Masters Degrees (Disability Studies)

Disability Studies is a relatively new but rapidly growing academic discipline, as illustrated by the international proliferation of courses, events, networks, journals, book series, monographs, edited collections, and so on. Though drawing on this progress substantially, the Disability Studies MA differs from similar programmes insofar as it places particular emphasis on cultural issues. We are not only interested in the policies, prejudices, and professions around disability but also its representation in literature, media, film, art and so on. Liverpool Hope University is particularly well suited as a host for this programme on many counts. Most obviously, and indeed most importantly, we have a wealth of specialist staff and resources. We have a number of experts in Disability Studies, award winning tutors, and internationally recognised scholars and researchers. What is more, the regional, national, and international profile of the programme is enhanced greatly by the Centre for Culture & Disability Studies–and, by extension, the Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies, the Literary Disability Studies book series, the on-going seminar series, and the International Network of Literary & Cultural Disability Scholars–that is housed at the Graduate School in the Faculty of Education, Liverpool Hope University.

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This exciting programme explores disability as an equal opportunities issue by focusing on contemporary organisations and institutionalised practice.

If you’re a service provider, practitioner or policy maker who wants to bring theory and practice together, or you’re planning a career in the field of disability, you’ll explore a range of disability-related issues from theoretical and practical perspectives.

Our refreshed core modules allow you to explore the frontiers of research in this rapidly developing field, and focus on social policy for disabled people in education, benefits, housing, transport, employment, health and social support services, as well as recent developments in social research on disability. You’ll also choose from optional modules to focus on the topics that best suit your own interests or career plans, from care to disability and development via research training or race and ethnicity studies.

Research insight

Taught by academics from the Centre for Disability Studies, you’ll learn in a stimulating environment where tutors’ teaching is informed by their own cutting-edge research.

The interdisciplinary Centre for Disability Studies is at the forefront of international research in the field, using social model approaches that recognise disability as a form of institutional discrimination and social exclusion, rather than a product of physical difference between individuals. You’ll benefit from the expertise of researchers from diverse backgrounds, drawing on the experiences and issues raised by the disabled people’s movement.

Course content

In Semester 1 you’ll take a core module examining recent debates and developments in social research on disability. You’ll critically assess positivist, interpretative and ‘emancipatory’ methodologies and the data collection and analysis strategies that come with them, and consider the emergence of the ‘social model’ of disability.

You’ll apply these perspectives to contemporary social policy in Semester 2, as you explore topics such as disability benefits, self-help, public amenities like housing, transport and public buildings, education, employment and social support services.

In addition, you’ll gain specialist knowledge when you select from a range of optional modules. You could pursue further training in quantitative and qualitative research methods, or study topics such as special educational needs. You’ll also focus on a specific topic when you complete your dissertation – an individual piece of research that allows you to showcase the knowledge and skills you’ve gained.

Course structure

Compulsory modules

• Social Policy, Politics and Disabled People 30 credits
• Researching Culture and Society 30 credits
• Dissertation (Disability) 60 credits
• Debates on Disability Theory and Research 30 credits

Optional modules

• Special Educational Needs: Inclusive Curriculum 30 credits
• International Human Rights and Disabled People 15 credits
• 'Race', Identity and Culture in the Black Atlantic 15 credits
• Disability and Development 15 credits
• Contested Bodies 15 credits
• Que(e)rying Sexualities 15 credits
• Social Policy Analysis 15 credits
• Social Policy Debates 15 credits
• Quantitative Research Methods 15 credits
• Qualitative Research Methods 15 credits
• Policy and Programme Evaluation 15 credits

For more information on typical modules, read Disability Studies MA Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information on typical modules, read Disability Studies MA Part Time in the course catalogue

Learning and teaching

We use various teaching methods including lectures, seminars and tutorials in core modules. Optional modules may also include methods such as practical classes, workshops or online learning. Independent study is also crucial to this programme, allowing you to shape your own research questions, prepare for taught sessions and build research and analytical skills.

Assessment

Assessment methods are likely to vary, depending on the optional modules you choose. Most of our taught modules are assessed through written work such as essays and book and literature reviews.

Career opportunities

There is a growing demand for students with a comprehensive knowledge of disability issues in all areas of social life.

In particular, there are many career opportunities in health and social support services, education, human resources, statutory and voluntary agencies, NGOs (non-governmental organisations), INGOs (international non-governmental agencies) and charities.

There are also excellent career openings in social research and universities – you’ll be well prepared for further research at PhD level.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.

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The M.Sc. in Disability Studies provides students with a deep understanding of disability from social, historical, cultural, economic and political perspectives. Graduates of the M.Sc. are equipped with the knowledge, analytical skills and perspectives to help translate rights into reality in the field of disability. The programme offers:

Immersion in the policy and practice implications of the critically important United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and related human rights instruments.
Familiarisation with the key global issues in the field of disability.
A thorough grounding in the principles and practice of programme planning and evaluation.
An internship in a cutting edge disability organisation in the public, private, or voluntary sectors.
Access to the unique expertise of the National Institute for Intellectual Disability and the Centre for Deaf Studies, both located in Trinity College Dublin and closely associated with the programme.
Academic interaction with the students of the Certificate in Contemporary Living, the first third level education programme for people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland.
Exposure to teaching from a range of disciplinary perspectives.

The programme aims to prepare graduates for employment or career development in areas such as disability advocacy, quality assurance in disability services, programme planning and evaluation in the field of disability, disability research, and disability policy analysis.

Admission Requirements

The M.Sc. in Disability Studies offers admission to full-time (TRT69) and part-time (TRT79) students. EU and Non-EU applicants are required to hold at least an upper second class honours degree in a relevant area (e.g., Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Humanities, Education, Deaf studies, Law, and Psychology). Applications are taken on a yearly basis from January to July.

The following are required as part of the application:

Application form
Official transcripts
2 reference letters (at least one academic)
Curriculum Vitae
Statement of purpose addressing the following (1,000 words):
Your interest in the MSc in Disability Studies at TCD
A research topic in the area of disability you would like to examine in your dissertation
How the programme best suits your career development
Your preference for elective modules and placement

Successful applicants will be invited for an interview.

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The MA Disability Studies programme is designed for practising teachers, educators and others with a personal or professional interest in the field of education. The programme aims to provide opportunities for engagement with the key theories, concepts and ideas in education.

This programme is part of the ‘Interdisciplinary Studies in Education’ suite of research-informed Masters provision. It offers each student a choice of awards that means they can tailor the available provision to their own research interests.

By studying at Liverpool Hope University, you will be joining an academic community with a strong record in educational research. You will study in a supportive learning environment and be encouraged to develop your own research profile.

Our Disability Studies block must be combined with one of the following blocks:

Developmental Psychology
Early Childhood
Education Leadership and Management
Education Policy, Pratice and the Professional
International Education *subject to availability
Pedagogy (part-time only)
Religious Education

* Please note, Special Educational Needs is not available as an option to study with Disability Studies

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This programme will equip you with the skills, knowledge and ability to plan and carry out academic research relevant to disability studies. You will gain a particular awareness and skill set associated with emancipatory and participatory models of research, where disabled people themselves take active roles in the research process. Parts of the programme are delivered by, or co-taught with, people with disabilities, including those with learning difficulties.

You will take core units about research design, quantitative methods and qualitative methods along with students on the MSc in Policy Research and the MSc in Social Work Research, plus an additional core unit about inclusive research with disabled people. The core units are part of the ESRC South West Doctoral Training Centre at Bristol, and as such are a good grounding for those who wish to carry on to a PhD or take up research posts. The optional units will give you a chance to consider research about inclusion for disabled people in relation to international rights, as well as UK structures in society.

Programme structure

Core units
-Philosophy and Research Design in the Social Sciences
-Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods in the Social Sciences
-Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods in the Social Sciences
-Inclusive Research with Disabled People

Optional units
-Global Contexts of Rights and Disability
-Disabled Childhoods
-Health and Social Care Research
-Researching Poverty, Inequality and Social Exclusion

Dissertation
In order to gain an MSc, you will undertake a research dissertation, which is the equivalent of a further three units. Part-time students will normally take two core units and one optional unit in year one, and two core units and one optional unit in year two.

Careers

This programme is primarily about research, which means successful graduates often move on to PhD research. Some graduates are already employed in the disability sector, and use their qualification to progress their career or makes changes in their own organisation. For example, social care managers or self-advocacy group coordinators have gone on to carry out research with the disabled people their organisation works with.

Other graduates gain employment in social and health care, self-advocacy and user-led organisations, education, universities or academic research.

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The MA Education Policy, Practice and the Professional programme is designed for practising teachers, educators and others with a personal or professional interest in the field of education. The programme aims to provide opportunities for engagement with the key theories, concepts and ideas in education.

This programme is part of the ‘Interdisciplinary Studies in Education’ suite of research-informed Masters provision. It offers each student a choice of awards that means they can tailor the available provision to their own research interests.

By studying at Liverpool Hope University, you will be joining an academic community with a strong record in educational research. You will study in a supportive learning environment and be encouraged to develop your own research profile.

Please note – Whilst the block is named as Education Policy, Practice and the Professional the programme itself of which this block will form a part of will have Education appearing in the title. For example, if you were to combine the studies of the EPPP block with Disability Studies as part of the MA Interdisciplinary Studies the programme will be called MA Disability Studies and Education and not MA Disability Studies and Education Policy, Practice and the professional.

Our Education Policy, Practice and the Professional block must be combined with one of the following blocks:

Developmental Psychology (part-time only)
Disability Studies
Early Childhood
Education Leadership and Management
International Education *subject to availability
Religious Education
Special Educational Needs
Pedagogy is not available to study alongside Education Policy, Practice and the Professional

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Develop the skills and knowledge to produce meaningful social research with this challenging programme.

Core modules will teach you how to turn social research issues and questions into workable research designs, as well as handling quantitative and qualitative data and issues such as ethics and funding applications. You’ll also have the chance to specialise through a choice of optional modules, allowing you to focus on research in topics such as disability studies, care, social policy analysis, criminology and evaluation of programmes and policies.

This taught programme has recently been redesigned to meet the new postgraduate training and development guidelines of the ESRC, meaning it stands alone as an MA but will also prepare you for doctoral research in this dynamic field of scholarship. You’ll be well prepared to become a specialist social science researcher, supported by expert tutors across our active research centres and institutes.

Research insight

You’ll learn in a research-intensive, stimulating environment. As well as the Leeds Social Sciences Institute which fosters collaboration, you’ll benefit from the interdisciplinary expertise hosted by the Centre for Disability Studies, Centre for Ethnicity and Racism Studies, Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies and many others. All of these centres run their own calendars of events such as workshops and seminars.

Find out more about Research in the School of Sociology and Social Policy. 

Course content

At the start of the programme you’ll build your knowledge of research design, learning to connect abstract theoretical and methodological perspectives with practical research strategies. Sampling and selection, choosing the right data collection and analysis methods, the ethics and politics of research design and creating research proposals will all be among the topics you explore.

You’ll also have the chance to deepen your subject knowledge with your optional module. You could focus on crime, social policy analysis or evaluative research as well as disability studies, care or social thought.

In Semester 2 you’ll begin intensive training in analysing quantitative and qualitative data. You’ll learn to use statistical software, design surveys and questionnaires and record, code, organise and manage qualitative data. You’ll evaluate different research methods, understanding the benefits, limitations, and ethical implications of each one and when to use them.

By the end of the programme in September, you’ll submit a research project that puts the skills you’ve gained into practice – and perhaps lay the foundations of your future research.

Course structure

Compulsory modules

• Research Dissertation 60 credits
• Researching Culture and Society 30 credits
• Quantitative Research Methods 15 credits
• Qualitative Research Methods 15 credits
• Understanding Society and Culture 30 credits

Optional modules

• Contemporary Social Thought 30 credits
• 'Race', Identity and Culture in the Black Atlantic 15 credits
• Disability and Development 15 credits
• Social Policy, Politics and Disabled People 30 credits
• Contested Bodies 15 credits
• Que(e)rying Sexualities 15 credits
• Social Policy Analysis 15 credits
• Social Policy Debates 15 credits
• Policy and Programme Evaluation 15 credits
• Power, Critique & Global Transformations 15 credits
• Sociology of Media and Culture 30 credits

For more information on typical modules, read Social Research MA Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information on typical modules, read Social Research MA Part Time in the course catalogue

Learning and teaching

We use a range of teaching and learning methods to develop the research skills and theoretical knowledge you need. These include seminars, tutorials, and presentations. You’ll also attend practical sessions and workshops where you’ll get to grips with data analysis. Independent study is also vital to this programme, allowing you to refine your skills and prepare for your taught sessions.

Assessment

You’ll experience different assessment methods, including presentations, literature reviews, research proposals and essays. In data analysis modules, you’ll be expected to analyse and engage with data within your essays. We offer plenty of support with aspects such as academic writing.

Career opportunities

In the last decade there has been enormous growth in social research, leading to an increasing variety of career options. There are a number of different research environments, such as academic departments, third sector organisations, private research organisations and governmental agencies – all of which have distinctive research cultures.

There is an increasing emphasis on the production of high quality, rigorous and meaningful research by professionally trained researchers. We designed the MA in Social Research to provide such training, and the course will interest people pursuing, or enhancing, a research-related career in a wide range of settings.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.

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Shape the future of adult, child, mental health or learning disability nursing with this new masters which includes registration.

The Masters in Nursing (MN) enables you to achieve a post-graduate qualification and professional registration. The MN underpins all aspects of nursing practice and leads to eligibility for registration on the Nursing and Midwifery Council professional register in one of the four fields: Adult Health /Child Health /Mental Health /Learning Disability.

It is a full-time, three year, post-graduate degree course which aims to provide you with a range of learning, teaching and assessment experiences that will enable you to become a critically reflective, post-graduate nurse with an in-depth knowledge and understanding of your respective field of nursing.

Throughout this programme you will be in University studying theory (50%) and then have the opportunity to engage in clinical-based learning (50%) in a variety of hospital and community settings within the Lothian and Borders area. Integrated into this programme is the opportunity to engage in voluntary and elective practice placements locally or internationally.

What you'll learn

This new Masters in Nursing with registration is a full-time 3 year programme. It would suite highly motivated graduates who enjoy a challenge and want to shape the future of one of the four fields of nursing: Adult Health, Child Health, Mental Health or Learning Disability.

The Masters in Nursing (MN) enables you to achieve a post-graduate qualification and professional registration. The MN underpins all aspects of nursing practice and leads to eligibility for registration on the Nursing and Midwifery Council professional register in one of the four fields: Adult Health /Child Health /Mental Health /Learning Disability.

It is a full-time, three year, post-graduate degree course which aims to provide you with a range of learning, teaching and assessment experiences that will enable you to become a critically reflective, post-graduate nurse with an in-depth knowledge and understanding of your respective field of nursing.

Throughout this programme you will be in University studying theory (50%) and then have the opportunity to engage in clinical-based learning (50%) in a variety of hospital and community settings within the Lothian and Borders area. Integrated into this programme is the opportunity to engage in voluntary and elective practice placements locally or internationally.


Nurses today need to be able to demonstrate competence in nursing care across the patient’s lifespan. To deliver this, they need to be able to work flexibly, inter-professionally and collaboratively in a dynamic and ever changing health care arena.

Our nursing programme has been written to take account of the key drivers in health care at local, national and international levels and was developed in partnership with our clinical partners, students, service users and carers.

During each year of the programme you will learn alongside colleagues in all fields of nursing, and will work with peers from the MN and the undergraduate nursing programme. The course is designed so that you will acquire in-depth knowledge and understanding which gives you specific skills, knowledge and competences to work within a variety of health-care settings. There is increasing nursing field specialisation as the programme progresses which keeps you abreast of the current developments within your chosen field of nursing. On completion, this course will support you to become a creative, innovated and dynamic nurse with an excellent grounding in nursing theory and practice.

Year 1 lays the foundations about what the role of the nurse is and introduces you to the Nursing and Midwifery code as well as theories and models of nursing and nursing skills. It also focuses on anatomy and physiology, determinants of health across the life span, communication, compassionate care, and ethics and inter-professional working. You will also begin to develop academic and research skills.
Year 2 to builds on the work undertaken previously, but also introduces factors which influence health and well-being such as global and national public health priorities. You will explore the impact of altered health status on the individual and their family/carers over the life span. In addition, you will acquire deeper understanding of inter-professional healthcare delivery which includes looking at aspects of co-production, individuals’ rights and inclusion.

Year 3 builds and consolidates your knowledge within your specific field of nursing. Here you will looks more specifically at complex health care needs, health care delivery, interventions, governance, leadership and decision-making. You will undertake a literature review which provides opportunities to build upon your prior learning and experience in an area of interest to you.

Modules

Theory year 1
• Foundations of health and well-being {Masters} 1A
• Foundations of health and well-being (Bridging) 1B
• Developing Professionalism {Bridging} 2A
• Developing Professionalism {Masters} 2B

Practice learning disability year 1
• Nursing Practice 1
• Nursing Practice 2 (learning disability)

Theory Year 2
• Essential Theory and Skills for learning disability Practice {Masters} 3A
• Essential Theory and Skills for learning disability Practice {Masters} 3B
• Effective Interagency working in healthcare {Masters} 4A
• Effective Interagency working in healthcare {Masters} 4B

Practice year 2
• Nursing Practice 3 (learning disability)
• Nursing Practice 4 (learning disability)

Theory Year 3
• Critical Perspectives of learning disability {Masters} 5A
• Critical Perspectives of learning disability {Masters} 5B
• Effective Leadership in Healthcare {Masters} 6 Dissertation

Practice year 3
• Nursing Practice 5 (learning disability)
• Nursing Practice 6 (learning disability)

Study modules mentioned above are indicative only. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Careers

Edinburgh Napier University is the largest provider of nursing professionals in Scotland. This new programme has the potential to deliver post-graduate nurses who have excellent career prospects across hospitals and local communities, voluntary organisations and the private sector.

As new registrants you will be taking up leading roles within education, practice and research within the NHS and in the private sector, and will be able to work anywhere within the UK and EU and in some cases even further afield.

How to apply

http://www.napier.ac.uk/study-with-us/postgraduate/how-to-apply

SAAS Funding

Nothing should get in the way of furthering your education. Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) awards funding for postgraduate courses, and could provide the help you need to continue your studies. Find out more: http://www.napier.ac.uk/study-with-us/postgraduate/fees-and-funding/saas-funded-courses

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The Special and Inclusive Education MA will develop a student's knowledge of key concepts and issues related to special and inclusive education, enhancing their understanding of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives. It will give students the ability to analyse, evaluate and synthesise evidence, theory and practice, and help them to apply conceptual and theoretical frameworks to professional policy and practice.

Degree information

By the end of the programme, students should be able to:
-Contribute to contemporary international and national debate in the field of special education and inclusion and disability studies.
-Produce and communicate evidence-informed, reasoned argument in writing and orally.
-Demonstrate how concepts, theories and evidence can inform an understanding of issues and practice.
-Carry out a focused special, and inclusive education inquiry into educational practice.
-Enhance professional practice through greater knowledge, skills, understanding and awareness.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of two core modules (60 credits), optional modules and either a research report (30 credits) or a dissertation (60 credits).

Core modules
-Concepts and Contexts of Special and Inclusive Education
-Research Design and Methodology

Optional modules - in addition to the two core modules students take at least one module from the following:
-Autrism: Research and Practice
-Inclusive Pedagogy: Changing Practice through Action Research
-Language Development
-Psychology for Special Needs
-Social, Emotional and Behavioural Development
-Understanding SpLD (Dyslexia)

Students choose either one or two further options from the list above or, subject to the Programme Leader's approval, from elsewhere at the UCL Institute of Education.

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a 10,000 to 12,000-word dissertation or 6,000 to 7,000-word report.

Teaching and learning
The MA is taught through lectures, group discussions, small group one-to-one tutorials, and computer lab classes. Compulsory and optional modules are assessed by range of assessment strategies including presentations and a 4,000-5,000 word written assignment; students may choose from a range of assessment titles. In addition, students may choose to write either a report (6,000-7,000 words) or a dissertation (10,000-12,000 words).

NB: this MA is not a teacher training programme and does not aim to train students via school-based training and teaching placements.

Careers

Graduates of this programme are currently working across a broad range of areas. Some are working as managers in mainstream and special schools and other educational settings, while others support those with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities directly. Graduates can also be found working as staff in specialist services for children and young people with SEN and/or disabilities.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-Secondary School Teacher (IT), Langley Park School
-Special Educational Needs (SEN) Teacher, Special School of Piraeus
-Special Educational Needs (SEN) Teaching Assistant, Grange Primary School
-Special Needs Support Assistant, The UCL Academy
-Behavioural Co-Ordinator, The National Autistic Society

Why study this degree at UCL?

This programme provides students with the opportunity to study in one of the country's leading specialist departments in special educational needs and disability (SEND), and educational psychology, working with internationally-recognised tutors who have published widely in the areas of special education, inclusion and disability studies, and who contribute to Master's and doctoral programmes worldwide.

The programme team is committed to creating an intellectually challenging context in which students are encouraged to discuss practical knowledge, experience and ideas in order to extend their understanding of special and inclusive education.

This programme attracts students with rich and varied professional and personal experience, both nationally and internationally, and fellow students provide a valuable networking resource.

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This refreshed programme explores issues, concepts, and debates in social and public policy research to gain an insight into policy making and its social impacts on individuals and communities.

Core modules will explore social theories, issues and research methods relevant to social policy and welfare. You will also develop core skills in critical policy analysis and policy evaluation. There will be opportunities to study and debate current policy issues, such as work and welfare, child and family policy or the challenges of ageing populations, with a focus on real-life examples.

Supported by our well-known research centres and taught by expert tutors, you’ll tailor the programme to suit your own interests and career aspirations. With a range of optional modules to choose from, you could pursue further advanced research skills or study complementary social topics such as disability studies, gender studies, racism and ethnicity studies, or globalisation.

You’ll gain an insight into some of the most sensitive and complex social issues affecting governments worldwide.

Research insight

You’ll learn in a research-intensive, stimulating environment. As well as the Leeds Social Sciences Institute which fosters collaboration, you’ll benefit from the interdisciplinary expertise hosted by the Centre for Disability Studies, Centre for Ethnicity and Racism Studies, Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies and many others. All of these centres run their own calendars of events such as workshops and seminars.

From the start of the programme you’ll study core modules that introduce you to the social contexts and social problems that challenge policy makers, understanding society and social research. As the course develops you will focus more specifically on the welfare state, the process of social policy formation, and the kinds of evidence on which new policies and programmes are founded, and against which their effectiveness is evaluated.

You’ll gain a thorough understanding of research methods, the theoretical assumptions which underpin them and how these affect the way the findings are interpreted. You’ll also focus on specific examples such as welfare reform or employment activation policies.

With this foundation, you’ll choose from optional modules to specialise in topics that suit you. You could study contemporary social thought to contextualise your work, or look at issues such as labour mobility, care, healthcare, disability or ‘race’ and ethnicity. You could study further data analysis and research methods to prepare for future research.

At the end of the programme, you’ll submit your dissertation – an independent piece of research on a related topic of your choice, which allows you to demonstrate and apply the knowledge and skills you’ve acquired during the year.

Course structure

Compulsory modules

• Dissertation (Social Policy) 60 credits
• Researching Culture and Society 30 credits
• Social Policy Analysis 15 credits
• Policy and Programme Evaluation 15 credits
• Understanding Society and Culture 30 credits

Optional modules

• China's Development 15 credits
• Environmental Assessment 15 credits
• European Human Rights 15 credits
• Human Resource Management: An International Perspective 15 credits
• Managing Change 15 credits
• Understanding and Managing Effective Groups and Teams 15 credits
• Social Media Marketing 15 credits
• Management of Finance for Health 15 credits
• Policing Post-Conflict Cities 15 credits
• Development Management Techniques 15 credits
• 'Race', Identity and Culture in the Black Atlantic 15 credits
• Disability and Development 15 credits
• Contested Bodies 15 credits
• Que(e)rying Sexualities 15 credits
• Social Policy Debates 15 credits
• Quantitative Research Methods 15 credits
• Qualitative Research Methods 15 credits
• Power, Critique & Global Transformations 15 credits
• Standards and Tools for Business, Environment and Corporate Social Responsibility 15 credits
• Climate Change Mitigation 15 credits
• System Dynamics: Modelling Policy 15 credits

For more information on typical modules, read Social and Public Policy MA Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information on typical modules, read Social and Public Policy MA Part Time in the course catalogue

Learning and teaching

We use a range of teaching and learning methods including presentations, seminars, workshops, tutorials and lectures. Optional modules may also use other methods such as online learning. However, independent study is crucial to this degree – it allows you to prepare for taught sessions, develop your research interests and build a range of skills.

Assessment

Your core modules will be assessed using essays. Optional modules may use other forms of assessment that reflect the diversity of the topics you can study, including presentations, book and literature reviews, research proposals and reports among others.

Career opportunities

You’ll gain a wide range of knowledge and skills throughout this programme, including sophisticated skills in research, communication and analysis that will be useful in a variety of careers.

Social and Public Policy graduates have gone on to a wide range of posts across the third-sector public services, government and business. These have included central and local government departments, community bodies, housing and health organisations, research consultancies and advocacy or campaigning.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.

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Why take this course?

The term 'learning disabilities' is used interchangeably with 'intellectual disability' to describe those who have significant problems with learning and who need support with many aspects of life.

This distance learning course enhances knowledge and skills of graduates and experienced practitioners wishing to develop their understanding of people with learning disabilities.

What will I experience?

On this course you can:

Be taught by academics who are active researchers in learning disability
Participate in live web-based chat forums, e-conferencing, and individual tutorials, to discuss your work with lecturers and with other students
Tap into the Library’s vast selection of electronic resources or access library facilities and borrow books locally via the SCOLNUL scheme

What opportunities might it lead to?

This course provides an opportunity for those supporting children and adults with intellectual disabilities and their families to enhance their knowledge and skills, and gain an academic qualification.

Module Details

Full-time students will study all 180 Level M credits (i.e. six units) in one full year. Part-time students will normally study three units each year, and will begin to explore potential research ideas and research methodologies in the first year. All units are Level 7, 30 credits, and are core units.

Here are the units you will study (part-time students will study these in the first year):

Critical Disability Studies and Intellectual Disability: The perspective of Critical Disability Studies (CDS) is about how society and its agents respond to the labelled person's circumstances rather than how intellectual disability inhabits the person. This unit will address the relationship between workers and disabled people that CDS might call for. Here disability and intellectual disability in particular will be a standpoint or position from which to view society, in contrast to disability as a categorisation of people.

Autistic Spectrum Conditions: A Critical Approach: this unit aims to provide knowledge about autistic spectrum conditions and promote understanding of the key issues in providing support to people with autistic spectrum conditions and their families.

Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods: This unit provides an introduction to experimental and survey-based research methods, and quantitative data analysis techniques. It covers qualitative methods for data collection and analysis, as well as to how to write research reports in both traditions.

The following units will be studied in the first year by full-time students and in the second year by part-time students:

Families and Systemic Therapy: This unit aims to provide you with an understanding of families including an appreciation of experiences of families with an intellectually disabled member. It aims to enhance your abilities to support families via theoretically informed, partnership-based empowering practices.

Research Project: The research project requires you to initiate, conduct and report upon an original piece of research. The work is conducted to deadlines agreed with a project supervisor and project must include empirical quantitative or qualitative research – data collection and relevant analysis must be included. Any statistical analysis must be both descriptive (e.g. means, standard deviations and graphs etc.) and inferential (i.e. statistical tests).

Communication and Investigative Interviewing of People with Intellectual Disabilities: This unit aims to promote communication skills and opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities and outline the status of the law concerning vulnerable adults as witnesses/victims. It aims to provide you with the opportunity to examine issues that arise when people with intellectual disabilities are interviewed as witnesses/victims of crime.

Programme Assessment

Despite its distance learning mode, this course is still extremely student focused. You will be given resources, materials, help and guidance to complete your studies to your full ability. Using our virtual learning environment you can participate in group discussions with other students in a friendly yet challenging online class environment. Plus real-time text based 'chat sessions' with lecturers will ensure you receive all the support you need for the topics you study.

You are assessed in a variety of ways to reflect the individual topics, however there are no examinations and all assessment is coursework based. Here’s how we assess your work:

Practice files
Essays
Wikis
Statistical analysis and reports
Literature reviews
A research project

Student Destinations

When embarking on this course, you may benefit from having completed paid or voluntary work with children or adults with intellectual disabilities.

Previous graduates of the course frequently make significant progress in their careers. Some are just in the beginning stages while others move on to senior manager positions and upwards. Past students have also progressed to advanced academic qualifications such as PhDs or professional doctorates.

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The Special and Inclusive Education MA will develop a student's knowledge of key concepts and issues related to special and inclusive education, enhancing their understanding of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives. It will give students the ability to analyse, evaluate and synthesise evidence, theory and practice, and help them to apply conceptual and theoretical frameworks to professional policy and practice.

Degree information

Graduates will be equipped to contribute to contemporary international and national debate in the field of special education and inclusion and disability studies; produce and communicate evidence-informed, reasoned argument in writing and orally; demonstrate how concepts, theories and evidence can inform an understanding of issues and practice; carry out a focused special, and inclusive education inquiry into educational practice; enhance professional practice through greater knowledge, skills, understanding and awareness.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of four taught modules (30 credits each) and a dissertation (60 credits).

Core modules
- Concepts and Contexts of Special and Inclusive Education (Cairo)
- Research Design and Methodology (Cairo)
- Social, Emotional and Behavioural Development (Cairo)
- Understanding Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia)

Dissertation/research project
All students undertake an independent research project in special and inclusive education which culminates in a 10,000 to 12,000-word dissertation.

Teaching and learning
This MA is taught by UCL Institute of Education tutors in Cairo, Egypt. The programme is modular; two to three modules are taught each year and these will vary from year to year to cover the full requirement of the MA. Modules are taught in intensive blocks of four days at the Learning Resource Center in Maadi, Cairo. Skype meetings and tutorials are available for all students enrolled on this programme of study.

The MA is taught through lectures, group discussions and small group one-to-one tutorials. Modules are assessed by a 4,000 to 5,000-word written assignment. In addition, students write a dissertation (10,000-12,000 words).

Note: this MA is not a teacher training programme and does not aim to train students via school-based training and teaching placements.

Careers

This programme provides students with the opportunity to study at one of the UK's leading specialist departments in special educational needs and disability (SEND), and educational psychology, working with internationally recognised tutors who have published widely in the areas of special education, inclusion and disability studies, and who contribute to Master's and doctoral programmes worldwide. Note: this programe is only available to students living and working full-time in Egypt.

The programme team is committed to creating an intellectually challenging context in which students are encouraged to discuss practical knowledge, experience and ideas in order to extend their understanding of special and inclusive education.

This programme attracts students with rich and varied professional and personal experience.

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Learning disability nurses enable individuals to live their lives to their full potential within the social context they choose, through collaborative interventions across a variety of health and social care settings and by using specialist input, through person centred practice, underpinned by the concept of partnership working.

This course teaches you to promote social inclusion, good mental and physical health and self-determination through developing your skills, knowledge and attributes. All learning is grounded in a strong evidence base of integrative health and social care modelling. Our placements are varied, offering you the chance to create a future career that will be rewarding both for your personal and professional advancement.

Modules

You will be taught separately from the three-year undergraduate students and will study the following:

Year 1

Improving quality, change management and leadership
Building practice skills for learning disability nursing
Applied physiology, growth and development
Contemporary issues in learning disability nursing

Year 2

Research in health and social care
Enhancing practice skills in learning disability nursing
Complexity in learning disabilities
Advanced communication

MSc pathway

You'll follow the same modules as outlined above for the PgDip, with the addition of a dissertation:

Dissertation
Assessment methods vary within each module, mapped against the professional standards as outlined by the NMC (2010) and assessed either through course work, and/or clinical placement assessments. Written assessments include essays, case study's, and critical reviews of evidence for example. Clinical practice assessments include achievements of identified competencies, a learning assessment portfolio, and problem based scenarios.

Teaching and learning

You'll be expected to work as an independent adult learner, working alongside academic staff to expand and extend your knowledge, skills and attitudes as a critical scholar in the field of Intellectual Disabilities.

You'll be allocated a personal tutor, a cohort leader, and a course director, plus clinical mentors, and link lecturers whilst on placement.

The course makes use of the virtual learning environment MOODLE, an interactive based system for accurate and rapid information sharing, so course materials are available whenever you need them. A range of learning styles are employed, including visits from service users and their carers, to ensure the course remains contemporary and applied to real life situations.

Placements

Every student will spend 50% of the course on placement. You'll have the opportunity to work in partnership with individuals with learning disabilities and their families using a health mentoring model. Alternatively you can work in partnership with community based organisations on projects where all parties increase their awareness, understanding and valuing of their roles, using strength based approaches.

The placement aim is to provide a broad range of experiences working with children and adults with learning disabilities in a variety of settings. This will enhance your knowledge and experience of the range of challenges people with a learning disability may face on a daily basis and what can be done to assist not only the individual but also their families.

You'll also gain insight into what is available to support workers and organisations providing services in the areas of physical and mental health, complex care needs, communication, behaviours of concern, sexuality, personal care and a range of other areas.

Professional links

The learning disability nursing programmes at LSBU have a long history of partnership working with agencies in the NHS and independent and voluntary sector. The Professional Lead for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities at the Department of Health England is a frequent guest speaker who inspires Learning Disability nurses to influence and innovate.

Learning disability nursing as a career

The course will enable you to develop a wide range of employability skills through the emphasis on a vocational approach to teaching which leads to a professional qualification leading to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

There is an increasing body of research that shows the need for learning disability nurses as a specialist resource to address health inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities. The course will give you the specialist knowledge and skills to work in a wide range of services, and the confidence to work collaboratively with people with learning disabilities, their families and carers, and other professionals and agencies.

Role and responsibilities

As a learning disabilities nurse you would work with people of all ages to give them the skills and confidence they need to live as independently as possible. You'd be working as part of a multi-disciplinary team and be responsible for co-ordinating care plans with other healthcare professionals, as well as monitoring progress. A learning disabilities nurse would be responsible for making an initial assessment of a patient's health and social care needs.

Day-to-day duties would be likely to include help and encouragement with tasks such as personal hygiene, dressing, using public transport, shopping, leisure interests, making and attending appointments, and finding a job. Learning disabilities nursing also involves campaigning on behalf of those with learning disabilities, supporting the agenda for equality and trying to improve healthcare services for those with learning difficulties.

Career progression

Successful graduates of the PgDip can top-up to MSc in one year and will be qualified to study a range of further specialist postgraduate pathways. With additional experience, advanced practice is available at Masters level with the potential to progress to doctorate studies. Once you are a registered nurse browse our online CPPD prospectus to find out what courses are on offer to help with your professional development.

LSBU Employability Services

LSBU is committed to supporting you develop your employability and succeed in getting a job after you have graduated. Your qualification will certainly help, but in a competitive market you also need to work on your employability, and on your career search. Our Employability Service will support you in developing your skills, finding a job, interview techniques, work experience or an internship, and will help you assess what you need to do to get the job you want at the end of your course. LSBU offers a comprehensive Employability Service, with a range of initiatives to complement your studies, including:

• Direct engagement from employers who come in to interview and talk to students
• Job Shop and on-campus recruitment agencies to help your job search
• Mentoring and work shadowing schemes.

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The MA in Welsh and Celtic Studies offers you the chance to explore the relationship between literature, language, culture and identity across the centuries. From medieval literature to contemporary language planning and policy, the exact content of the course will be tailored to suit your individual research interests and based on our areas of expertise.

The areas of research that we offer and which are available to you include: creative writing through the medium of Welsh, language policy and planning, language acquisition, sociolinguistics, performance theory, medieval and modern prose and poetry, translation theory and methodology, ethnology and folk studies, creative writing, children’s literature, gender studies and literary theory and criticism. Great emphasis is set on placing the School’s academic research within a comparative international context.

Working with leading experts in these fields will allow you to develop advanced academic skills in your chosen area of study and undertake original research. Examples of ground-breaking MA research in recent years include linguistic landscape mapping, creative literary criticism, intertextuality and medieval Welsh literature, and digital technologies and minority languages.

Distinctive features

• Work with leading experts in Welsh and Celtic literature, culture and language in Wales’s capital city.

• Develop an understanding of minority-language cultural and linguistic issues that can be related to other international contexts.

• Gain research and professional transferable skills of the highest quality.

• Experience working at one of Cardiff’s cultural, educational, commercial or political institutions integrated as part of the MA’s work placement programme.

• Choose to study through the medium of Welsh, English or bilingually.

• Benefit from a wide range of Welsh language modules available to learn Welsh or improve your skills in the language, free of charge.

• Participate in regular research seminars with postgraduate research students and staff.

Structure

The course can be completed in one year with full-time study or in two years by part-time study.

For a list of modules for the FULL-TIME route, please see website:

http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/courses/course/welsh-and-celtic-studiesastudiaethau-cymreig-a-cheltaidd-ma

For a list of the modules for the PART-TIME route, please see website:

http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/courses/course/welsh-and-celtic-studiesastudiaethau-cymreig-a-cheltaidd-ma-part-time

Teaching

This MA degree uses many different methods of teaching and learning. During your degree you will attend lectures, seminars and workshops, complete practical tasks, undertake a work placement and complete extended pieces of independent work under your tutor’s supervision.

The learning sessions will be interactive and practical and you are therefore expected to attend every class (be they workshops, seminars, tutorials, lectures or other sessions). In some cases, for example maternity or disability, we may make alternative arrangements for you.

Assessment

This MA programme is innovative in its use of a variety of methods of assessment. As well as developing essential research and essay/dissertation-writing skills, you will give a 15 minute seminar presentation on an area of your research, undertake a period of work placement (and produce a reflective report of the experience in the context of your academic and professional skills and career plans), and form a detailed research proposal (for the extended research project).

In part one, you will follow three core modules and complete the following assessments:

• Academic and Professional Research (40 credits) - seminar paper presentation, work experience report and research project outline

• Special Subject 1 (a subject of your choice related to Welsh and Celtic Studies) (40 credits) - critical review (2,000 words) + essay (6,000 words)

• Special Subject 2 (a subject of your choice related to Welsh and Celtic Studies) (40 credits) - essay (8,000 words)

In Part 2, you will work on an extended research project (60 credits) and complete a dissertation (12,000 words). This dissertation can take the form of an essay, project or creative portfolio.

Career Prospects

This degree offers academic training of the highest standard in Welsh and Celtic Studies to those interested in a career in language, planning, media, heritage, government, management, public relations, marketing, the creative industries, education and research. You will develop knowledge and skills regarded as assets in a wide variety of posts and undertake a work placement as part of the Academic and Professional Skills module.

Placements

Work experience is a core requirement of the MA programme, forming a part of the Academic and Professional Research module. A five-day placement will allow you to explore how your academic and personal skills relate to the requirements of a professional workplace in an area related to your research. You will write a report to evaluate and reflect on your experience. Previous MA students have undertaken placements with organisations such as the National Assembly of Wales, Glamorgan Archives, translation services, media companies and schools.

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The MPhil in African Studies offers a taught course with a substantial research component, and provides an excellent foundation for students wanting to develop their knowledge of Africa. It is designed for students who wish to enhance their historical and contemporary understanding of Africa’s societies, politics, economies, and cultures, as well as for those who wish to apply for advanced research degrees. The degree thus offers a highly regarded postgraduate qualification relevant to a wide range of professional careers, as well as intensive research and language training for students planning to prepare a doctoral dissertation.

See the website http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/hsafmpafs

Course detail

The course introduces the latest research approaches and methodologies in African studies at an advanced level. Students have the advantage of developing an interdisciplinary approach to critical thinking and academic writing, the opportunity to develop skills in an African language, and also receive specialist research training.

By the end of the course, students should have acquired:

1. A deeper knowledge and understanding of African studies and its critical debates.
2. A conceptual and contextual understanding enabling the evaluation of past and present research on Africa and its methodologies.
3. The knowledge and technical skills required for pursuing original research in their chosen area.
4. The ability to situate their own research within current and past methodological and interpretative developments in the field.
5. Increased proficiency in speaking an African language and/or in using an African language for academic purposes.

Format

The MPhil in African Studies is structured by four key elements: a core course, an option course, a dissertation and language training.

African Language Training is also not a formal part of the degree assessment, but all students are required to demonstrate that they have attended language teaching and have made good progress at language acquisition. The language element of the MPhil course is jointly managed by the University of Cambridge Language Centre and the Centre of African Studies. All students are enrolled for Swahili Basic 1 at the University of Cambridge Language Centre, which is taught over 15 weeks during Michaelmas and Lent terms.

Assessment

Formal assessment consists of two parts: coursework essays (submitted for the Core Course and the Option Course) and a dissertation (submitted at the end of the course). You are also required to submit a ‘practice essay’ on a topic related to your dissertation research, and also a formal dissertation proposal, but these are not formally assessed.

The dissertation must be submitted on the last day of Easter full term, and should be between 15,000 and 20,000 words (including footnotes but excluding bibliography). It counts for 60% of the final mark. If the examiners consider it necessary, they may conduct an oral examination on the dissertation before the final MPhil Examiners' meeting in early July.

The Core Course is assessed by means of an essay of no more than 5,000 words (including footnotes but excluding bibliography) on a topic chosen from a prescribed list of questions, which is distributed by the MPhil Office in the first week of Lent Term. The Option Courses are also assessed by means of an essay of not more than 5,000 words (including footnotes but excluding bibliography). The Core Course essay and Option Course essay each count for 20% of the final mark and are submitted in Lent Term.
A compulsory practice essay on a topic related to the dissertation is to be submitted in Lent term. This essay does not count towards the final mark but a 'pass' mark is a progression requirement.

All students are enrolled for Swahili Basic 1 at the University of Cambridge Language Centre, which is taught over 15 weeks during Michaelmas and Lent Terms. Formal assessment consists of coursework (2 pieces of homework, 10% each) and two exams at the end of the course in Reading Comprehension (30%) and Listening Comprehension (20%) as well as one Oral Presentation (30%).

Progression requirement to proceed to examined coursework essays: 'Pass' mark for the compulsory practice essay submitted in Lent term (candidates are permitted one resubmission of the practice essay).

Continuing

The Centre of African Studies does not offer a PhD course, but every year several of our MPhil students go on to study for a PhD in Cambridge or elsewhere.

Find out how to apply here http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying

Funding Opportunities

UAC Nigeria Fund (departmental grant for fieldwork)

Centre for History and Economics Prize Research Grant (grant for fieldwork)

The Charlie Bayne Travel Trust (travel grants for students with a disability)

For more information http://www.african.cam.ac.uk/fellowship

General Funding Opportunities http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance/funding

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