PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION
MA Humanities Education (Citizenship/History/Religious Education)
Awarding body: University College London
Teaching institution: University College London Institute of Education
Name of the final award:
Master of Arts (MA)
Postgraduate Diploma
Postgraduate Certificate
Programme title:
MA Humanities Education (Citizenship/History/Religious Education)
The award title reflects the study route undertaken by the participant and will be one of
the following:
 Citizenship Education
 History Education
 Religious Education
 Citizenship/History Education
 Citizenship/Religious Education
 History/Citizenship Education
 History/Religious Education
 Religious/Citizenship Education
 Religious/History Education
UCAS/admission code: P026667
Language of study
The Institute of Education teaches and assesses participants through the medium of the
English language. Competence in English language is required of all applicants.
Programme regulations may indicate the level of competence required of each applicant
and may make its achievement a condition of admission.
Criteria for admission to the programme
Candidates normally hold a good first degree (2.2 or above) and some experience of
working in the field of citizenship, history and/or religious education, or in a closely related
field. European or international applicants are expected to have qualifications at an
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equivalent level. Those who do not meet these criteria will be considered on the basis of
their Personal Supporting Statement, part of the application process.
All candidates are expected to demonstrate a high level of commitment to their specialist
area of education in a formal or informal educational setting.
If your first language is not English you may be required to provide evidence of your
proficiency in the English language.
The UCL Institute of Education is committed to admitting and supporting participants with
disabilities and welcomes such applications. Participants do not need to be “registered
disabled” to draw on these services. Disabilities Support can also support people who
have a temporary mobility / dexterity impairment / other difficulty as a result of an accident,
injury, illness or surgery. We aim to treat every person as an individual, with needs which
may differ from those of other people with a superficially similar disability. We do not
therefore have standard procedures for participants with dyslexia, or standard procedures
for visually impaired participants: each person's needs are considered individually.
Mode of study
Participants can attend on either a part-time (two to four years) or full-time (one year)
basis. Attendance is on an online, face-to-face or mixed mode basis, depending upon
module choice.
Aims of the programme
The programme aims to:
 explore key political and philosophical debates that have influenced and shaped
learning and teaching in citizenship, history and/or religious education
 encourage you to reflect critically upon principles and issues that relate to policy
and professional practice
 explore contemporary developments in citizenship, history and/or religious
education
 enable you to develop a personal response to the challenges and opportunities of
citizenship, history and/or religious education that is informed by critical
engagement with research evidence and academic literature
 develop participants' understandings of vital issues associated with teaching,
learning, and assessment in citizenship, history and/or religious education
 equip participants to continue their studies beyond the MA, including work for an
EdD or PhD, by providing them with an initial conceptual basis for further work, an
acquaintance with some recent research in the field, and competence and
confidence in academic study
 promote equality of opportunity for participants with diverse experiences and needs
 offer early career teachers the foundations of a professional development journey
that links the advancement of their career in teaching to professional development
opportunities at the Institute of Education
Programme outcomes: knowledge and understanding; skills and other attributes
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On successful completion of the programme participants should have:
 an understanding of the place of citizenship, history and/or religion in the
contemporary curriculum and in education in its broader sense
 an understanding of how political forces have influenced and shaped education in
citizenship, history and/or religious education, and additionally an appreciation of
how and why debates over these subject areas often have been vigorously
contested
 an understanding of the central concepts that underpin citizenship, history and
religious education, and have explored aspects of children's, students', lay adults',
and other professionals' understandings of those concepts
 extended their knowledge of the major issues related to learning and teaching in
citizenship, history and/or religious education
 critically examined research into the learning and teaching of citizenship, history
and/or religious education
 considered innovative and intellectually grounded strategies and approaches to
improve pedagogy and excite learning in citizenship, history and/or religious
education
 an informed and considered appreciation of their own and their colleagues'
professional development needs and the disposition to want to continue to advance
personal knowledge and professional understanding at a higher level
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be
achieved and demonstrated
Students on each module will be part of a group following the programme together and
communicating with each other and with their tutor through a specially designed and
password-protected website, known as a virtual learning environment (VLE).
Students will be able to discuss the programme and the assessment with other students
and will be in a position to learn from other participants. Examples of student activities
include individual reading and critical reflection, pair and group discussions, synthesis of
group comments and report writing. Mapping this to particular teaching and learning
activities, the programme uses, for example:
Technologies for instruction
Resources provided
Technologies to support collaboration
Technologies to support reflection
Technologies to provide student support
Technologies to support assessment
Moodle, podcasting
E-print articles, web links
Discussion areas, use of wikis
Blogging and discussion areas
Online discussion areas for cohort-wide
information and non-sensitive feedback.
Tutors will also give individual and
personalised feedback on the reflections
that students make in their online
journals. In certain circumstances, phone
support and email will also be provided.
Wikis, Blogs, Turnitin
Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules, credits and awards
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In order to qualify for the MA, students must take four modules plus a dissertation with
integrated research methods, or five modules plus a report with integrated research
methods.
Each module is worth 30 credits, the dissertation is worth 60 credits, and the report is
worth 30 credits. The dissertation assessment consists of a 2,000 word proposal and a
17,000 word dissertation. The report is assessed by a 1,500 word proposal and an 8,000
report.
In total, students must complete 180 credits at Masters level (Level 7) for the award of the
MA.
Each student must take two compulsory modules. These consist of What is Education?,
which all students take, and a subject-specific compulsory module. The subject-specific
compulsory modules vary each year, in order to give students a greater range of subjectspecific modules to choose from.
For 2015-16 the subject-specific modules are:
 History Education – Leading History Education [Autumn 2015]
 Religious Education – Issues and Debates in Religious Education [Spring 2016]
 Citizenship Education – Learning to Live Together [Summer 2016]
Leading History Education and Issues and Debates in Religious Education include three
live seminars, which can be attended face-to-face or via online interaction.
So, for example, a Religious Education student commencing this year would have to
complete
 What is Education? (30 credits)
 A subject-specific RE module (30 credits)
 A report OR dissertation with integrated research methods (30 OR 60 credits)
 The remaining 90 or 60 credits/3 or 2 modules are option modules. Students can
choose additional modules from within the programme, or from the wider IOE
offering.
IOE PGCE graduates from 2008 onwards, at the discretion of the Programme Leader, are
allowed to import a maximum of 60 credits into this MA. Those importing 60 credits have
to complete the compulsory modules. If they choose to complete the report rather than
the dissertation, they will also be able to complete an option module.
Information about assessment requirements
Participants must successfully complete all elements of the programme, to achieve the
minimum credits required for the award, e.g. 180 credits for a masters award. All
coursework is assessed according to the grade-related criteria for the programme level,
found in the programme handbook.
All assignments are independently marked by two staff members, who meet to discuss
and reconcile the marks and comments for each individual. Assignments are graded from
A to D, with D being a failing grade. Participants who fail an assignment may be reassessed in that element of their programme of study on one further occasion only, within
the deadline specified by the Programme Leader.
An external examiner is appointed by Senate and plays an important role in monitoring
the quality of the programme and evaluating the effectiveness of the teaching and support
provided for the programme participants and the reliability of the judgements made in
assessing them.
Further details about assessment regulations can be found on the UCL website.
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Support for learning
A considerable breadth of experience, expertise and interests is brought by participants
to the programme and strategies to support their study acknowledge this diversity. Support
includes:
 Induction sessions
 Student handbook
 Programme handbook
 Sessions led by the Academic Writing Centre
 Information services induction and other programmes
 Extensive library and other learning resources and facilities
 Personal tutor for each student
 Programme, subject and module leaders’ availability to advise on academic
 matters
 Peer support and networking facilitated by use of the virtual learning environment
 Academic counselling and advisory service
 Access to Student Welfare Service
 Critical and supportive formative feedback on draft assignments
Methods for evaluating and improving the programme
Mechanisms for review and evaluation of teaching, learning, assessment, the curriculum
and outcome standards include:
 Module evaluation by participants
 Termly meetings of the Programme Team
 Annual programme review prepared by programme team and considered by the
Teaching and Quality Committee
 Periodic programme review and revalidation
 Staff review and development
 Peer observation of teaching
 External examiner reports
Committees with responsibility for monitoring and evaluating quality and standards:
 Programme Committee
 Board of Examiners
 Teaching and Quality Committee
 Validation and Partnership Panel
Mechanisms for gaining participant feedback on the quality of teaching and their learning
experience:
 Participant module evaluation (sessional and programme)
 Student representation on programme committees
Indicators of quality and standards
 Progression to higher level award programmes
 Promotion to management or higher level roles in their place of work
 Programme participants teaching other practitioners in their own institutions or on
a regional or national basis
 Participation in continuing professional development programmes
 Publication of outstanding programme work in peer reviewed journals
 External examiner’s appraisal of how standards compare with other universities
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Date at which the programme specification was written or revised. Initials of
author.
AC, September 2015
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