Education MSc
Awards: MSc
Study modes: Full-time
Funding opportunities
Programme website: Education
The MSc Education programme is suitable for those of you who want to make a better world through education. The curriculum is designed such that it begins with 'What is education for' and ends with some contemporary issues in education. A positive vibe of diverse and international communities (student and staff) that feels like home, while simultaneously, intellectually satisfying.
The MSc Education is the flagship taught postgraduate degree of Moray House School of Education and Sport and one of its most popular programmes. It provides an ideal foundation for students who wish to work in education policy, research or practice, or who want to go on to doctoral-level study.
Gain a broad foundation on our general MSc Education, or specialise your degree by choosing a pathway in a particular area relevant to your educational and professional aims. You can specialise in one of the following areas:
- MSc Education (Child and Adolescent Psychology)
- MSc Education (Early Childhood Practice and Froebel)
- MSc Education (Philosophy of Education)
- MSc Education (Research)
Through strategically-designed compulsory courses and a wide range of options, paired with guidance from our staff and in a lively and supportive student community, you will take part in social and philosophical reflection on the nature, value and purposes of education.
You will learn through a combination of:
- lectures
- discussion-based workshops
- student-led seminars/presentations
- practical skills training
- project work
You will complete compulsory courses and choose from a range of option courses totalling 120 credits. If you join a specialist pathway, compulsory and option courses will reflect your specialism.
The Master's degree culminates in an independently researched dissertation for another 60 credits.
Courses, course content and pathways are subject to change each year.
Compulsory and option courses
For a flavour of the taught courses you might take, the MSc Education general pathway includes four compulsory courses plus three option courses.
Compulsory courses
- Education Policy and the Politics of Education
- The Philosophy of Education
- Sources of Knowledge: Understanding and analysing research literature
- Conceptualising research: Foundations, assumptions and praxis
Option courses
Optional courses are subject to change each year but have previously included:
- Autism and Developmental Disabilities
- Child and Adolescent Development
- Children and Technology
- Comparative Analysis in Education
- Education for the Environment and Sustainability
- Gifted and Talented Youth
- Global Childhoods and Human Rights
- Pedagogy and Practice of Friedrich Froebel for the early years
- Psychology of Learning and Teaching
- Qualitative Data Research
- Quantitative Data Analysis with SPSS
- Social Inequalities in Education Worldwide
- The Anthropology of Education and Learning
- The Curriculum: Context, Change and Development
- The Nature of Enquiry
Find out more about compulsory and optional courses
We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.
Award | Title | Duration | Study mode | |
---|---|---|---|---|
MSc | Education (Child and Adolescent Psychology) | 1 Year | Full-time | Programme structure 2024/25 |
MSc | Education | 1 Year | Full-time | Programme structure 2024/25 |
MSc | Education Research | 1 Year | Full-time | Programme structure 2024/25 |
MSc | Education (Early Childhood Practice and Froebel) | 1 Year | Full-time | Programme structure 2024/25 |
MSc | Education (Philosophy of Education) | 1 Year | Full-time | Programme structure 2024/25 |
This broad programme can open up a similarly diverse range of career opportunities.
Past students have undertaken further study and doctoral research. Others have applied their knowledge and skills to a variety of education-related fields, including:
- educational policy and administration
- school teaching
- recruitment
- charity-related educational research
- political advisory roles
You will graduate with a highly-regarded degree and transferable skills in areas such as communication and project management, which can be applied to roles in any field.
The following are examples of where our previous students have progressed to:
- work in educational policy (at local, regional, national and international level)
- work in educational administration (at local, regional, national and international level)
- advisors to politicians on educational matters
- international recruitment for higher education institutions in Scotland and for institutions or agencies around the world
- returning to teaching - primary, secondary schools, physical education or within ‘additional support’ contexts
- research work for charitable agencies related to education
- doctoral research (PhD)
- community education practitioners
These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 July 2025.
A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a relevant discipline.
We may also consider your application if you have relevant employment or experience; please contact us to check before you apply.
Students from China
This degree is Band C.
International qualifications
Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:
English language requirements
Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.
English language tests
We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:
- IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
- TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
- C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
- Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
- PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 65 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
- Oxford ELLT: 8 overall with at least 7 in each component.
Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.
Degrees taught and assessed in English
We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:
We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).
If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.
Find out more about our language requirements:
Deposit
You will need to pay this deposit within 28 days of receiving your offer of admission (either unconditional or conditional) for the MSc programme.
- £1,500 (this contributes towards your tuition fees)
Deposit Refunds
All requests must be made no later than two weeks following the start date of the degree applied for.
Additional programme costs
You may incur additional costs for fieldwork, if taking Environmental Education option courses.
Living costs
You will be responsible for covering living costs for the duration of your studies.
Tuition fees
Award | Title | Duration | Study mode | |
---|---|---|---|---|
MSc | Education (Child and Adolescent Psychology) | 1 Year | Full-time | Tuition fees |
MSc | Education | 1 Year | Full-time | Tuition fees |
MSc | Education Research | 1 Year | Full-time | Tuition fees |
MSc | Education (Early Childhood Practice and Froebel) | 1 Year | Full-time | Tuition fees |
MSc | Education (Philosophy of Education) | 1 Year | Full-time | Tuition fees |
Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.
Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:
- borrowing money
- taking out a loan
- family support
- personal savings
- income from work
- employer sponsorship
- scholarships
Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study
Featured funding
GREAT scholarship: Mexico
One GREAT scholarship will be available to applicants from Mexico who apply for 2024 entry. This award is for £10,000 towards postgraduate taught (Masters) degree tuition. Further details on eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found on the GREAT scholarship website.
India Merit Scholarship
The University is offering a new international scholarship for the most academically gifted Postgraduate Taught (PGT) Masters students applying from India. These awards cover £5,000 towards tuition fees for PGT Masters students studying on campus during the 2024/25 academic year. The Scholarships will be tenable for the first year of study only and will be automatically deducted from your student tuition fee balance.
UK government postgraduate loans
If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.
The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:
- your programme
- the duration of your studies
- your tuition fee status.
Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.
Other funding opportunities
Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:
- Postgraduate Admissions
- Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
- Contact: Admissions Office
- Programme Director, Dr Courtney Stafford-Walter
- Contact: msc.education@ed.ac.uk
- Moray House School of Education and Sport
- Old Moray House
- Holyrood Campus
- Edinburgh
- EH8 8AQ
- Programme: Education
- School: Education and Sport (Moray House)
- College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Applying
Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.
MSc Education (Child and Adolescent Psychology) - 1 Year (Full-time)
MSc Education - 1 Year (Full-time)
MSc Education (Research) - 1 Year (Full-time)
MSc Education (Early Childhood Practice and Froebel) - 1 Year (Full-time)
MSc Education (Philosophy of Education) - 1 Year (Full-time)
Due to high demand, this programme operates a gathered field approach to admissions, with two application deadlines as noted below.
Each application round has a decision deadline, also listed below, but note that we may make offers to the strongest candidates on an ongoing basis, in advance of the published decision deadline.
We strongly recommend that you apply as early as possible, especially if you intend to apply for funding. Applications may close earlier than published deadlines if there is exceptionally high demand. If you are considering applying for our pre-sessional English Language programme, please make sure you apply in Round 1.
Please note that for an application to be reviewed, it must be a complete application by the deadline with all supporting documentation uploaded, including references and transcripts. English language documentation can be submitted later but if you have already met the English language entry requirements for your programme at the time of application, your application may be considered more competitive in selection than applications where an English language test still needs to be taken.
Selection deadlines
Round | Application Deadline | Places awarded |
---|---|---|
1 | 13 January 2025 | 17 April 2025 |
2 | 29 May 2025 | 30 June 2025 |
Deadlines for UK/Scotland fee status
After Round 2, if there are still places available, applications will remain open only to applicants who are eligible for the UK/Scotland fee rate, including the EU/EEA Pre-settled Scotland fee status. Applications will remain open no later than 30 June 2025 and may close earlier than this if the programme becomes full, so we strongly recommend you apply as soon as possible.
If you apply with another fee status after 29 May 2025, your application will be rejected.
(Revised 18 October 2024 to add application deadlines and selection process information)
You must submit one reference with your application.
Applicants are advised to apply for one programme only.
For example, you can apply on to the general route or one of the pathways but you should not apply to both of these, nor should you apply for more than one pathway.
(Revised 4 October 2024 to remove reference to part-time routes).
Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:
Further information
- Postgraduate Admissions
- Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
- Contact: Admissions Office
- Programme Director, Dr Courtney Stafford-Walter
- Contact: msc.education@ed.ac.uk
- Moray House School of Education and Sport
- Old Moray House
- Holyrood Campus
- Edinburgh
- EH8 8AQ
- Programme: Education
- School: Education and Sport (Moray House)
- College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences