Comparative Education and International Development (CEID) MSc

Teaching and learning in the MSc CEID programme is organised through weekly contact sessions.

Material is delivered through a variety of methods including:

• lectures (live and recorded)
• podcasts
• readings
• external events

In preparation for the weekly contact session, or workshop, most of your individual study time will be spent on engaging with the required readings and organising and participating in study groups with peers.

Workshop activities vary across courses and include:

• discussions on readings, debates, policy, data, and media analysis
• group presentations and problem-based learning
• case studies

The programme is structured to provide you with an introduction to the foundational knowledge in comparative education and education and international development in your first semester, allowing you to follow your interests through our wide range of option courses.

Completing the programme

To complete your MSc CEID, you need to:

• successfully complete the required courses and three optional courses
• progress to the dissertation
• complete your dissertation with a mark of at least 50%

You will receive a Postgraduate Diploma in CEID if you:

• successfully complete the required and three optional courses
• do not progress, or choose not to progress, to the dissertation stage
• average 40% or above across 120 taught course credits with no more than 40 credits below 40%

You will be granted a Postgraduate Certificate in CEID if you:

• successfully complete the 40 credit required introduction courses (Introduction to Comparative Education and Education and International Development) and 20 additional credits
• do not complete any other courses
• average 40% or above across the 60 credits with no more than 20 credits below 40%

Required courses

• Introduction to Comparative Education
• Education and International Development
• Sources of Knowledge: Understanding and analysing research literature
• Conceptualising research: Foundations, assumptions and praxis

Option courses (choose 60 credits total)

Choose 40 – 60 credits from List A.

List A

• Education Policy and the Politics of Education (20 credits)
• Anthropology of Education and Learning (20 credits)
• Comparative Analysis in Education (20 credits)
• Education and Conflict (20 credits)
• Social Inequalities in Education Worldwide (20 credits)
• Global Governance and Education (20 credits)

Choose 0 – 20 credits from List B.

List B

• Higher Education in the Global Context (20 credits)
• Theories and Politics of Social Justice (20 credits)
• Policy Analysis for Social Justice (20 credits)
• Education for All (20 credits)
• Comparative Approaches to Inclusive and Special Education (20 credits)
• Global Childhood and Human Rights (20 credits)
• Foundations of International Child Protection (20 credits)
• Sport, Society, and International Development (20 credits)
• The Curriculum: Context, Change, and Development (20 credits)
• Ethics, Education, and Film (20 credits)

In place of the option course from list B, students may choose an available course from Moray House School of Education and Sport or throughout the University of Edinburgh.

The chosen course must be at level 11 and be approved by the CEID programme director.

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.

While you will be present on campus for the totality of your taught coursework (Semester 1 and 2), you may be interested in gaining experience in the field through completing a placement-based dissertation.

The placement-based dissertation is a competitive process for which you will be required to meet academic requirements and apply for placement.

On average, 20-30% of students participate in this opportunity and complete a placement as part of their dissertation. This unpaid opportunity is dependent on partner organisation demand and would entail placement with organisations working in the CEID field.

You would complete research as part of your dissertation for two months in the summer following your taught coursework.

In addition to completing the 12,000 to 15,000-word dissertation, you will have additional responsibilities, agreed upon with the host organisations, which may include the completion of a secondary output.

Your time with the organisation and this tailored output provides a further opportunity for you to draw on your knowledge and insights from courses taken in the CEID programme while strengthening skills in time-management, collaborative problem solving, and communicating with a variety of audiences.

Following the MSc CEID programme, you will:

• Be able to evaluate the challenges of applying theory in practice and the debates around the global-local nexus.
• Be able to identify and analyse the main theories and perspectives in comparative education and international development and critically engage with their underlying assumptions.
• Have increased sensitivity towards and understanding of diversity, and an awareness of how a variety of contexts shape educational policies, practices, and outcomes.
• Have increased capacity to reflect on and consider your own perspectives and experiences and how these influence your understanding of education and international development.
• Have improved your practical skills and expanded your network through the completion of applied activities and assessments and exposure to the broader Comparative Education and International Development Community at, and beyond, the University.

As an academic programme, this degree has no fixed career trajectory, opening multiple, potential possibilities.

You may find the MSc CEID a suitable qualification if you are seeking a career in:

• research
• higher education internationalisation offices
• civil society and non-governmental organisations
• international organisations
• the public sector

In addition, the programme provides a good basis for you to continue your studies and pursue a doctoral degree.

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 such as Education, Demography, Global Studies, Public Policy, Regional Studies, Social Anthropology, Social Policy, Sociology, Liberal Studies, Political Science, International Relations, International Development, International Studies, Politics, Human Geography, Social Research, Economics, Public Health, Population Studies, Environmental Studies, or Environmental Sustainability. We may consider other subject areas if you have significant relevant work experience or a masters degree in a relevant subject area.

In exceptional cases, we may also consider your application if you have substantial relevant work experience in place of academic qualifications; please contact us to check before you apply.

Entrance to our MSc programmes is competitive. Relevant work experience or the completion of a masters degree is not required but is given substantial consideration and may increase your chances of acceptance. Preference will be given to those with qualifications above the minimum requirements, or those who have a competitive combinations of undergraduate, relevant masters degree, and substantial relevant work experience.

Students from China

This degree is Band C.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

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.

Unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country, your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start of the month in which the programme you are applying to study begins. If you are using an IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL, Trinity ISE, or Oxford ELLT test, it must be no more than two years old on the first of the month in which the programme begins, regardless of your nationality. (Revised 14 January 2025 to include Oxford ELLT.)

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:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

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).

• Approved universities in 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:

• English language requirements

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

Commonwealth Shared Scholarships

The Commonwealth Scholarships provide talented and motivated individuals with the opportunity to enhance knowledge and skills in their given sector, in order to contribute to sustainable development in their home countries. Further details on eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found on the Commonwealth Shared Scholarships website.

• Commonwealth Scholarships: 2025-26

(Revised 27 November 2024 to add in Commonwealth Shared Scholarships information)

GREAT scholarship: Nigeria

One GREAT scholarship will be available to applicants from Nigeria who apply for 2025 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.

• GREAT scholarship 2025: Nigeria

(Revised 27 November 2024 to update GREAT scholarship information)

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 2025/26 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. 

• India Merit Scholarship

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.

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding