Special Educational Needs MA

This course is in clearing

Overview

Course options

Select year

MA

  • MA Special Educational Needs, home applicant, full time

    • Home Applicant
    • Full time, 1 year
    • Pound 8160 per year
  • MA Special Educational Needs, home applicant, part time

    • Home Applicant
    • Part time
    • Pound 1360 per 30 credit module
  • MA Special Educational Needs, international applicant, full time

    • International Applicant
    • Full time, 1 year
    • Pound 15780 per year
    International applications are closed for 2024

MA

  • MA Special Educational Needs, home applicant, full time

    • Home Applicant
    • Full time, 1 year
    • Pound 8160 per year
  • MA Special Educational Needs, international applicant, full time

    • International Applicant
    • Full time, 1 year
    • Pound 15780 per year

What makes this course different?

Flexible course options

Build a strong foundation in SEN and inclusion. Master theory, current legislation and policy. Personalise your learning to address specific challenges you face, while developing your practice.

Collaborative learning

Address current issues and problems through collective knowledge, experience and expertise. We have a diverse student body with a range of expertise and experience.

Learn from experienced practitioners

Our staff are experienced practitioners in SEN, with expertise in autism spectrum conditions, dyslexia, behaviour, inclusion and leadership. They have practical experience and current research.

Course modules

Download course specification

Your future career

Your future career

This course will help you develop a range of transferable skills that are desirable in a wide range of careers.

These skills include knowledge of theories, legislation, policy and practice, computer literacy, planning and time management and written communication.

It will also demonstrate your ability to design and carry out small-scale research and to engage in critical thinking.

The skills and knowledge developed on this course will allow those working in teaching to gain expertise in the increasingly sought-after area of special needs.

However, this course could also support your career in areas such as therapy, support work, social work, educational psychology and work with adults with additional needs.

Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.

Tanya Cotier
This course supports the knowledge and understanding of specific areas of SEND such as autism or dyslexia within current fields of research and expertise; it allows students to understand behaviour from both practical and theoretical perspectives. This course not only supports the development of practitioner skills for both experienced professionals and those new to the workplace but also allows non-practitioners to enhance their understanding of SEND and offer differing perspectives on the areas for discussion."
Tanya Cotier

MA Special Educational Needs

How we support your career ambitions

We offer dedicated careers support, and further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking. Our courses are created in collaboration with employers and industry to ensure they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future career and provide you with the essential skills needed. You can focus on building interpersonal skills through group work and benefit from our investment in the latest cutting-edge technologies and facilities.

Career Zone

Our dedicated and award-winning team provide you with careers and employability resources, including:

  • Online jobs board for internships, placements, graduate opportunities, flexible part-time work.
  • Mentoring programmes for insight with industry experts 
  • 1-2-1 career coaching services 
  • Careers workshops and employer events 
  • Learning pathways to gain new skills and industry insight

Mental Wealth programme

Our Professional Fitness and Mental Wealth programme which issues you with a Careers Passport to track the skills you’ve mastered. Some of these are externally validated by corporations like Amazon and Microsoft.

Our Mental Wealth programme

We are careers first

Our teaching methods and geographical location put us right up top

  • Enterprise and entrepreneurship support 
  • We are ranked 6th for graduate start-ups 
  • Networking and visits to leading organisations 
  • Support in starting a new business, freelancing and self-employment 
  • London on our doorstep

What you'll learn

This course is relevant to both mainstream and specialist settings. The aim is to build the capacity of teachers and other professionals to respond effectively to the diverse educational needs of all learners, including those with special educational needs.

You will develop detailed knowledge of specific special needs, including autism, dyslexia and social and emotional mental health issues.

Throughout the course, you will be supported to develop a critical understanding of theory alongside the practical knowledge you will gain.

You will be encouraged to make links between theory and your own practice and become a reflective practitioner who is able to think proactively and strategically about provision for pupils with special and additional learning needs.

How you'll learn

You will learn through lectures, face-to-face tutorials and by working in small discussion groups and pairs.

The course is taught in the evenings from 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm.

There is a focus on collaborative learning, building on the strength of shared experience, knowledge and expertise. During taught sessions, you will be encouraged to interact with your fellow professionals, allowing you to explore theory and practice.

Group activities also help you to develop your ideas through discussion with others before you approach the assessment tasks.

Each module is supported by a virtual learning environment (VLE), where you can access key readings, and additional materials and use the discussion board. 

In addition to weekly lectures, you have access to the module tutor via email or in face-to-face tutorials. Our tutors have all worked professionally to a high level in the field, and have experience in supporting participants from a wide range of professional contexts and backgrounds.

Each module encourages you to link your developing knowledge and understanding to your own professional context. Professional learning is further developed through the Research and Methodology module, which prepares you to write a 14,000-word dissertation.

To complete the dissertation, you will carry out small-scale research within an educational setting. You can link theory and current research to an area of interest, which allows you to reflect on your own practice and plan for change.

How you will be assessed

There are no examinations on this course. We assess you on your coursework for the PG Cert and PG Diploma modules, and a dissertation for the master's module. Each module assessment will typically be a single submission portfolio of 5,000 words or equivalent. There will be a dissertation of 14,000 words.

For full-time students, there are three terms with two modules to be taken in term one, plus the dissertation module and one other module in terms two and three.

For part-time students: it is one module per term for terms one to four and then the dissertation module in terms five and six.

Campus and facilities

Water Lane, Stratford

Who teaches this course

This course is delivered by School of Childhood and Social Care

The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.