Transformative Education

Some qualifications are offered part-time – these are indicated below.

To get the most out of their course and of being part of our learning community, many students choose a fully immersive experience for the residential taught periods of their course, staying on our stunning 1,200 campus on the banks of the River Dart with full board accommodation.

This postgraduate degree opens up our distinctive learning model here at Schumacher College to train educators, teachers and curriculum designers in the principles of an ecological approach to education.

For too long mainstream education systems have been outdated and in crisis – what we need are new more nimble models rooted in experience, working in collaboration with communities, and reigniting widespread attempts to resolve our environmental and social issues.

Here at Dartington we have developed a holistic approach to learning which we believe turns the mainstream upside-down, incorporating head, heart and hands to help students work out how they can act, and crucially empower others to act, towards a regenerative, more hopeful and inclusive future. This new course offers postgraduate students the chance to investigate this model for themselves, honing their own practice as an educator and developing new paths towards the kind of education systems and curricula contemporary society needs to flourish and heal.

Students will explore diverse learning approaches from the mainstream to alternatives, including:

• On Country Learning / culturally responsive pedagogy
• First Nation and Sámi learning communities
• Scandinavian folk schools and tradition of friluftsliv
• Czech turistika
• Integrative nature/arts education
• Sustainable and regenerative models
• Adventure and outdoor learning

Learning at Dartington is:

• practice-led
• experience-based
• immersive
• transformative
• culturally and environmentally sensitive
• founded in nature connection
• interdisciplinary

Progressive education has been trialled and practiced on the Dartington estate for 100 years, and as such the place and its legacy offer an inspiring and very tangible case study for students interested in exploring the sociohistorical context of education in England. The course is intended to draw on this legacy, but with a focus on how this can help inform new approaches and develop and enhance existing pedagogies. 

Qualification(s) required for entry to the MA

BA/BSc (Honours) Degree A first degree
Where the first degree is not a 2.1, or in an unrelated subject, further support of the application or experience may be required.

Other non-standard awards or experience
A willingness engage with the field of Regenerative Economics. Candidates will be considered with prior credited learning and prior experiences subject to interview.* Candidates will be considered with appropriate APL (UoP Regs) subject to interview.

Interview requirements
All applicants are required to attend an interview, either at the College or online. During the interview we will look for: evidence of intellectual clarity during interview; a clearly formulated purpose for taking the course; focused interests and a clear understanding of the ethos and philosophy of the College; readiness and ability to live and work in a communal setting.

*For further information please contact our admissions team at admissions@dartington.org.

 For full details on our fees, plus information about scholarships, student loans and bursaries, click here.

This programme is eligible for Chevening Scholarships for international students. Find out more via this link. 

We have developed this programme with a sensitivity to those working or aspiring to work both within the mainstream education system and outside of it.

The types of roles that an MA can help you to attain include more senior, higher-paid roles such as:

• Head of year
• Head of department
• Deputy head
• Head teacher

Taking this course can also help you secure more specialist roles working in curriculum development, pastoral care and SEN, or project-based sustainability work.

In broader terms this course is a great way to expand your options, opening up a range of career alternative pathways such as:

• Head of learning at a cultural institution
• Director of education for a local authority or conservation organisation
• Teacher trainer or trainer of trainers
• Education consultant
• Roles in outdoor education

Another career route through this degree would be to open up a more entrepreneurial/activist path through funded community-focused and/or land-based projects or developing new educational businesses.