M Ed in Education for Human Rights and Equality

Programme Overview

The M Ed in Education for Human Rights and Equality is a one-year full-time or two-year part-time programme offered by Mary Immaculate College (MIC) Thurles. This academic qualification is designed for educators interested in exploring human rights and equality within the field of education. The programme aims to enhance participants' knowledge and critical understanding, enabling them to integrate this knowledge into their professional practice, manage complexity, and promote human rights and equality.

Key Features

• Delivery: Fully online, welcoming global participants to engage in discussions, peer learning, research, and reflexive practice in a stimulating environment.
• Learning Model: Utilizes the flipped classroom model and adheres to the principles of Universal Design for Learning.
• Faculty: Coordinated and taught by Dr. Catherine Stapleton and colleagues with international educational experience.
• Assessment: Flexible assessment methods including written assignments, group work, online engagement, presentations, and a dissertation, designed to accommodate participants' busy lives.

Programme Aims

Upon successful completion, graduates will be able to:

• Access and interpret the concept of diversity within key educational philosophies and legislation.
• Critically analyze issues impacting human rights and equality at various levels including personal, organizational, local, and global.
• Examine ethical, moral, and social issues related to discrimination grounds such as gender, race, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, and social status.
• Understand the historical context of human experiences and its influence on contemporary attitudes.
• Develop professional skills for communication and collaboration that affirm individual identities and promote human rights and equality in educational settings.
• Lead organizational change to facilitate the peaceful resolution of conflict and discrimination.
• Engage in practitioner-based research to contribute to advances in educational practices for human rights and equality.

Career Progression and Further Study

This programme is suitable for individuals interested in human rights and equality, particularly in educational contexts. Its flexible format is attractive to both national and international participants.

Graduates who are registered post-primary teachers can apply to add the subject of Politics and Society to their registration with the Teaching Council, provided all requirements are met. There is also the opportunity to pursue further studies at the PhD level, with information available regarding the MA/PhD in Education by Research.

Programme Background

The programme acknowledges education's pivotal role in advancing social justice and human rights. Adopted by the United Nations in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights mandates education as a means to promote respect for these rights and freedoms. The programme aims to address complex challenges and cultivate values that foster peace, cooperation, and mutual understanding.

Programme Content

Part-time (over two years)

• Year 1 - Semester 1
  • Historical Understanding of Diversity & Human Rights EDU694 (9 ECTS)
  • Leadership for Change and Managing Diversity and Conflict EDU691 (9 ECTS)
  • Education and the Law EDU609 (9 ECTS)
• Year 1 - Semester 2
  • Philosophy and Practice EDU692 (6 ECTS)
  • Contemporary Issues in Sustainability and Global Citizenship Education: Ethics, Beliefs, Integration, and Equality EDU678 (12 ECTS)
  • Education for Human Rights & Equality: Applied Research Project EDU693 (12 ECTS)
• Year 2 - Semester 1
  • Dissertation 1 EDU654 (6 ECTS)
  • Principles & Practices of Research in Education EDU602 (9 ECTS)
• Year 2 - Semester 2
  • Dissertation 2 DUU655 (15 ECTS)

Full-time (one year)

• Year 1 - Semester 1
  • Historical Understanding of Diversity & Human Rights EDU694 (9 ECTS)
  • Leadership for Change and Managing Diversity and Conflict EDU691 (12 ECTS)
  • Education and the Law EDU609 (9 ECTS)
  • Principles & Practices of Research in Education EDU602 (9 ECTS)
  • Dissertation 1 EDU654 (6 ECTS)
• Year 1 - Semester 2
  • Philosophy and Practice EDU692 (6 ECTS)
  • Contemporary Issues in Sustainability and Global Citizenship Education: Ethics, Beliefs, Integration, and Equality EDU678 (12 ECTS)
  • Education for Human Rights & Equality: Self-Reflective Study EDU693 (12 ECTS)
• Year 1 - Summer
  • Dissertation 2 EDU655 (15 ECTS)

Entry Requirements

Applicants must hold a relevant degree, Postgraduate Diploma, or Professional Master at 2.2 Honours Level or higher (Level 8 - National Framework of Qualifications). Applicants who do not meet normal requirements may be assessed based on prior learning and experience, potentially including an interview.

International applicants must provide evidence of English proficiency, demonstrated by an IELTS score of 6.5 - 7.0, with a minimum of 6.0 in any component. An interview conducted in English will be required.

NFQ Levels

• Postgraduate Certificates are Level 9 Minor Awards.
• Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters are Level 9 Major Awards.
• PhDs are Level 10 Major Awards, all awarded by the University of Limerick.

Mary Immaculate College (MIC), known in Irish as Coláiste Mhuire Gan Smál, is a university-level College of Education and the Liberal Arts in Limerick, Ireland, academically linked with the University of Limerick. Founded in 1898 by Bishop Edward Thomas O'Dwyer and the Sisters of Mercy for the professional education of Catholic primary school teachers, MIC is the oldest third-level institution in Limerick City.

The foundation stone was laid on 8 December 1898 on an 11-acre site jointly purchased by the Bishop and the Sisters of Mercy, with construction led by Dublin architect George Byrne and Limerick contractors Molloy. The College opened its doors to its first students on 21 September 1901, and was officially opened on 16 May 1902. From its original 75 young women enrolled in 1901, MIC has grown into a multi-campus institution with a student population of over 5,000.

Mission

Mary Immaculate College is a third-level Catholic College of Education and the Liberal Arts. The College community promotes excellence in teaching, learning and research at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and seeks to foster the intellectual, spiritual, personal and professional development of students within a supportive and challenging environment that guarantees the intellectual freedom of staff and students. In particular, the College seeks to foster in its students a spirit of justice and compassion in the service of others, together with an openness to the religious tradition and values of each individual.

The College promotes a sense of identity enriched by an awareness of its Catholic tradition, the cultures, languages and traditions of Ireland, and its special commitment to the Irish language. Mary Immaculate College respects cultural diversity and strives to promote equity in society, providing an environment where all have the freedom and opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Founding vision

MIC continues to embrace the founding vision of Catherine McAuley, who established the Sisters of Mercy as champions for the most marginalised in society, with the conviction that education was essential to that mission. This emphasis on social justice and educational inclusion remains central to the College's institutional identity as it has grown and diversified over more than 125 years.

Academic structure

MIC offers programmes across two faculties, Education and Arts, spanning Level 4 to Level 10 on the National Framework of Qualifications. Undergraduate programmes are offered in:

• Primary and Post-Primary Teaching (Bachelor of Education, Teaching Council-accredited)
• Liberal Arts, with a choice of 14 subjects across a flexible, wide-ranging programme
• Early Childhood Care and Education
• Psychology, including a Bachelor of Science in Psychology incorporating workplace experience
• Drama and English
• English Language and Literature

The MIC Thurles campus additionally offers post-primary teacher education programmes in Home Economics, Gaeilge, Mathematics, Business Studies, Theology and Religious Studies, and Accounting. Postgraduate study is available across both faculties at Diploma, Master's and PhD level, alongside professional development and lifelong learning programmes.

Campuses

MIC is a multi-campus institution with centrally located, state-of-the-art facilities in both Limerick City and Thurles, Co. Tipperary:

• MIC Limerick: the College's original and main campus on South Circular Road, home to the historic 1899 building that remains central to College life today, alongside a state-of-the-art Sports Complex completed in 2008 at a cost of €16 million, and the 510-seat Lime Tree Theatre, officially opened in October 2012
• MIC Thurles: incorporated into MIC in 2016, originally established as a second-level school in 1837 and later a major seminary, today offering seven undergraduate programmes delivered by staff from both the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Arts, with on-campus accommodation and the O'Dwyer Library housing approximately 15,000 print resources

Both campuses are characterised by an informal, relaxed atmosphere and a close rapport between students and staff, with the amenities of city and town life on the doorstep.

Affiliation with the University of Limerick

MIC has been academically linked with the University of Limerick since a formal partnership was established in 1990, with UL becoming MIC's accrediting body. Degrees were conferred by the National University of Ireland until 1994, and by UL from 1995 onward. In 1999, MIC became the first Irish College of Education to offer a Bachelor of Arts degree programme. The first PhD was awarded by MIC in 2003. MIC is also a member of the Shannon Consortium, a collaborative framework alongside the University of Limerick and Technological University of the Shannon.

Student life and facilities

• Wired FM (Wired 99.9FM): Limerick's only licensed student community radio station, run in partnership with the Technological University of the Shannon
• Lime Tree Theatre: a 510-seat venue on the Limerick campus hosting theatre, music, comedy, traditional arts, school performances and conferences
• MIC Munster GAA Centre of Excellence and extensive College Sport opportunities, supported by the dedicated Sports Complex
• CRAFT Maker Space, supporting hands-on creativity and enterprise
• Mary Immaculate Students' Union (MISU), marking 25 years of representing the student body
• Clubs and Societies, Arts and Culture programming, and a strong Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Interculturalism (EDII) commitment
• Recognition as an Age Friendly Campus
• Careers Service, Study Abroad opportunities, and an Off-Campus Programme

Leadership and governance

The College's first six Presidents were members of the Sisters of Mercy, beginning with Sr Paul Quinlan in 1898, followed by Sr Veronica Cullinan, Sr Celsus Barry, Sr Loreto Ní Chonchúir, Sr Cabrini Moloney and Sr Angela Bugler. Professor Peadar Cremin, appointed in 1999, was the seventh President and the first lay person to hold the position. He was succeeded by Professor Michael A. Hayes in 2011 and Professor Eugene Wall in 2018, the ninth President in the College's history. Mary Immaculate College is currently led by Professor Dermot Nestor, President of the College, with the Bishop of Limerick serving as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees.