University: This course is delivered and validated by Edge Hill University
Start Date: September 2025
The MA Education (Special Educational Needs) has been designed to meet the interests and professional development needs of a range of professionals who are working with those with special educational needs in education and related settings, such as health and social care and social services.
The programme enables you to gain in-depth knowledge and understanding of barriers to learning. You will discover how to deliver inclusive practice for learners with special educational needs, focus on dyscalculia and mathematics learning difficulties, and explore multiple perspectives on educational leadership.
You will also engage in meaningful and impactful research and enhance your understanding of the nature of educational enquiry and the analytical processes that support research-informed practice.
If you are seeking to develop your practice and gain expertise in the field of special educational needs, then this is the programme for you.
The overall focus of the course is on equipping you with comprehensive, theoretical, research-informed knowledge and an understanding of differing educational perspectives and diverse contexts.
Key themes include:
Barriers to learning and inspiring practices will be critiqued alongside theoretical frameworks and reflection from practice.
Supporting your personal professional development and enhancing your research skills are essential elements of the course, preparing you for the completion of an independent research report on a relevant topic of your choice.
You will benefit from exceptional personalised support, tailored to your individual professional interests, and needs, and a flexible delivery model, consisting of twilight on campus sessions enhanced by activities on our VLE.
The blend of students from different professional backgrounds will enable discussion, debate, and the sharing of experiences in a supportive and welcoming environment, facilitated by staff who are experts in education theory and practice and special educational needs.
You will also develop essential transferable skills, from purposeful and effective communication to utilising a range of media, making justifiable decisions in complex and unpredictable situations, and planning appropriate targets for improvement.
At Holy Cross College in Bury, the MA Education (SEN) pathway is available in a part-time mode of study, over two years.
Taught sessions in the evenings are built around dialogue, discussion and collaborative learning, with tutor support and expertise immediately at hand. Teaching is interactive, experiential and innovative, using a variety of technologies to enhance your learning, from presentation tools and virtual classrooms to mixed media, social media and mobile technologies.
The programme will be tailored to enable you to focus your learning on your individual interests and professional requirements. Each 30-credit module may typically involve a weekly evening session of three hours and a significant amount of private study, as well as reading and independent research.
You will be assessed through a combination of 5,000-word written assignments, project work, portfolios and presentations, as well as a 10,000 word research report and summary. Opportunities to receive formative feedback are embedded into each module.
The programme is delivered by a team of research-active academic staff who have extensive expertise in education and its related disciplines.
The work of the programme team has national and international impact, contributing to and informing education curricula and learning techniques, both in the UK and overseas.
Their research interests include inclusion and special educational needs, dyscalculia, dyslexia, educational policy and practice, educational leadership, educational philosophy as well as research methods and methodologies.
Further information can be found by clicking on the Course Details link below.
Contact
Holy Cross University Centre
Manchester Road
Bury
Greater Manchester
BL9 9BB
0161 762 4513
uc@holycross.ac.uk