Master of Arts in Higher Education
The Master of Arts in Higher Education (MA HE) forms a key part of Manchester Met's Academic CPD Framework
Course details
The programme is designed for two groups of staff:
- Staff who already have an appropriate postgraduate certificate qualification (such as the MMU PGCert in Learning and Teaching in HE or an equivalent from another institution) and wish to develop their academic practice or HE scholarship further. Staff in this category may be admitted to the programme with 60 credits advanced standing.
- Staff who work in HE (but without a specific teaching remit) and who wish to complete an MA award which relates to their own aspects of HE. Staff in this category complete 30 option credits and the 30 credit ‘HE Today’ core unit before progressing to the PGDip stage. This route is therefore appropriate for HE staff with any relevant role, including for example, governance, librarianship, student support, leadership, strategic or operational management and so on.
The programme is designed to further develop knowledgeable, skilled and critically reflective HE professionals through pursuing a scholarly and evidence based approach to their academic and professional practice aimed at enhancing the HE student experience.
The MAHE is studied part time over three years and therefore external participants may be eligible for a postgraduate loan from Student Finance. See the GOV.UK website for an overview of postgraduate loans and to register/login to your Student Finance account.
The MAHE is free of charge for Manchester Metropolitan University staff.
The MAHE Programme Leader Dr Eileen Pollard is available at E.Pollard@mmu.ac.uk to provide further details and guidance for anyone considering entry to the programme.
Entry to MA in Higher Education
Applicants will normally be graduates working in an academic or professional services role in HE and must also be able to demonstrate the following to the satisfaction of the Programme Leader:
- A first degree in any subject or alternative educational qualifications that are deemed equivalent
Applicants with a 60 credit M level FE/HE PG Certificate or equivalent will normally be eligible for entry to the MA HE at the PG Diploma stage. (Please note: we may request to see copies of Transcripts and Certificates of your previous studies)
Other applicants will normally be expected to enter the programme at PG Certificate stage.
Recognition of Prior Learning is another route to entry on the MA HE. You can find details of RPL on the Manchester Met Intranet.
To apply for the MA HE please:
- ensure you meet the entry requirements
- complete the application form (see ‘How to Apply’ section below) and email it toutacpd@mmu.ac.uk. You should ensure that we receive your application at least 4 weeks before the start date of the first unit you wish to study.
We welcome applications from external applicants who meet the entry requirements above.
All our units are currently delivered online using the Moodle virtual learning environment and Microsoft Teams. This combination offers participants the maximum flexibility of synchronous and asynchronous learning.
There are three stages to our MA HE. These stages must be completed in order:
- Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) Stage
- Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) Stage
- Master of Arts (MA) Stage
1. PGCert Stage
For colleagues not in a teaching role
Core unit: HE Today (30 credits) + Optional Unit/s (30 credits)
or
For colleagues in a teaching role
Complete the Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in HE. Those who successfully complete the PGC LTHE can then join the MA HE at the PGDip Stage.
2. PGDip Stage
Core unit: Researching HE (30 credits) + Optional Unit/s (30 credits)
3. MA Stage
Dissertation (60 credits)
As well as completing an application, you need to register for the units you wish to study as part of the course. See the Course Structure tab for further details. Register for any units you want to study on the webpage for each unit. If you haven’t decided exactly what to study and when, you can register at a later date.
Contact
Contact us
If you have any further questions, please contact Programme Leader Eileen Pollard or Programme Administration using the contact details below.