Explore the making of a fair and just society and how education can help shape a better future.
Year of entry: 2025 (September)
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Upcoming eventsEvaluate and debate the fairness of educational practices.
This course is ideal if you have an interest in diversity, inclusion, equality and a fair and decent society. It's especially useful for current and future teachers as well as potential policy makers and researchers.
Educational policymakers, researchers and teachers recognise that social justice is fundamental to their work. This course will equip you to investigate the pedagogical and professional issues that relate to social justice.
On the MASJE degree students work with colleagues in the Education Department’s Centre for Research on Education and Social Justice (CRESJ) where they will have the opportunity to explore the nature of social justice and the role of education in its achievement.
Students will explore the boundaries of knowledge and understanding of educational policy and practice.
You will gain fundamental philosophical perspectives on education and social justice, and be able to critically reflect on dominant conceptions of education and human capital.
Students will analyse social justice as an essential perspective that is expressed through education; and explore education as a mechanism to enhance social justice (for example through policy).
The programme equips students to act knowledgeably, thoughtfully and decisively regarding questions of inclusion, equality and diversity, with special emphasis on current issues in higher education, intercultural communication, race, gender, sexuality, power and citizenship education.
You will take a total of 180 credits, including core modules, option modules, and a dissertation.
Core modules will introduce you to an international perspective on issues of educational development. They will introduce you to the tools and techniques you'll use throughout the course and in your career. You'll also choose option modules that will allow you to build a course that suits your interests and supports your career.
In the Summer term you'll continue to develop your research skills, while also working on your dissertation.
*You need to choose this module in Semester 2 in order to take the Professional Practice Dissertation.
You will also study one option module:
Some option modules combinations may not be possible. The option available to you will be confirmed after you begin your course.
Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning.
Throughout the summer term, and beyond into early September, you will work on your dissertation. This will be based on a small scale research study and should be approximately 12,000 words in length. Previous studies have included an examination of global education; universities as sites of global citizenship and studying the media.
Every course at York is built on a distinctive set of learning outcomes. These will give you a clear understanding of what you will be able to accomplish at the end of the course and help you explain what you can offer employers. Our academics identify the knowledge, skills, and experiences you'll need upon graduation and then design the course to get you there.
| Study mode | UK (home) | International and EU |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time (1 year) | £11,200 | £25,900 |
Students on a Student Visa are not currently permitted to study part-time at York.
UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.
Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.
There are no mandatory additional fees, but we do recommend that you set aside some money for photocopying. Course books will be available from the Library and online reading packs are available for most modules, but you may wish to buy your own copies. Each book typically costs £20 to 40.
Discover your funding options to help with tuition fees and living costs.
We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2025/26 throughout the year.
If you've successfully completed an undergraduate degree at York you could be eligible for a 10% Masters fee discount.
We are pleased to work with Chevening Scholars to offer funding for our Masters programmes. Chevening Scholarships provide one year of fully-funded postgraduate study in the UK for international (including EU) students. The scholarships are open to early and mid-career professionals who have the potential to become future leaders.
Awarded by British embassies and high commissions, Chevening Scholarships provide one year of fully-funded postgraduate study in the UK. They are offered to early and mid-career professionals with the potential to become future leaders. We have hosted 34 Chevening Scholars in the past five years and welcome further enquiries and applications.
You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.
I think education is a brilliant way to challenge injustice and inequality. A lot of prejudice and discrimination comes from lack of education.Megan, MA Social Justice and Education
You’ll work with world‐leading academics who’ll challenge you to think independently and excel in all that you do. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace.
You will prepare for your modules with preliminary reading which you'll go on to discuss with tutors and fellow students. You'll be taught through a combination of methods, which may vary depending on your choice of modules. Common formats for teaching include:
You will be based in the Department of Education on Campus West.
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.
You'll be assessed in a variety of ways, the methods will depend on your choice of modules. Common methods of assessment include:
Most modules will involve short assessed tasks through the course of the term. These do not form part of your final mark, although you will be given feedback on your performance so you can prepare for the formal assessment.
The wide choice of modules allows you to shape this course to suit your own aspirations, meaning that it's suitable for a wide range of careers. You'll also benefit from the University's careers team who offer a bespoke advice and support service.
I see myself in social policy or public policy in Slovakia. Maybe regional policy. I would like to deal with the everyday problems of people in Slovakia, and to help them. So studying Social Justice and finding the answer to what Social Justice is, and how to achieve it, will be essential to my future career.Justine, MA Social Justice in Education
| Typical offer | |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate degree | 2:2 undergraduate degree or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard in a relevant discipline such as: Education, Sociology, Humanities, Social Sciences. Some educational experience in either teaching or administration is also considered beneficial. |
| International pre-masters programme | Pre-masters from our International Pathway College |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Minimum requirement | |
|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic and Indicator) | 6.5, minimum 6.0 in each component |
| Cambridge CEFR | B2 First: 176, with 169 in each component |
| Oxford ELLT | 7, minimum of 6 in each component |
| Duolingo | 120, minimum 105 in all other components |
| LanguageCert SELT | B2 with 33/50 in each component |
| LanguageCert Academic | 70 with a minimum of 65 in each component |
| Kaplan Test of English Language | 459-494, with 426-458 in all other components |
| Skills for English | B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component |
| PTE Academic | 61, minimum 55 in each component |
| TOEFL | 87, minimum 21 in each component |
| Trinity ISE III | Merit in all requirements |
For more information see our postgraduate English language requirements.
You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.
The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.
After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.
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