Master of Arts in Education

at University of Bedfordshire - Bedford Campus United Kingdom

If your dream career involves training athletes to maximise their physical potential and improve their performance, then this innovative course is for you. What’s more, you’re taught by a team who have trained some of the best sportsmen and women in the world.

This degree gives you the skills you need to be a strength and conditioning coach while developing your understanding and experience of performance sport.

You learn from leading professionals in the field, who have worked with elite England and GB sportsmen and women, and collaborated with the Rugby Football Union, Football Association and Amateur Athletic Association.

The course covers a wide range of disciplines including anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and sport psychology as well as specific units in strength and conditioning and sport science.

Why choose this course?

• Benefit from our modern, high-tech facilities, including extensive sport-science laboratories and a purpose-built strength and conditioning suite
• Develop your employability through work-placement opportunities which could lead to internships with local professional clubs and the University’s Sports Scholarship Scheme
• Become a professional on a course that has Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) qualifications embedded in it
• Completing the course also allows you to apply for professional accreditation with the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA)
• Take the course over four years and include a fee-free year in industry (see below), gaining experience and making contacts for the future
• If you need a step up into higher education, start with a Foundation Year (see below) which guarantees entry to the undergraduate degree

This course enhances your knowledge, skills and understanding in specialist areas of education. It enables you to develop your critical engagement in specific areas of interest, such as Leadership, Special Educational Needs, Early Years and issues related to classroom studies.

The MA Education will allow you to gain further knowledge and understanding in areas of working with children and adults in a wide variety of local authority or social care settings as well as in nurseries, schools and colleges.

For those already in work, the part-time route will support promotion to leadership and management roles. Our names awards will enable students to progress to doctoral study in specific specialist areas.

Why choose this course?

The course provides a dedicated route for those in management positions (or on a management career path). The course aims to develop both analytical and practical skills and will equip you to critically analyse current practices and processes as well as develop your own approaches to effective change.

The University of Bedfordshire and the School of Sport Science and Physical Activity are focussed on promoting football and developing students’ understanding of the variety of ways the football industry impacts on society.

The course offers you a broad overview of the football industry, while allowing you to focus on a specific area. Following a common first year you can choose to specialize in one of the following areas: football’s business environment; football development; and football coaching. You will conduct a detailed study of the sports industry sector as a whole. If you aspire to become a qualified football coach, the programme will give you the opportunity to gain recognised awards, such as the FA Coaching Level 1 and 2.

You will study the how impact of the Premier League and Football League clubs goes beyond the economic impact and encompasses investment in facilities and you will explore how community programmes supported by the Premier League in schools and disadvantaged areas has reached a significant scale and the impact of this.

The rapid growth of the football sector has created opportunities to become a sports professional in an expanding, borderless industry. Football is one of the most important industries in the UK in  terms of interest, participation and consumer spending. This course has been developed to reflect the growing complexity of the football market. The courses offer students the chance to enhance their employability by equipping them with the knowledge and higher-level skills demanded of a career in a global sport industry.

On this course you will be taught by top class professionals within the field. Your academics have a wide research portfolio, working with governing bodies such as the FA, UEFA and FIFA, and a variety of individuals from specific professional football teams, who will enable the students to get a deep understanding of this every changing industry.

Why choose this course?

Make the most of our high-spec facilities and equipment, world-leading research team and strong employer connections to become an expert in understanding the impact nutrition and exercise can have on health and fitness.

We know eating well and taking exercise are key factors in promoting good health. For this degree, you explore the science that lies behind this, covering specialisms such as physiology; nutrient metabolism; health psychology; and the prescription of nutrition and exercise. Other study areas include nutrition across the lifecycle; public health nutrition; exercise and behaviour change; and exercise and fitness testing.

You learn about the prevention and treatment of chronic conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer, and have the opportunity to apply your knowledge working with these patient groups within our clinics.

Why choose this course?

• Study with a world-leading research team in community and other settings as well as in our sport and exercise science laboratories, with their state-of-the-art equipment
• Benefit from our well-established employer links with the NHS and local community health programmes, which allow you to put your learning into practice and ensure the course stays ahead of the curve with current practice
• Gain accreditation by the Association for Nutrition, which allows graduates to apply for direct entry onto the Register of Associate Nutritionists
• Accreditation by the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) is also embedded within the course, with graduates awarded Level 3 Personal Training and Level 3 Exercise Referral
• Develop transferable skills in communication; research methods; and researching, preparing and producing your own projects
• Take the course over four years and include a fee-free year in industry (see below), gaining experience and making contacts for the future
• On graduating, your career path could take you into the food, health or fitness industries; health promotion; lifestyle education; and public health

This bespoke top up course is for you if you have completed a related foundation degree or HND and wish to gain a full bachelor’s degree in one year.

You will gain deeper understanding of sport science and coaching as well as relevant experience through work placements/internships at sports organisations, schools and within a coaching environment, preparing you for a successful career.

By linking closely to your previous studies and work experience it provides seamless progression to university-level study with the added benefit of a targeted initial induction and a week-long summer school to help support your academic development.

Why choose this course?

• Study key areas of sport science (coaching) including coaching for performance, sports physiology and psychology as well as research methods and employability units.
• Develop your coaching skills and build partnerships with local sports clubs and teams with help from our excellent links with industry including Sport England and the Football Association.
• Learn from our team of experts in fitness, personal training and strength and conditioning.
• Gain a sound training, skills and knowledge of sport science (coaching) together with the transferrable skills needed for a range of careers.
• Build your employability through relevant work placement/internships at sports organisations, schools and within a coaching environment where you can also carry out a research project.
• Benefit from specialist teaching laboratories and sports facilities at our School of Sports Science and Physical Activity as well as world-class teaching from a team with research expertise in environmental physiology, health and metabolism and movement within sports science field.

There is a growing demand for people with specialist skills in the area of special educational needs and disability (SEND). This one-year course - specifically for those who have completed a relevant Foundation Degree or higher education qualification - enables you to top up to a full degree and prepares you to develop your career within SEND settings.

Develop your existing knowledge of contemporary theories, policy and practices in SEND, using your own experience of working with children in a variety of educational settings including residential, special and mainstream schools.

Explore the complexity of defining inclusive practice; child development; the barriers to development and learning that some children face; and understanding SEND in the context of family and society, locally and globally.

There is a strong focus on using your workplace to provide context and practical application.

Why choose this course?

• Gain a strong knowledge base in special educational needs and disability studies from a variety of professional perspectives
• Develop your own individual academic and work interests, linking your current practice to your developing theoretical understanding
• Learn the importance of educational research and enquiry, and carry out research in your specialist area
• Benefit from a course that prepares you to work in multi-disciplinary education and care teams, able to take on leadership and management roles within a SEND setting
• Challenge yourself with further study to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS); GSCE grades A-C in maths, English and science (or equivalent) are required

This course is designed to give you high-quality profession-specific training to prevent, assess, diagnose and treat sports and physical activity-related injuries. Centered around developing competency within a vocational topic area utilising industrial standard equipment and techniques and thereby preparing you for your future career.

Teaching and assessment within the course is centered on significant practice-based learning including extensive use of case studies, work-based placement with industrial experts including course graduates, internal commercial experiences as well as student learning trips. Embedded within the course are wider transferable skills to enables you to successfully enter graduate level employment across a much wider scope of opportunities following their completion of the course.

Why choose this course?

• The BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation course aims to provide graduates with the skills and knowledge to progress into a career as a Graduate Sport Rehabilitator (GSR) on the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) accredited register held by the British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers (BASRaT).
• Throughout the course students apply their knowledge and skills while completing a minimum of 400 hours of practice placement in a range of different environments while benefiting from guidance from both practicing sport rehabilitation professionals as well as academic staff.

This course is designed for recent graduates who are looking to develop their career in physical education teaching or youth sport coaching.

It will support you in developing the knowledge and skills required to progress to teacher education and/or higher-level employment. It will deepen your critical understanding of the issues facing professionals in physical education and sport settings.

The course undertakes a research-informed and practice-based theory approach. Many of the units require you to draw on observations and activities in work-related environments in order to link experience and theoretical learning.

MA Physical Education and Sport (Pedagogy) is a rigorously designed and intellectually demanding professional education and development programme.

It is studied in order to become a more effective and reflective teacher or coach in school, club and other community settings. Each unit is grounded in the most recent developments in research on physical education, sport pedagogy and youth sport, and draws on your practical experience.

We use intensive, compressed teaching time combined with flexible off-site guided learning to fit around your work in a school or youth sport setting.

This course will also provide the advanced knowledge and research training required for direct access to higher degrees by research (MPhil/ PhD).

Why choose this course?

• Study in a supportive environment, on a course covering a unique combination of topics designed to integrate research with current physical education policy and practice
• Develop an advanced and critical understanding of pedagogy and practice for social justice and youth voice; sport and education policy; action research; and public health concerns in physical education and youth sport environments
• Gain the necessary personal competencies, applied practical skill-sets and subject expertise to become a theoretically informed and reflective practitioner
• Gain a grounding in the theoretical study of physical education and sport pedagogy in your practical workplace experience.
• Develop your personal and professional network and benefit from our links with schools, Sport England, Governing Bodies, and Active Partnerships
• Receive support from peer mentors who are studying on our MA Physical Education and Sport (Leadership) course
• Exchange knowledge with aspiring graduates in sport, physical activity and health industries/institutions by attending units that will also include students from our other MA and MSc courses.
• Gain experience of working with young people, practitioners and employers to investigate and analyse real problems and develop the ability to develop innovative solutions
• Undertake a semester long research project on a chosen topic, working in a physical education, sport or physical activity environment of your choice
• Study using range of learning activities including lectures, seminars, practicals, problem-based-learning and tutorials
• Learn from a team who have a wide range of academic expertise and experience in specific subject areas including critical pedagogy, youth voice, models-based practice, policy, leadership, and the sociology of sport.
• Gain insights from experts through the seminar series coordinated by the Institute of Sport and Physical Activity Research (ISPAR)

This MA is designed for practising professionals, or those interested in research, in teaching and learning or educational leadership – usually in schools, the lifelong learning sector and universities.

Its modular structure allows you to personalise your choice of units and progress at a pace that best suits you, with a final phase focused on educational research via a dissertation.

The MA Education engages you with key issues in education and aims to encourage your evidence-based practice, as you make direct and meaningful connections between the course and your own experiences and aspirations.

The course helps you to broaden your knowledge of educational ideas and research findings, as you identify and justify recommendations for further action. This places you in a better position to develop your work as a classroom practitioner or school leader.

Why choose this course?

• Study on a modular course designed for existing and aspiring education professionals, that allows you to accumulate credit at a pace that suits you, with assessments based around needs specific to your role in your educational organisation
• Explore the process of teaching, learning support and/or educational leadership, focusing on personal, academic and vocational interests relevant to your educational context
• Develop your understanding of assessment formats with a negotiated focus in support of both individual and organisational needs
• Undertake primary research that informs your current practice, as well as acquire the necessary research skills to engage in future research and progress to a PhD or EdD programme
• Progress your study in education, e.g. following your Initial Teacher Education (ITE) course
• Develop your work in educational contexts
• Support developments within the organisation where you work
• Beprepared for further study at doctoral level (PhD and EdD).

An inspirational primary school teacher can help young children make sense of their world and prepare them for life in the 21st century. This course, with recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), equips you with the knowledge, skills and understanding necessary to take on this important role.

With this DfE-accredited degree, you learn through taught sessions and supported teaching practice, where you are encouraged to apply the theory you have learnt in areas such as child development, teaching and learning.

Mentors and University liaison tutors support you while on placement as you begin to develop the core skills for teaching children aged 5-11. You start with one-to-one and small-group teaching practice before moving on to whole-class teaching. A placement coordinator provides briefings, support meetings and guidance as well as overseeing target setting and CEDP completion.

Units include literacy and reading; mathematics and science; meeting the needs of individual children; multidimensional classrooms; planning for learning across subjects; and exploring core subjects.

Why choose this course?

• Gain hands-on experience of teaching via three teaching placements: one per year, each in a different term to give a good insight into the whole academic year
• Take up three ‘Broadening Experience’ placements (one per year) in Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) so you know where children have come from; at Key Stage 3 (KS3) so you know where they are going on to; and a final personalised placement
• Work with experienced tutors with a wealth of experience in building trainee competence and confidence across all subjects
• Learn to teach a reflective, reactive curriculum, with sessions responsive to the needs of individual cohorts, helping to ensure progression in skills, knowledge and experience
• Develop leadership and management skills, along with an ability to communicate effectively with children, parents/carers, colleagues and other professionals
• Benefit from conference days with guest speakers talking on subjects ranging from employability to SEND provision, wellbeing to lesson planning
• Take learning outside the classroom with trips to places of educational interest such as local museums and our Forest School