Educational Leadership and Management MSc/PgDip/PgCert

Overview

If you're currently working in an educational role and want to develop your leadership and management skills – and get a qualification that'll help you fulfil your career ambitions – this course is for you.

On our Educational Leadership and Management course, offered as a MSc, PgDip, PgCert, you'll learn about leadership strategy, decision-making in education, and human resource management. And whether you're a teacher, social and healthcare worker, police trainer, nurse or youth worker, you'll build on your previous skills, studies and experience and develop your expertise, theories and techniques to postgraduate level.

Once you graduate, you'll have developed the skills and knowledge to take on new responsibilities in educational leadership and management, and to seek out ambitious new roles.

You can study on campus or through distance learning, and full or part-time while you continue to work. If you're not already working in education, please take a look at our MA Education Studies course.

You can study this course full-time, part-time or part-time by distance learning. The MSc and PgDip takes 1 year full-time and 2 years part-time. The PgCert takes 6 months full-time and 1 year part-time. 

Start dates

All variations of this course start in September and January.

Entry requirements​

What you'll experience

Careers and opportunities

We'll provide you with as much support as possible in finding employment through close contacts, careers events, recruitment fairs and individual advice.

What can you do with an Educational Leadership and Management Distance Learning course?

The course is ideal for teachers, educational trainers, lecturers and instructors across the educational sector, who aspire to senior leadership and management positions. Many graduates move on to senior management positions in educational organisations.

Work experience and career planning

We'll help you to identify opportunities that will complement your studies.

When you finish the course, our Careers and Employability service can help you find a job that puts your leadership and management skills to work in the education industry.

After you leave the University, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability service as you advance in your career.

What you'll study on this MSc/PgDip/PgCert Educational Leadership and Management course

Each module on this course is worth a certain number of credits.

You need to study modules worth a total of 180 credits. For example, 4 modules worth 30 credits and 1 module worth 60 credits.

Changes to course content

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn't run, we'll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Learning support

As well as support by faculty teaching staff and your personal tutor, you can use the University’s Academic Skills Unit (ASK).

ASK provides one-to-one support in areas such as:

• academic writing
• note taking
• time management
• critical thinking
• presentation skills
• referencing
• working in groups
• revision, memory and exam techniques

Teaching​

Teaching on this course includes:

• seminars
• group work
• lectures
• student presentations
• one-to-one tutorials

How you'll spend your time

Each academic year is divided into 2 teaching blocks:

• September/October to December/January – teaching block 1
• January/February to May – teaching block 2

How you're assessed​

You'll be assessed through:

• online tests and quizzes
• reflective commentaries
• case study work
• article critiques
• online discussions
• research proposal
• a dissertation

​Course costs and funding

Tuition fees

All fees subject to annual increase.

MSc

UK/EU/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students

• Full-time (September 2022 and January 2023 start): £9,400
• Part-time (September 2022 start): £4,700 per year (90 credits)
• Part-time distance learning (September 2022 and January 2023 start): £4,050 per year (90 credits)

International students

• Full-time (September 2022 and January 2023 start): £16,200
• Part-time (September 2022 start): £8,100 per year (90 credits)
• Part-time distance learning (September 2022 and January 2023 start): £4,050 per year (90 credits)

PgDip

UK/EU/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students

• Full-time (September 2022 start): £6,270
• Part-time (September 2022 start): £3,130 per year (60 credits)
• Part-time distance learning (September 2022 start): £2,700 per year (60 credits)

International students

• Full-time (September 2022 start): £10,800
• Part-time (September 2022 start): £5,400 per year (60 credits)
• Part-time distance learning (September 2022 start): £2,700 per year (60 credits)

PgCert

UK/EU/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students

• Full-time (September 2022 start): £3,130 (60 credits)
• Part-time (September 2022 start): £3,130 (60 credits)
• Part-time distance learning (September 2022 start): £2,700 (60 credits)

International students

• Full-time (September 2022 start): £5,400 (60 credits)
• Part-time (September 2022 start): £5,400 (60 credits)
• Part-time distance learning (September 2022 start): £2,700 (60 credits)

Funding your studies

Find out more how to fund your studies, including the scholarships and bursaries you could get. You can also find more about tuition fees and living costs, including what your tuition fees cover. 

If you're a UK student, you may be eligible for a Government postgraduate loan, which you can use to help with course fees and living costs.

Applying from outside the UK? Find out about funding options for international students.

Tuition fees terms and conditions

Additional course costs

These course-related costs aren’t included in the tuition fees. So you’ll need to budget for them when you plan your spending. 

Apply

Start your application by choosing which award you want to study below.

Don't worry if you change your mind – it's easy to switch to a different award or mode of study after you apply.

International students

If you're from outside of the UK, you can apply directly to us (above) or you can get an agent to help with your application. Check your country page for details of agents in your region. To find out what to include in your application, head to the how to apply page of our international students section.

If you don’t meet the English language requirements for this course yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

Admissions terms and conditions

When you accept an offer to study at the University of Portsmouth, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.