Overview
Course In Depth
Modules
Entry Criteria
Careers and Employability
Finance
Apply
Related Courses
Overview
View essential information and videos about the changes to teaching and learning and campus facilities from September 2020
Course Length: | 1 Year Full-Time, 2 Years Part-Time |
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Start Dates: | September 2021, September 2022 |
Subjects: | Sociology and Social Sciences |
Location: | Edge Hill University |
This taught Masters degree provides you with specialist training in critical autism studies within an interdisciplinary department. You will gain a range of perspectives on autism in order to appreciate the ways in which discourses of autism shape autistic people’s lived experiences. Tracing the development of autism interventions and engaging with contemporary debates in policy and practice, you will develop critical study skills, receive training in social science research methodologies and deliver a substantial research project. An optional international field trip enables you to gain an international perspective and outlook, with an additional opportunity to apply your knowledge and understanding in a work setting. The programme is suitable for professionals, teachers, support workers, recent graduates and those working with autistic people. We particularly welcome applications from ‘experts by experience’, including those with autism, as well as family members or carers of those with autistic spectrum conditions.
In Depth
What will I study?
The first semester provides an introductory framework to both your studies and social research methodologies.
You will receive a grounding in autistic spectrum conditions and be encouraged to view autism as a naturally occurring form of cognitive diversity.
Mapping the development of autism interventions, from early approaches to contemporary models of best practice, you will engage with current discussions and controversies.
The second semester will enable you apply your knowledge and understanding in practice through optional work-based learning and/or an international field trip. Alternatively, you can engage in self-directed learning, with the additional option of exploring child mental health and children’s social relations.
The final stage of the programme is a dissertation where you will carry out a supervised piece of extended social research on a relevant topic of your choice.
How will I study?
The programme is delivered via blended learning, with a combination of face-to-face discussions and online and independent study.
Taught sessions will be delivered in two-day blocks, held three times a semester per module, with the opportunity to participate in additional sessions via the virtual learning environment.
All seminars will be a combination of tutor-led and student-developed interactive learning. You will also engage with tutors on a one-to-one basis.
How will I be assessed?
You will be assessed through a combination of workbooks, essays, reflective journals, independent projects and a dissertation.
There are no formal written examinations as part of the current assessment methods on this programme.
Who will be teaching me?
You will be taught by research-active staff who have expertise in autism studies. Some members of the programme team also have previous experience of working as social workers, youth workers, teachers and project workers prior to embarking on their academic careers.
A Great Study Environment
The Department of Social Sciences is based in Creative Edge, a state-of-the-art £17m building offering highly contemporary facilities for Social Sciences students.
The building features a lecture theatre, seminar rooms, IT facilities and smaller tutorial spaces. There are also social learning areas which encourage a more informal and interactive style of learning.
The department organises social activities, hosts speakers from a range of professions and organisations, and arranges specialist careers fairs and employability events.
Modules
Expand AllSPY4006Dissertation (60 credits)
SPY4010Introduction to Critical Autism Studies (20 credits)
SPY4011Approaches, Interventions and Supporting Autistic People (20 credits)
SPY4015Contemporary Issues in Autism (20 credits)
SPY4016Social Science Methodologies (20 credits)
You will select two of the following modules:
SPY4013Psychiatrised Childhoods (20 credits)
SPY4014International Field Trip (20 credits)
SPY4017Self-Directed Learning (20 credits)
SPY4018Work-Based Learning and Employability (20 credits)
SPY4019Deconstructing Challenging Behaviour (20 credits)
Optional modules provide an element of choice within the programme curriculum. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by timetabling requirements.
Timetables
You can expect to receive your timetable at enrolment. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day or evening of the week.
Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our published course information, however our programmes are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.
Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of accrediting bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.
Entry Criteria
Entry Requirements
You should have a degree equivalent to UK first-class or second-class honours (2:2 or above) in a relevant subject such as social sciences or other human sciences.
It may be possible to join the programme without a degree if you are in full-time employment, have a minimum of five years’ work experience, and can demonstrate evidence of continuing professional development through a portfolio and written statement.
Applications are particularly welcomed from ‘experts by experience’, including autistic people and the family or carers of those with autism.
An interview will form part of the selection process if you do not meet the degree requirements outlined above.
English Language Requirements
International students require IELTS 6.5, with a score no lower than 6.0 in each individual component, or an equivalent English language qualification.
If your current level of English is half a band lower, either overall or in one or two elements, you may want to consider our Pre-Sessional English course.
Recognition of Prior Learning
Edge Hill University recognises learning gained elsewhere, whether through academic credit and qualifications acquired from other relevant courses of study or through recognition of an individual’s professional and employment experience (also referred to as ‘experiential learning’). This may include credit or learning undertaken at another university.
Previous learning that is recognised in this way may be used towards meeting the entry requirements for a programme and/or for exemption from part of a programme. It is your responsibility to make a claim for recognition of prior learning. For guidance, please consult the University’s academic regulations (sections C7 and F3.1) or contact the faculty in which you are interested in studying.
Career Prospects
What are my career prospects?
The programme will enhance your professional career opportunities and employability, preparing you for a wide variety of roles working with and supporting autistic people in the health and social care sectors, or in international development. With further training, you may wish to pursue a career in teaching, social work or counselling.
The skills and experience acquired through successful completion of this MA also provide essential preparation for progressing onto research qualifications, such as an MPhil or PhD.
Finance
Tuition Fees
Tuition fees for full-time study on this MA are £5,580 for UK students and £13,500 for international students enrolling on the programme in academic year 2021/22. Exemptions apply for EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, who may be eligible for the UK full-time tuition fee rate.
Tuition fees for part-time study on this MA are £31 per credit for UK students enrolling on the programme in academic year 2021/22, i.e. £620 per 20 credit module. 180 credits are required to complete a Masters degree. EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK part-time tuition fee rate.
If you’re an Edge Hill University graduate joining this programme in academic year 2021/22, you may be eligible for a reduction in tuition fees. You could receive a 50% reduction if you graduated in academic year 2020/21 or a 20% reduction if you graduated in academic years 2018/19 or 2019/20. This offer is available to eligible UK students, EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status, and Irish nationals. Please see www.edgehill.ac.uk/feereduction2021 to find out more.
The University may administer a small inflationary rise in part-time postgraduate tuition fees in subsequent academic years as you progress through the course.
Financial Support
For comprehensive information about the financial support available to eligible UK students joining postgraduate courses at Edge Hill University in academic year 2021/22, together with details of how to apply for potential funding, please view our Money Matters 2021/22 guide at www.edgehill.ac.uk/postgradfinance2021.
EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme may be eligible to apply for financial support. Irish nationals should ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). Please see www.edgehill.ac.uk/eufinance for further details.
Financial support information for international students can be found at www.edgehill.ac.uk/international/fees.
Apply
How to Apply
There is an online application process for this programme.
Visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/applydirect to access the relevant online application form and to find out more about the application process.
Further information for international students about how to apply is available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/applyinternational.
Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.
Visit Us
If you are considering applying to study at Edge Hill University, the best way to gain an insight into student life is to discover our stunning campus for yourself by attending an open day. You can view dates and book your place at www.edgehill.ac.uk/opendays.
Alternatively, if you are unable to attend an open day, you can find out more about our full range of events for prospective students, including campus tours and virtual activities, at www.edgehill.ac.uk/visitus.
Request a Prospectus
If you would like to explore our full range of taught Masters degrees, MBA awards and our Masters by Research (MRes) degree before you apply, you can order a postgraduate prospectus at www.edgehill.ac.uk/postgradprospectus.
Get in Touch
If you have any questions about this programme or what it’s like to study at Edge Hill University, please contact:
- Course Enquiries
- Tel: 01695 657000
- Email: study@edgehill.ac.uk
If you would like to talk to the programme leader about the course in more detail, please contact:
- Dr Allison Moore
- Tel: 01695 584713
- Email: Allison.Moore@edgehill.ac.uk
International students should visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/international or email international@edgehill.ac.uk with any queries about overseas study.
Course Changes
Expand All This page outlines any material changes to course content, programme structure, assessment methods, entry criteria, and modes of study or delivery, implemented in the past two years.21st January 2021 - New Module Added
Covid-19 - Social Sciences (Critical Autism Studies) Essential Information
Teaching and Learning at Edge Hill University in 2020
In this video Pro Vice-Chancellor, Lynda Brady, answers your questions and explains how teaching will work when you join us at Edge Hill University in September.
Campus Facilities at Edge Hill University in 2020
In this video Pro Vice-Chancellor, Lynda Brady, explains how we’re preparing the campus for your arrival in September and the facilities that will be available.