Higher Education MA

Why choose this course

Our Higher Education MA has a strong disciplinary focus and has been built with practising university teachers in mind, including those working in mainstream academic departments, faculty development centres and support services, such as libraries and study skill centres.

Our online course has been designed with the aim of providing a positive learning experience that addresses the needs of those who have experienced working in higher education, but who wish to develop further as a teacher.

The MA encourages you to construct your own developmental pathway through a choice of optional modules, allowing you to graduate as a more confident university teacher, with the skills and knowledge to both critique and shape professional practice.

What you will study

Our course offers you the flexibility to create a programme that suits your professional development needs in the field of university teaching, offered on a part-time basis over 3 to 5 years.

The course allows you to construct your own developmental pathway through a choice of optional modules. You’ll do this by engaging with the connections between concepts, theory and practice, teaching and research, disciplinary methods, and teachers and students.

Throughout your studies, you’ll also analyse issues relating to your everyday teaching practice. In addition, you’ll debate alternative ideas, surface challenges, and explore solutions with your peers and tutors. Your experience on the MA can provide evidence to support application for Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

Careers and graduate prospects

We offer careers information, advice and guidance to all students whilst studying with us, which is extended to our alumni for three years after leaving the University. Our graduates have lifetime access to Surrey Pathfinder, our online portal for appointment and events bookings, jobs, placements and interactive development tools.

Completion of the MA offers you both a qualification relevant to learning and teaching in Higher Education, but also provides significant evidence for professional development, such as applications for Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

It is essential for applicants to be academic staff (tutors and lecturers) or academic-related staff working at a Higher Education Institute as they will need access to students and teaching peers in order to undertake some of the activities within the modules, such as teaching observations and classroom based action research projects.