MSc Education (Child Development and Education)

This unique course offers a combination of a strong research basis with recognised expertise in policy and applied research. It aims to promote critical understanding of developmental theories and research and the use of this knowledge in the design and evaluation of programmes aimed at promoting children's development and education. A core objective is to advance reflection and discussion about how theories of child development inform practice and how challenges faced in educational and care settings call for further theoretical and research enquiry.

In this full-time, one year course, you will participate in lectures, seminars, workshops and field work, which will provide rich opportunities for you to deepen your understanding of child development theories and their use in making decisions about children. A research internship, carried out in one of the research groups in the Department which focus on children's development, will expand your research skills. Your Masters dissertation will allow you to study a topic of your interest in greater detail.

We welcome students from varied professional backgrounds: primary school teachers seeking to become specialists in literacy or numeracy; experienced Early Years professionals; teachers of children with special educational needs; professionals working with children and aiming to prepare themselves for a leadership role in different types of service (e.g. head teachers, paediatric nurses and nurses engaged in the training of health professionals; professionals engaged in programme evaluation research, including governmental agencies). Graduates with psychology degrees who wish to develop their knowledge of psychology in the field of education and students who wish to go on to pursue a doctoral degree are also welcome.

The course is structured through three papers (Foundations of Educational Research, Child Development, and Children's Learning and Development in the Family and Institutional Settings) plus a Masters dissertation.

The Programme Specifications can be downloaded here.

For further guidance on the admissions procedure please contact the Higher Degrees Office (higherdegreesoffice@education.ox.ac.uk).