Everything you need to know...
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What is the fee?
Home: £10,620 for the course
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How long will I study?
2 Years
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Where will I study?
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When do I start?
September 2025
Course summary
- Deepen knowledge of current STEM education issues
- Explore STEM education programmes, climate education debates, and leadership theories.
- Consider issues of social justice and inclusion in STEM education
- Develop your own research project.
This part time MA provides the skills and knowledge to debate contemporary issues in STEM education and critically appraise research evidence and policy. Topics include programme design, climate education and sustainability, social justice and leading innovation in STEM education.
The course will help you to develop the abilities and confidence needed to identify an issue in your educational context and undertake your own research project.
Come to an open day
Find out more at our postgraduate open days. Book now for your place.
How you learn
At Sheffield Hallam, all our courses are designed to engage you with the world and challenge you to think in new ways. You’ll get to collaborate with others, and you’ll be taught in a supportive environment where you can thrive.
You will explore current policies, debates, and theories of STEM education and reflect on the connections to your context and work.
You will examine approaches to climate change and sustainability and consider the implications for your STEM programmes and context and work.
You will critically examine and reflect on models of leadership and explore the importance of leadership to effect change at both practice and organisational level. You will reflect on strategies to bridge the gap between theory and implementation in practice.
You will engage in self- directed study and will undertake a range of tasks over the duration of the course to build a knowledge base that is subject to critical review. You will be encouraged to put what you have learned into practice, and to reflect on this.
You will complete a final research dissertation or consultancy project to examine an area of particular interest.
You will be supported and guided by tutors whose role is to design, develop, support and manage your learning environment.
You will be taught by academics with expertise in STEM education fields, with inputs from STEM education experts from a range of professions to illustrate STEM innovations in practice.
Taught sessions will make the connections between research evidence and practice. You will learn by situating course content in your professional context, taking a reflective and critical approach to theory and research evidence. Your tutors will foster discussion around STEM debates and provide opportunities, including external speakers to encourage active engagement with the subject matter.
You will learn through:
- Active participatory sessions
- Lectures and seminars
- Tutorials
- Student and tutor co-designed learning activities
- Group work and peer discussion
- Peer and tutor formative feedback via structured feedback points in each module
- Independent study
- Digital resources
- Completion of a dissertation/research project
- Formative and summative assessments include written assignments, presentations, posters and a final dissertation as a research or consultancy project.
Key Themes
The first year of the course starts with a module on Exploring contemporary issues in STEM education, before moving on to study content on Designing STEM education programmes and Leading innovation in STEM education. The second year has a module on Research methods in education to further prepare students for their research project.
Course Support
You will be supported in your learning journey towards highly skilled, graduate level employment through a range of key areas. These include:
- access to our unique student support triangle to help with your personal, academic and career development
- access to our Skills Centre with one to ones, webinars and online resources, where you can get help with planning and structuring your assignments
- industry-specific employability activities such as live projects, learning in simulated environments and networking opportunities
There are opportunities within the course to learn as part of a community of practice, to be networked into national and regional learning events and conferences.
Course leaders and tutors
Joelle Halliday
Senior Research FellowJoelle joined the Centre for Science Education in April 2014. She has a background in primary teaching and leadership, advisory work, consultancy and coaching
Applied learning
Live Projects
You will have the opportunity to engage with the issues raised in the MA in your workplace and context and to consider and reflect upon these to advance and challenge your understanding. This will support your career development and your practice, and allow you build your confidence and skills as the course progresses.
Future careers
This course supports and furthers your career in:
- Community Education
- Primary Teaching
- Education Administration
- Education Consultancy
- Further and Higher Education
- Mentoring
- School/College subject leadership
- Primary school teaching
- Secondary school teaching
- Education Leadership
- Teaching assistant
- Museum education officer
- Education Research
Where will I study?
You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
City Campus
City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.
City Campus map | City Campus tour
Adsetts library
Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreEquipment and facilities
You will study at City Campus, in the heart of Sheffield, through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions. Campus spaces allow for students to work in large and small groups or to move into breakout spaces to work individually. Groupings and spaces will be adapted in response to student learning needs. Alongside this, the course will utilise learning environments and you will have access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
In recent years, we’ve invested over £100m in new facilities to help you study how and when you want. This means 24-hour libraries and study spaces designed by our students.
Entry requirements
All students
A 2:2 or above UK honours degree (or equivalent). If you do not have this qualification we may consider your application individually, based on your personal, professional and/or work experience, and any other formal qualifications.
If you have existing Masters level credit from previous postgraduate study, you may be able to use these to reduce the amount of time it takes to complete your qualification at Sheffield Hallam. Find out more
Articulation of Advanced Standing: if you have completed one of our PGCEs, you may be able to use these credits to reduce the amount of time it takes to complete this course. If you have any questions, please contact us.
If English is not your first language, you need an overall IELTS score of 6.5 with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in all other skills. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.5 we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score
Additional information for EU/International students
This course is not open to international students who require a Tier 4 (General) student visa to study in the UK. If you are an international applicant but do not require a Tier 4 (General) student visa, email our Admissions Team to find out whether you’re eligible to apply.
Modules
Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page. .
Year 1
Compulsory modules
Designing Stem Education Programmes
Exploring Contemporary Issues In Stem Education
Leading Innovation In Stem Education
Final year
Compulsory modules
Research Methods In Stem Education
Research Project In Stem Education
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fee for UK students starting distance learning study in 2025/26 is £10,620 for the course. The tuition fee displayed above is for the full course. If the full course is more than one year in duration, the fee will be divided into annual payments which will then be rounded. This may mean the total fee you pay is slightly higher than the fee stated above. If you take a break in study or have to re-take part of the course, you may also be charged an additional fee and will be notified of this at the time. Our tuition fee for UK students starting part-time study in 2025/26 is £5,310 per year.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
Postgraduate student loans
Up to £11,222 available for Home students on most masters courses.
Additional course costs
The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
General course additional costs
Additional costs for Sheffield Institute of Education (PDF, 255.8KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
