Be the positive change your organisation needs
Study with international experts and global leaders in the delivery of Educational Leadership with over 22 years’ of teaching and research experience.
Sector Inspired - Study using a Practice-Based Learning Approach that challenges you to think critically.
Truly Global - Join peers from around the world at the 3-day course conferences held each semester.
World-class - Taught by global leaders in the delivery of Educational Leadership.
FACE-TO-FACE International Course Conferences
You will have the opportunity to attend two major course conferences during the year. Each conference is held at The University of Manchester’s Middle East Centre, located in the heart of Dubai’s Knowledge Park.
During these three-day course conferences you can take advantage of valuable networking opportunities and learn from industry peers, experts and academics. At these course conferences you will undertake practical activities based on your units in small multinational groups. This blended learning approach offers a balance between strategic focus, theoretical foundations and practical applications that will apply directly to your workplace.
September start
Start studying in September 2021
2 years
Part-time MA
Blended Learning
Online course content with face-to-face course conferences, twice a year
Flexible format
Transform your career while you continue working
University in the UK
(QS World University Rankings, 2019)
University in the world
(QS World University Rankings, 2019)
| Duration | Two years |
| Dates | September 2021 |
| Cost | GBP 16,500 plus 5% VAT. |
| Location | This part-time master's programme is delivered through a blended learning format, with workshops in Dubai. |
| Admissions | A good honours degree (minimum 2:1) or the overseas equivalent, in a related area. |
| Contact | elip@manchester.ac.ae / +971 (0)4 446 8664 |
| Call back requestBrochure requestApply OnlineVirtual Meeting | |
Study part time
The course is a blended learning programme which is delivered through face-to-face course conferences + interactive online learning with a total of 200 hours of study per unit (approximately 20 hours per week).
Join our September 2021 intake:
- Semester 1: September - February
- Semester 2: February - August
- Semester 3: September - February
- Semester 4: February - August
Our Educational Leadership in Practice (MA) is the only global blended programme that is taught from a critical approach and not a functionalist one. This practice-orientated learning will enable you to be the change your organisation needs.
You can expect to study units covering topics such as:
Models of educational leadership
• Explore conceptualising educational leadership practice as adjectival models
• Examine what this means in diverse international contexts
• Examine and evaluate a range of key models
Engaging with research in educational leadership
• What is educational leadership?
• What topics can be researched in education?
• Why should research in education be taken seriously?
Leading educational change
• Examining what is meant by ‘change’
• Counter-productive and prodcuctive motivators for and mechanisms for change
• Critical perspective on leading change
Education policy and leadership
• What is policy and how is it ‘done’?
• Policy architecture
• Welfarism, social democracy and neoliberalism as policy architecture
Educational Leadership as a Social Practice
• Educational leadership practice in a Globalising education system
• Getting and doing the job
• Using research evidence
Optional Unit/Accreditation of Previous Learning
• Digital Media and Information Literacy
• Leadership of International Schools
Dr. Alexander Gardner-McTaggart
Course Director
Lecturer in Educational Leadership
“At The University of Manchester we believe educators are powerful influencers and have important voices in a rapidly globalising world. It is our intention to empower educational leaders to face tough challenges in globalising educational spaces with compassion and competency.
Balancing rigid external realities with the values of education is more important now than ever. Building capacity and positive teams and sharing in leadership and fostering growth are all part of the privilege of leading in education.
In a world of online connection, it is often difficult to build networks and professional practice that is enduring and authentic. That is why this blended course focuses on developing your professional leadership practice, from and for education. This course has the advantage of being run by leadership specialists who mentor and foster leadership behaviours and skills, as well as developing a rich critical understanding of the field. In this way, this course is truly empowering for leaders who wish to engage at higher levels, whilst running a complex organisation based upon respect and dignity.
The programme offers unique face-to-face course conferences twice a year, where team-building, networking and mentoring happen in real time.”
Prof. Helen Gunter
Professor of Education Policy
“MA Educational Leadership in Practice at The University of Manchester helps you to build your confidence to own your knowledge as a professional and to work with researchers to develop new ways of thinking critically. We respect the need to ensure an organisation is working well, but we go beyond that and enable you to ask questions about the experiences of being a student and teacher in that organisation, and how educational purposes are related to values and power.”
Begin your studies in September.
Take the first steps and apply today.
Entry Requirements
A good honours degree (minimum 2:1) or the overseas equivalent, in a related area.
An initial qualification in teaching, or at least two year’s professional experience in a public or private educational organisation, are desirable but not essential requirements. If neither is possessed then the applicant needs to have secured their degree from one of the top 400 institutions in the home country.
IELTS Test score of 6.5 (or equivalent) if English is not your first language.
English Language requirements:
- IELTS score of 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.5 in the writing component and no other subsection below 6.0
- TOEFL internet-based score of 90 or more overall, with a minimum writing score of 22 and no other subsection below 20
- CAE or CPE overall score of 176 or above, with 176 in writing and no sub-section below 169