Higher and Professional Education MA
University of Surrey

Key Course Facts
Course Description
Why choose this course
Our Higher Education MA is open to applicants who are working with students aged 18 years or older, within a higher or tertiary education setting (or other organisations that teach at a higher or tertiary education level).
This online, part-time 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.
The MA is taught by members of staff from the Surrey Institute of Education. The Institute is one of the largest institutions in the UK dedicated to multidisciplinary research and practice solely within higher education. Our aim is to produce the next generation of practitioners and researchers, ready to address the complex problems in higher education, and help shape higher education policy and practice at local, national and international levels.
You’ll benefit from our vibrant research culture and you’ll work alongside leading academics who are at the forefront of their respective fields, giving you access to expertise in a range of areas of higher education.
What you will study
Our distance learning 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 three to five years, the qualification recognises the importance of balancing your studying alongside your teaching roles.
The programme allows you to tailor your learning according to your interests and preferences 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.
As a fully online programme, teaching is delivered via a range of live and recorded or guided learning activities that you can engage with at a time that suits you. These activities support the learning outcomes of each module and reflect the needs of the student group. As such, whilst you register for the full masters, you may step off from the programme at either the postgraduate certificate or postgraduate diploma levels.
Throughout your studies, you’ll analyse issues relating to your everyday teaching practice. In addition, you’ll debate alternative ideas, challenges, and explore solutions with your peers and tutors. Your experience on the MA can provide evidence to support your application for Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (HEA).
Entry Requirements / Admissions
Requirements for international students / English requirements
IELTS academic test score (similar tests may be accepted as well)
-
- 6.5
- All Degrees
t 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.
English language requirements
IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall with 6.0 in Writing and 5.5 in each other element.
Costs
Average student cost of living in the UK
Rent | £518 |
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) | £50 |
Supermarket shopping | £81 |
Clothing | £35 |
Eating out | £33 |
Alcohol | £27 |
Takeaways / food deliveries | £30 |
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) | £24 |
Holidays and weekend trips | £78 |
Transport within city | £17 |
Self-care / sports | £20 |
Stationary / books | £13 |
Mobile phone / internet | £13 |
Cable TV / streaming | £7 |
Insurance | £51 |
Other | £95 |
Average student cost of living | £1092 |
London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.
University Rankings
of University of Surrey
among 379 universities in England UK
based on 34 different rankings
Positions of University of Surrey in top UK and global rankings.
See all 34 university rankings of University of Surrey
About University of Surrey
List of 341 Bachelor and Master Courses from University of Surrey - Course Catalogue
Student composition of University of Surrey
-
Total number of students enrolled at University of Surrey by level Academic year 2021/22 - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022
- undergraduates:
- 10985
- postgraduates:
- 3275
- Total:
- 14260
-
Number of students enrolled in courses of subject “Higher Education”: 60 Academic year - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022
Where is this programme taught



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FAQ about Higher and Professional Education MA University of Surrey
- Higher and Professional Education MA is taught on campus and cannot be taken online at University of Surrey.