oxford university department of education

Department of Education

The department of education is located in two buildings, contact details.

Department of Education University of Oxford 15 Norham Gardens Oxford OX2 6PY

[email protected] 01865 274024 www.education.ox.ac.uk

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MSc in Teacher Education

• Entry requirements
• Funding and costs

College preference

• How to apply

About the course

This is a professional development course for new and experienced teacher educators involved in pre-service and in-service education who are interested in increasing their knowledge and skills base required for effective and inspirational teacher education whilst ‘on the job’. 

This two-year, part-time course is a world first, bringing together teacher educators in the UK, EU and internationally and provides an Oxford University master's-level qualification for anyone involved in pre-service and in-service teacher education:

• school-based teacher educators, coaches and mentors
• university tutors involved in teacher education, such as university tutors on taught education programmes or based in university subject departments with some teacher education responsibilities
• advisory teachers and fieldworkers
• professional development providers.

The course focuses on developing teacher educators’ day-to-day practice as well as developing areas such as the design and teaching of teacher education programmes, the ability to conduct research to develop practice, and the ability to participate in debates about teaching and teacher education in your own subject. It is designed to be integral to the your day-to-day practice as a teacher educator and blends online, distance learning with one-week residential components in Oxford in years one and two.

The three distance online units comprise investigations focused on your  own practice and tasks that involve individual and group work. For example, you will participate in an inquiry task where you will  observe and interview your learner teachers (beginning or experienced teachers) in order to learn more about the knowledge and beliefs they bring to teacher education. This is then brought together with key literature and you will share the findings from your inquiry task with your study group for further discussion and analysis. These tasks also contribute significantly to the work for each unit’s assignment.

You will be expected to participate in a course of instruction for six terms on a part-time basis. This will include two, one-week residential sessions in Oxford, and a series of online lectures and seminars. At the beginning of Hilary Term on the first Saturday there will be an optional day’s induction to Unit 2. Students can attend in-person or remotely via Teams. A similar day is held on a Saturday at the beginning of Trinity Term in April for induction into Unit 3 and again, students can attend in person or remotely via Teams.

The University’s Virtual Learning Environment is used to support the work on each task and sustain critical discussion.

Research in the department is organised around three major themes:

• Language, Cognition and Development
• Policy, Economy, and Society
• Pedagogy, Learning and Knowledge.

Within each of these themes there are several research groups and centres. All staff and doctoral students belong to one or more of these research groups, each of which has its own seminar programme to which graduate students often contribute. In addition, the department as a whole sponsors regular seminars and public lectures which attract distinguished national and international speakers.

This course is part-time. You will be required to attend two, one-week residentials in Oxford and you will also have the option to attend two induction days in Oxford.

Resources to support your study

As a graduate student, you will have access to the University's wide range of world-class resources including libraries, museums, galleries, digital resources and IT services.

The Bodleian Libraries is the largest library system in the UK. It includes the main Bodleian Library and libraries across Oxford, including major research libraries and faculty, department and institute libraries. Together, the Libraries hold more than 13 million printed items, provide access to e-journals, and contain outstanding special collections including rare books and manuscripts, classical papyri, maps, music, art and printed ephemera.

The University's IT Services is available to all students to support with core university IT systems and tools, as well as many other services and facilities. IT Services also offers a range of IT learning courses for students, to support with learning and research.

As the MSc is a part-time course for professionals, the department takes pride in providing high quality IT support for your learning when you are away from Oxford. This includes a dedicated Canvas site, which you will use to liaise with your supervisor and to exchange ideas with other students. Should you wish to work in the department when you are visiting Oxford, there is a library with desks which also has points for personal laptop computers.

The Bodleian Education Library, located at the centre of the Department of Education, specialises in material on education and related fields. As well as a print collection of books, journals and statistics, the library provides access to a wide range of electronic resources. The library also houses a collection of teaching resources, primarily in support of subjects covered by the department's secondary PGCE course. The Social Sciences Library provides valuable additional resource to students pursuing programmes in the Department of Education.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Department of Education and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Department of Education.

Supervision of students’ work will mainly be offered within small groups, and from a University supervisor. Small groups of four, called study groups, will meet every two to three weeks. In addition, to support assignment work, individual meetings will occur at least twice a term with the participants’ supervisor. 

Assessment will be through an assignment for each of the three distance online units, plus a dissertation in the second year of the course.

Areas covered in the assessments include:

• exploring teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning in your subject
• developing teachers’ knowledge bases in your subject
• analysing and developing teacher education sessions and programmes
• analysis and critique of research articles
• links between theory and practice
• construction of arguments for particular processes
• implications for teacher education.

Graduate destinations

This course is intended to provide the first systematic and sustained education for new and experienced teacher educators that are both school and university-based.  The course will enhance the participants’ skills as teacher educators and their ability to develop their practice through research, and to contribute to the education research community through their research activity including publications to professional and academic research journals.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made if a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency occurs. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.

Entry requirements for entry in 2025-26

Proven and potential academic excellence.

The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our interactive tool to help you  evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

Please be aware that any studentships that are linked to this course may have different or additional requirements and you should read any studentship information carefully before applying. 

Degree-level qualifications

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:

• a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in the relevant subject area for their work in their educational institution.

For applicants with a bachelor's degree from the USA, the minimum overall GPA that is normally required to meet the undergraduate-level requirement is 3.6 out of 4.0.

If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.

GRE General Test scores

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience

You will also need:

• to be working as a teacher educator within an educational setting

Publications are not expected.

English language proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University's  higher level . If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level are detailed in the table below.

*Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) † Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)

Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides  further information about the English language test requirement .

Declaring extenuating circumstances

If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.

You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Supporting documents

You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Performance at interview

Interviews are normally held as part of the admissions process.

Applicants meeting the selection criteria are interviewed by two interviewers with questions covering current role, experience and reasons for applying. The interviews are normally held via Microsoft Teams, however, applicants are offered the choice of attending in person.

If you are invited to attend an interview, you may be asked about your ability to commit sufficient time to study and fulfil all elements outlined in the course description (eg completing coursework, assessments, and attending course and University events and modules).

Offer conditions for successful applications

If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide more information about offers and conditions . 

In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:

Financial Declaration

If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a  Financial Declaration  in order to meet your financial condition of admission.

Disclosure of criminal convictions

In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any  relevant, unspent criminal convictions  before you can take up a place at Oxford.

Evidence of ability to study for employed part-time applicants

If you are currently employed, you may be asked to provide evidence that your employment will not affect your ability to study and that you can commit sufficient time to fulfil all elements outlined in the course description. You may be asked to provide details about your pattern of employment and provide evidence to show how you will fulfil your commitment to make time available to study, to complete coursework, and attend course and University events and modules.

Other factors governing whether places can be offered

The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:

• the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the About section of this page;
• the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
• minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.

Oxford has been a major contributor to the field of education for over 100 years and today the University’s Department of Education has a world class reputation for research, for teacher education and for its graduate courses.

The department combines international standing as a research-intensive department with the highest quality teaching. It’s masters' courses are delivered by academics and research experts, the majority of whom are permanent staff engaged in their fields of research. The DPhil in Education has excellent facilities for the large number of full-time research students who are well integrated into the research of the department.

The department has an outstanding research profile. In the 2021 evaluation of research quality in UK universities, the Research Excellence Framework (REF), Oxford University’s Department of Education had the highest overall percentage of research judged to be 4* (ie world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour) in Education in the UK.

The department has ESRC recognition for its graduate training, and its teacher training was rated ‘outstanding’ by the Office for Standards in Education (OfSTED) in its most recent inspection in 2024. A wide range of funded research projects are based in the department and many of these projects have had a major impact on national policy.

View all courses   View taught courses View research courses

For entry in the 2025-26 academic year, the collegiate University expects to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across a wide range of graduate courses.

If you apply by the January deadline shown on this page and receive a course offer, your application will then be considered for Oxford scholarships. For the majority of Oxford scholarships, your application will automatically be assessed against the eligibility criteria, without needing to make a separate application. There are further Oxford scholarships available which have additional eligibility criteria and where you are required to submit a separate application. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential.

To ensure that you are considered for Oxford scholarships that require a separate application, for which you may be eligible,  use our fees, funding and scholarship search tool  to identify these opportunities and find out how to apply. Alongside Oxford scholarships, you should also consider other opportunities for which you may be eligible including  a range of external funding ,  loan schemes for postgraduate study  and any other scholarships which may also still be available after the January deadline as listed on  our fees, funding and scholarship search tool .

Details of college-specific funding opportunities can also be found on individual college websites:

Select from the list:

Please refer to the College preference section of this page to identify which of the colleges listed above accept students for this course.

For the majority of college scholarships, it doesn’t matter which college, if any, you state a preference for in your application. If another college is able to offer you a scholarship, your application can be moved to that college if you accept the scholarship. Some college scholarships may require you to state a preference for that college when you apply, so check the eligibility requirements carefully.

Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the department's website.

Annual fees for entry in 2025-26

Information about course fees.

Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges .

Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.

Where can I find further information about fees?

The Fees and Funding  section of this website provides further information about course fees , including information about fee status and eligibility  and your length of fee liability .

Additional information

You will be required to cover your own accommodation costs in Oxford the residential weeks. The department estimates that accommodation costs can start at around £70 per night in a college or around £150 in a hotel (single rate). Students should also factor in costs for meals during your stay. There may be additional voluntary course activities that you may wish to travel to Oxford for, and you would be required to cover travel, accommodation and meals for attending any of those in person.

Living costs

In addition to your course fees and any additional course-specific costs, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

Living costs for part-time study

Your living costs may vary depending on your personal circumstances but you will still need to cover your cost of living on a full-time basis for the duration of your course, even if you will not be based in Oxford throughout your studies. While the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student living in Oxford is between £1,425 and £2,035 per month, living costs outside Oxford may be different.

Part-time students who are not based in Oxford will need to calculate travel and accommodation costs carefully. Depending on your circumstances and study plans, this may include the  cost of a visitor visa to attend for short blocks of time (assuming that visitor visa eligibility criteria are met).

Further information about living costs

The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. For study in Oxford beyond the 2025-26 academic year, it is suggested that you budget for potential increases in living expenses of around 4% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. For further information, please consult our more detailed information about living costs , which includes a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs.

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs). 

If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief  introduction to the college system at Oxford  and our  advice about expressing a college preference . 

If you are a current Oxford student and you would like to remain at your current Oxford college, you should check whether it is listed below. If it is, you should indicate this preference when you apply. If not, you should contact your college office to ask whether they would be willing to make an exception. Further information about staying at your current college can be found in our Application Guide. 

The following colleges accept students on the MSc in Teacher Education:

• Blackfriars
• Brasenose College
• Campion Hall
• Green Templeton College
• Harris Manchester College
• Jesus College
• Kellogg College
• Lady Margaret Hall
• Oriel College
• Regent's Park College
• Reuben College
• Worcester College
• Wycliffe Hall

Before you apply

Our guide to getting started provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. You can use our interactive tool to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

If it is important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under the January deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance . Check the deadlines on this page and the information about deadlines and when to apply in our Application Guide.

Application fee waivers

An application fee of £75 is payable for each application to this course. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:

• applicants from low-income countries;
• refugees and displaced persons; 
• UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and 
• applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.

You are encouraged to  check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver  before you apply.

Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?

You do not need to make contact with the department before you apply but you are encouraged to visit the relevant departmental webpages to read any further information about your chosen course.

Completing your application

You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents .

For this course, the application form will include questions that collect information that would usually be included in a CV/résumé. You should not upload a separate document. If a separate CV/résumé is uploaded, it will be removed from your application .

If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.

Referees: Three overall, academic and/or professional

Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.

Academic references will support intellectual ability, academic achievement, motivation and your ability to work in a group.

References from your current employer will support professional progress, contribution to school/educational setting, motivation, ability to work in a group.

Official transcript(s)

Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.

More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.

Personal statement: A maximum of 800 words

Your statement should be written in English and explain your motivation for applying for the course at Oxford, your relevant experience and education, and the specific areas that interest you.

If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.

This will be assessed for:

• your reasons for applying and how you feel you will benefit from the course
• an account of your career to date, including the teacher education work you are involved in; and
• if there are specific challenges to which you are seeking answers.

Start or continue your application

You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please  refer to the requirements above  and  consult our Application Guide for advice .

Apply Continue application

After you've submitted your application

Your application (including the supporting documents outlined above) will be assessed against the entry requirements detailed on this course page. Whether or not you have secured funding will  not  be taken into consideration when your application is assessed. You can  find out more about our shortlisting and selection process  in our detailed guide to what happens next.

Find out how to manage your application after submission , using our Applicant Self-Service tool.

Admission status

Open to applications for entry in 2025-26

12:00 midday UK time on:

Friday 15 November 2024

Applications more likely to receive earlier decisions

Thursday 9 January 2025

Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships

Tuesday 4 March 2025

Applications may remain open after this deadline if places are still available - see below

A later deadline under 'Admission status'

If places are still available,  applications may be accepted after 4 March . The Admission status (above) will provide notice of any later deadline.

*Three-year average (applications for entry in 2022-23 to 2024-25)

Further information and enquiries

This course is offered by the Department of Education

• Course page on the department's website
• Funding information from the department
• Academic and research staff
• Departmental research
• Social Sciences Division
• Postgraduate applicant privacy policy

Course-related enquiries

Advice about contacting the department can be found in the How to apply section of this page

✉ [email protected] ☎ +44 (0)1865 274021

Application-process enquiries

Application guide

Visa eligibility for part-time study

We are unable to sponsor student visas for part-time study on this course. Part-time students may be able to attend on a visitor visa for short blocks of time only (and leave after each visit) and will need to remain based outside the UK.

Department of Education

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• People Back

We research education and teach it in a wide and accessible range of courses and formats from those interested in vocational careers to those wanting to do expert research.

I found the course to be interesting, informative and hard work. The staff in the Education department are extremely supportive and I always felt that they fought my corner when I needed it, which was amazing.

The courses require students to be fairly self-motivated, which helps instill and reinforce the analytical and research skills required as a PhD student.

The other interns are an amazing source of support as we can share stories with each other and turn to each other for our opinions on certain things. The tutors in the department are also a great help and are available for you to meet whenever you need them.

Director’s Welcome

As Director of Graduate Studies, I am very proud of the exciting intellectual community that we enjoy here at the Department of Education.  

Our D epartment has been in existence for more than 100 years, and is an integral part of the University’s Social Science s Division, one of the largest groupings of social scientists in Europe.  

We offer a set of internationally recognised MSc courses, including a number of innovative part-time programmes for professional educators, and an ‘outstanding’ PGCE.  We also have a thriving doctoral programme, with around 120 doctoral students who work closely with the D epartment’s academic staff and its research groups.  

We think we have a great deal to offer to students keen to learn and research in Education. Click on the relevant programmes below to read about what we provide for taught courses and research students. We look forward to hearing from you.  

Associate Professor Victoria Elliott, Director of Graduate Studies

I can’t recommend the PGCE at Oxford highly enough. It kick-started my career in education by giving me the skills to develop situated methodologies for my classroom, drawing on practical understandings as well as education research.

DPhil in Education

MSc in Educational Assessment

We learn actively together as a community. With our staff working with us closely, we are inspired by their strong expertise in their subject and their great care towards students to deliver the best experience possible.

MSc in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition

Msc in education, msc in learning and teaching.

Lifelong learning is something I try to instil into all my students. For me, studying education allowed me to continue to develop my own practice as a teacher through reflecting on my pedagogy and engaging with research.

MSc in Teacher Education

The introduction of special interest groups as an opportunity to engage with issues outside of the course content and in which even the course coordinator participates is a marvellous addition to the course.

MSc in Applied Linguistics for Language Teaching

Studying education gives me a chance to contemplate upon my own learning process so that I can more effectively teach my students.

MSc in Medical Education

Pgdip in early childhood education, pgdip in english as an additional language, why study at the department.