to show that previous feedback has been acted upon.
 
Students should complete the AMBDA submissions in the year following their E801 studies, have taken the dyslexia option for TMA03 and have gained a pass grade for TMA04 (for a student with difficulties that indicate dyslexia) in addition to passing module E801 overall.  
 
Although your submissions will be overseen and approved by suitably qualified Open University staff, the Open University does not award the AMBDA qualification. That is done by the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) once you have successfully completed the necessary criteria and had these approved.  Please see http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk and search for AMBDA.
 
In order to apply for Associate Membership of the British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA) accreditation, you will need to have Qualified Teacher Status and two years teaching experience. For AMBDA FE/HE you will need a minimum of two years teaching and support experience in an institution of further or higher education.  You will need to purchase (or have access to) published diagnostic dyslexia tests (a list of tests will be provided), be able to undertake diagnostic assessments of learners and be able to engage in 30 hours of specialist teaching linked to your assessments.
 
We regret that we are unable to offer students the opportunity to gain both AMBDA and AMBDA FE/HE together.
 
For further information please contact the E801 AMBDA team at  FELS-AMBDA-Admin@open.ac.uk