Social Justice and Community Action (Online Learning) MSc, PgDip (ICL), PgCert (ICL)

Delivered fully online, this programme gives you the opportunity to work closely with your fellow students and tutors in a properly supported, collaborative and vibrant online learning environment, studying at the times and in the places that suit you best.

The programme is delivered through a rich mix of taught inputs, independent study and group work, making use of the following online methods:

• live online lectures, pre-recorded lectures and podcasts
• live online tutorials and text-based discussion forums
• reflective blogs

Specialist IT skills are not required.

Studying online at Edinburgh

Find out more about the benefits and practicalities of studying for an online degree:

• Postgraduate online learning

The flexibility of this programme means you can choose an exit point and study at a pace that suits you best.

You can study towards:

• a Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert) over 12 months
• a Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) over 24 months
• the full Master's (MSc) degree over 36 months

To obtain the Master's qualification, you will complete:

• three compulsory courses
• three option courses
• a supervised dissertation or applied research project

Compulsory courses

• Theories and Politics of Social Justice
• Community Engagement: Co-Constructing Knowledge with Communities

And one of:

• Organisational Management for Social Justice
• Working with Children and Young People for Social Justice
• Policy Analysis for Social Justice
• Learning for Democracy

Option courses

Any of the above courses which you have not yet taken plus:

• Activist Social Research
• Displacement and Development
• Key Skills in Development Practice
• Digital Education in a Global Context

You may also choose from a wide range of online courses provided elsewhere in the University, for example:

• Analysing Development
• Climate Change Mitigation
• Global Development Challenges
• Global Health Governance
• Health Inequalities and the Social Determinants of Health
• Roots of African Poverty and Development
• Politics and Theories of International Development
• Public Health and Health Policy

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

This programme is designed for professionals working on social justice issues in diverse contexts, notably research and policy, grassroots practice, education, and for recent graduates who wish to gain the skills to enter the social justice field.

Students will acquire the skills applicable to social justice work in the public, third and private sectors. Graduates may find career opportunities, or opportunities for career advancement, in diverse contexts such as:

• grassroots community practice
• education
• public policy development
• policy advocacy
• social research in non-governmental organisations or in the public/private sectors
• research

Hear what our graduates have to say

These entry requirements are for the 2023/24 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2024/25 academic year will be published on 2 October 2023.

A UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent.

We may also consider your application if you have substantial practice or research experience or other relevant qualifications; please contact us to check before you apply.

Students from China

This degree is Band C.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 62 with at least 59 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than three and a half years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Moray House Access Scholarship

Moray House School of Education and Sport is pleased to offer a scholarship covering tuition fees and living costs for one student. The scholarship is for UK nationals domiciled in the UK, from backgrounds or groups which are underrepresented in our School.

• Moray House Access Scholarship

Online Learning Scholarships

• Online Learning Scholarships

(Revised 6 February 2023 to update funding opportunities)

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

• your programme
• the duration of your studies
• your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding