MSc in Educational Research

This is an ESRC-recognised programme designed for education professionals who want to develop their research knowledge and skills. The programme is one of the research training pathways that make up the ESRC accredited South West Doctoral Training Centre and aims to provide you with the analytical and practical expertise required for educational research and an overview of research methods used within the social sciences. The programme will appeal to applicants from diverse backgrounds who are interested in developing a career in educational research and professionals working in education institutions and organisations requiring expertise in research.

The programme covers a wide variety of introductory and advanced level courses on both quantitative and qualitative research methods as well as courses that address important philosophical issues in relation to social science research, with specific reference to education. Advanced workshops, seminars and master classes take place throughout the year and you will have the opportunity to participate in programmes and workshops offered across the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law and within our partner institutions. The programme offers a wide variety of perspectives and approaches that you can engage with and utilise in your own research projects.

The programme aims to provide:

• an understanding of the philosophical underpinnings of educational research
• a broad grounding in the development of skills and knowledge of the wide variety of both quantitative and qualitative approaches and methods within educational research
• a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge within education in order to develop skills to critically evaluate research within education

• Core Skills in Educational Research
• Understanding Education Research
• Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods In the Social Sciences
• Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods In the Social Sciences
• Philosophy and Reseach Design in the Social Sciences

Optional units

• Narrative Inquiry
• Autoethnography
• Visual Inquiry
• Questionnaire Design and Analysis
• Ethnography Across Educational Contexts
• Advanced Quantitative Modelling Techniques in Education
• Educational Quality, Improvement and Evaluation
• Multivariate Statistical Methods in Education