The University of Birmingham is a public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham, and Mason Science College, making it the first English civic or 'red brick' university to receive its own royal charter. The University have a long and proud history of firsts, at the University of Birmingham; they were the first – and are now one of the largest - civic universities in the UK.

At Birmingham, the institution teach and research across the full breadth of academic disciplines, creating a vibrant community with multi-disciplinary opportunities for research and education. The University is a truly international community consisting of more than thousands of staff, students, and alumni. The student community is not only one of the largest of any UK university, it is highly diverse, with 82 per cent of home undergraduate students from state schools, 32 per cent from a BAME background, and 35 per cent in the first generation of their family to attend university.

Unless indicated otherwise the modules listed for this programme are for students starting in 2023.

Theories of Character, Virtue and Flourishing (20 credits)
The Theories of Character, Virtue and Flourishing module will explain how key theories from the fields of psychology, philosophy and education, inform planning, administration, policy and professional practice – including a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights in the field.

Research Methods in Character Education (20 credits)
This module will teach you how to evaluate educational research from theoretical and methodological perspectives, in order to contribute to character education through the demonstration of original thinking in teaching and learning. The various research methods available to researchers will be discussed; alongside this, the ethical implications and challenges associated with researching character in education are explained, with a strong focus on issues of reliability and validity in research.

History and Politics of Character Education (20 credits)
This module will examine how historical, political and religious ideas, events and processes have shaped, and continue to shape, approaches to character education within various Western and non-Western contexts. The Module content is divided into four, interconnected units: 1. Histories of Character Education in the UK and the USA; 2. Comparative Character Education. 3. Character Education and the Political; and 4. Character Education and Religion. In your work in this module, you will be expected to adopt a comparative perspective, identifying and understanding notable similarities and differences in how character education has been, and is, approached in the various contexts explored.

Character Education Interventions in Schools and Organisations (20 credits)
Exploring the practical implications of character education, this module will draw and build on the theory learnt in previous modules. You will learn about how character education can be implemented in various educational settings, including schools and community organisations; this will give you the ability to analyse data, synthesise information and apply critical thinking to develop your own relevant interventions and tools to create a culture and ethos designed to enhance good character.

Character Education Leadership in Schools and Organisations (20 credits)
This module will examine the role of leaders in developing character education in schools and other organisations. It will cover positive organisational theory, and both leadership theory and practice, with a specific focus on making decisions that bring about change in schools. Throughout the module the challenges of implementing and leading character education programmes will be examined and critically debated.

The Virtuous Practitioner (20 credits)
The responsibilities of teachers and other educators working with children and young people will be examined throughout this module; this is framed around the fundamental question- what does it mean to be a virtuous professional? Drawing on research (both theoretical and empirical) into the character virtues of teachers (as well as other professionals), this module will consider what their moral responsibilities are, and considers the role of both initial and continuing professional development (CPD) in teacher education.

Dissertation
In year three, you will complete a 15,000 word dissertation on a topic related to character education which is likely to have been covered in one of the taught modules.

Please note: The modules listed on the website for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods. On rare occasions, we may need to make unexpected changes to compulsory modules; in this event we will contact offer holders as soon as possible to inform or consult them as appropriate.

You will need to book the accommodation after you have been accepted.

You can choose to live on campus or off campus in private accommodation.

• Make a booking online after you have been accepted (in this case please let us know your choice when you apply).
• Register when you arrive - its not possible to reserve a room before arriving. You can arrive a few days before and book it