Education, Policy & Society MA

Key information

Study mode: Full time, Part time Duration: One year full-time, two years part-time, September to September Credit value (UK/ECTS equivalent): UK 180/ECTS 90 Application status: Open Start date: September 2025

Course essentials

Our programme is designed to provide students with an advanced and comprehensive understanding of key contemporary debates in education policy, with a focus on policy’s relationship to practice, social justice, and global concerns. It is interested in education policy at the international, national, regional, local and institutional levels, making the most of London as a global city. There is a strong emphasis on critiquing research literatures and policy documents and developing first-hand knowledge of research methodologies. The programme encourages collaborative and independent working, building professional networks, and asking research questions pertinent to your own contexts and challenges.

Base campus

Waterloo Campus is home of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery and facilities for other faculties. Please note that locations are determined by where each module is taught and may vary depending on the modules you study.

Regulating bodies

King's is regulated by the Office for Students.

Entry requirements

UK applicants

• Standard requirements: A minimum 2:1 undergraduate Bachelor’s (honours) degree.
• Programme-Specific Requirements: Lower undergraduate grades may be considered in certain circumstances, for example if the applicant has a PGCE with master's level credits. It is recommended that applicants have some relevant professional experience, either in teaching or in other educational practice such as policy. However, applications from candidates who do not have any experience but who do have relevant academic qualifications will be considered.
• In order to meet the academic entry requirements for this programme you should have a minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree with a final mark of at least 60% or above in the UK marking scheme. If you are still studying you should be achieving an average of at least 60% or above in the UK marking scheme.

International applicants

• Equivalent International qualifications: Please select a country from the list provided.
• English language requirements: English language band B. To study at King's, it is essential that you can communicate in English effectively in an academic environment. You are usually required to provide certification of your competence in English before starting your studies.

Teaching & structure

Teaching methods - what to expect

• Classes
• Group Work
• Self-Study
• Workshops
• Lectures

We teach our modules through lectures, teacher-led class discussions and group work, typically for 20 hours of contact per 30-credit module.

Lectures, seminars & feedback	Self-study
Each 30-credit taught module	Typically, 20 hours of class time. The sessions include lecturing, teacher-led class discussions and student-led group work.	Each 30-credit taught module has 280 hours of self-guided learning time.
Dissertation module	Contact time for the dissertation will typically include a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops and 1:1 and/or group supervision.	Approximately 567 hours.

Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.

Location

This course is primarily taught at the King’s College London Waterloo Campus. We enjoy an unrivalled location in the heart of London, which will give you access to the wealth of cultural resources and institutions on the South Bank and throughout the capital. We will use a delivery method that will ensure students have a rich, exciting experience from the start. Face to face teaching will be complemented and supported with innovative technology so that students also experience elements of digital learning and assessment.

Assessment

• Essays
• Blog posts
• Policy Briefing
• Group presentation
• Dissertation

Assessment methods vary, depending on the optional modules you select, and may include for example essays, blog posts, policy briefings, presentations, case studies and podcasts.

All students complete a 60-credit dissertation, which is assessed by an extended piece of writing based on independent research on a topic of your choice, related to the course. This dissertation will be supported by a programme of research methods and study skills classes, as well as individual and/or group supervision.

Structure

Required modules

• Critical Perspectives on Education Policy (30 credits)
• Research Methods and Dissertation (60 credits)

Optional modules

In addition, you are required to take 90 credits from a range of optional modules that may typically include:

• The Social Context of Education (30 credits)
• Social Justice & Education Policy (30 credits)
• International & Comparative Education (30 credits)
• Education & International Development (30 credits)
• Gender, Power and Inequality in Leadership (30 credits)
• The Political Economy of Education in a Globalised World (30 credits)
• Educational Leadership and Change in Context (30 credits)
• Psychology & Learning (30 credits)
• Language & Power (30 credits)
• Recent Developments in Digital Technologies in Education (30 credits)
• Theories of Change in Schooling: Truth, Power, Evidence (30 credits)
• Teacher Development (30 credits)
• Global Childhoods (30 credits)
• Child Protection (30 credits)
• Quantitative Methods in the Context of Education Research (30 credits)
• Race, Racisms, and Education (30 credits)

You are permitted to take up to 30 of your optional credits from outside of the course, at the discretion of the Programme Director. Part-time students will take the required taught module in Year 1 and the dissertation in Year 2. They will normally take one optional 30-credit module in Year 1 and two optional 30-credits modules in Year 2, and must take 90 credits of optional modules across the two years.

Careers

Employability

Over the duration of this course, you will develop skills that will enhance your career and prospects of promotion. Our graduates have gone into a range of teaching, leadership, administrative and research roles in schools, higher education, government departments and non-governmental organisations, including becoming headteachers, university lecturers and education advisors. Some have set up their own social enterprises and many have continued their studies, completing doctorates or professional qualifications.

Our professional network

Where can a degree like this take you? Hear from 2021 graduate Alex Lescaian:

Role: Policy Manager (Education) at General Pharmaceutical Council

I support pharmacy regulation by setting standards for the education and training of pharmacy professionals. My master’s degree at King’s helped me build the foundation to understand policy analysis within the context of education. The transferable skills gained through my work experience combined with the subject of my master’s degree has contributed to the point where I am now in my career.

Alex's top career tip:

Gain as much knowledge and experience as you can about the sector you are interested in. If you choose a degree that is relevant to that career path, it will help build your confidence in your knowledge and skills that you can bring to the table. It may also equip you to overcome any challenges there may be along the way.

Fees & Funding

Tuition Fees

UK:

• Full time: £13,500 per year (2025/26)
• Part time: £6,750 per year (2025/26)

International:

• Full time: £30,000 per year (2025/26)
• Part time: £15,000 per year (2025/26)

These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions. Please note: you may transfer across PGCE Master’s level credits if taken within 10 years of your completion date of this MA course. If you do, you will only need to take the number of credits required to bring your total for the course to 180, including transferred credits. Fees will be proportionally reduced by the number of credits accepted for transfer e.g a student transferring 60 credits into the 180 credit MA will pay 2/3 fees. If you work for a School accepting teacher training students from King’s College London you may be entitled to a fee reduction.

Deposit

If you receive an offer for this programme, you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your place. Deposit payments are credited towards the total tuition fee payment.

The Home deposit is £500. The International deposit is £2000.

• If you receive an offer before January, payment is due within two months of receiving the offer.
• If you receive an offer between 1 January and 20 May, payment is due within one month of receiving the offer.
• If you receive an offer between 21 May and 15 July, payment is due within two weeks of receiving the offer.
• If you receive an offer between 16 July and 10 August, payment is due within one week of receiving the offer.
• If you receive an offer from 11 August onwards, payment is due within three days of receiving the offer.

If you are a current undergraduate King’s student in receipt of the King's Living Bursary this academic year, you are not required to pay a deposit to secure your place on the programme. Please note, this will not change the total fees payable for your chosen programme.

Additional Costs

In addition to your tuition costs, you can also expect to pay for:

• Books if you choose to buy your own copies.
• Library fees and fines.
• Personal photocopies.
• Printing course handouts.
• Society membership fees.
• Stationery.
• Travel costs for travel around London and between campuses.
• Graduation costs.

Funding

To find out more about bursaries, scholarships, grants, tuition fees, living expenses, student loans, and other financial help available at King's please visit the Fees and Funding section.