Education Practice

The programme is aimed at qualified post-primary professional teachers who wish to pursue a Level 9 qualification and also develop and enhance their teaching through research, practice and reflexivity. The programme is designed to enable practising teachers to achieve a Masters award by undertaking a 2-year part-time programme. Participants on the progamme will apply newly acquired, innovative teaching methodologies in their classrooms and use those classrooms as a site of their practitioner research, adopting an action research methodology.

Modules:

Thesis in Education Practice

Practitioner Research Methods



Electives:

Leadership in Education

Innovation and Technology in Teaching

Professional Practice Eportfolio

Inclusivity in Education

Wellbeing in Education

Climate Action & Sustainable Development Education

Candidates must be qualified post-primary teachers, holding an Honours Degree in Education (H2.2) award or equivalent. Candidates must also have access to a classroom setting for applying programme learning and undertaking action research assignments. International applicants must hold an equivalent teacher education qualification. Practicing teachers may also apply for entry to the programme via ATU’s Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) process.



Recognition of Prior Learning: Yes.

When to Apply

There are two major intake periods throughout the academic year, September and January. For January start courses, applications typically open in October, and for September start courses, applications typically open in February. Closing dates for applications are listed on the individual course webpages.



Application Closing Date: 14th August 2026.

2 years part-time online.



Study Hours

There will be a minimum of 5 contact hours per week during the taught stage of the programme. For the Thesis in Education module (Stage 2) this will reduce to 2-3 hours. Outside of contact hours, learners are expected to undertake up to 12 to 15 hours independent learning, teaching practice, and research per week. The delivery mode and assessment strategy are designed to enable learners to complete coursework during the academic breaks in school calendars.



On-Campus Attendance

At certain points on the programme, students may be invited to attend on campus for specific workshops and professional development opportunities.

Start Date: September 2026.