MSc in Teaching & Learning

Course Overview

The MSc in Teaching & Learning is a postgraduate qualification within the LSCT Education & Professional Studies department, designed for working teachers, lecturers, trainers and education leaders who want to deepen their professional practice through serious engagement with current UK educational research. The programme runs one year full-time (two years part-time) across on-campus, online and distance-learning routes, taught from our central London base from 2026.

You move quickly from theoretical foundations into applied UK practice: planning a small empirical study in your own classroom, reading EEF Toolkit evidence critically, evaluating an intervention against the Magenta Book where appropriate, and writing the kind of reflective and analytical work the Chartered College of Teaching recognises. The MSc closes with a substantial dissertation grounded in your own teaching context, suitable for onward Chartered Teacher status or doctoral study.

Key Features

• UK postgraduate qualification aligned with the Chartered College of Teaching, Society for Education and Training (SET) and Department for Education QTS context.
• Three study modes — on-campus in London, fully online with live seminar groups, or distance learning with structured deadlines.
• Classroom-based research — your dissertation runs in your own teaching context with structured ethics review.
• Distinctive specialism module: Reading the EEF Toolkit — Evidence Strength, Effect Sizes & Real Classrooms.
• Guest sessions from working UK teachers, MAT research leads, Chartered College fellows and EEF researchers.
• Visits to Department for Education stakeholder events and EEF dissemination sessions.

What You Will Learn

The MSc in Teaching & Learning is structured around six taught modules and a substantial classroom-based dissertation. You will graduate able to read educational research critically, design and run a small empirical study, and lead an evidence-informed change in your team.

• Theories of teaching and learning — cognitive science, constructivist and behaviourist frames.
• Pedagogical content knowledge — subject-specific routes to learning at scale.
• Curriculum design — sequencing, retrieval, formative and summative assessment.
• Inclusive practice — SEND, EAL, disadvantage and the UK statutory framework.
• Educational leadership — middle and senior leadership in UK schools, colleges and HE.
• UK education policy and accountability — Ofsted/Estyn frameworks, inspection realities.
• Research methods — quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods classroom research.
• Dissertation skills — ethics, writing up, defending findings.

Who This Course Is For

• Qualified teachers in UK schools, colleges and further-education settings seeking research-active development.
• HE lecturers and trainers wanting a formal teaching-and-learning postgraduate degree.
• Middle and senior leaders preparing for headship, MAT research lead or Chartered Teacher status.
• International educators planning UK QTS routes or international school-leadership careers.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the MSc in Teaching & Learning move into senior teaching, research-lead and middle-leadership roles across UK education. Typical next roles include:

• Lead Practitioner or Research Lead at a UK school or MAT
• Head of Department or Phase Leader on a UK middle-leadership track
• Lecturer in further or higher education
• Training & Development Officer at a UK employer with serious L&D function
• Curriculum Support Officer or Academic Adviser in a UK university
• Chartered Teacher (post-Chartered College assessment)

The MSc also serves as a strong foundation for EdD or PhD study in education and onward Chartered College fellowship routes.

Entry Requirements

• A UK 2:2 honours degree (or international equivalent) in any subject — applicants typically already have or are studying for QTS or a teaching qualification.
• Applicants from non-cognate fields may apply with five years' senior professional experience in education, training or learning & development.
• IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers — strong written argument is essential for dissertation work.
• A personal statement, two references and a 500-800 word dissertation outline situated in your own teaching context.

Why Study at LSCT

The London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. We teach in small cohorts so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule that students can rely on, and partner with UK professional bodies so qualifications carry weight with employers. London puts Whitehall, the City, Silicon Roundabout, the Royal Courts of Justice, the West End and the NHS estate within a short tube ride of every classroom — and our students use that proximity in their projects, placements and graduate job hunts. For teaching students that means EEF dissemination events, Chartered College chapter sessions and DfE stakeholder briefings.

Assessment Approach

Assessment on the MSc in Teaching & Learning combines research-essay coursework, a methods portfolio and the classroom-based dissertation defended at viva. Students leave with a written body of evidence-informed work suitable for Chartered Teacher submission, doctoral application or MAT research-lead progression. Module structure is confirmed at enrolment.

Apply for the MSc in Teaching & Learning

Specialise at postgraduate level with the MSc in Teaching & Learning. Click Enrol Now to apply; admissions teams reply within one working day with scholarship and funding guidance, dissertation-supervisor matching and intake-date confirmation.