MPhil ELM Programme

Syed Ahsan Ali and Syed Maratib Ali School of Education at LUMS offers a 2-year 36-credit MPhil Education Leadership and Management programme.

Credits and GPA Requirements

The MPhil ELM programme requires the completion of a minimum of 36 credit hours, including 27 credit hours of both taught and field-based interdisciplinary coursework along with 9 credits hours of the Practicum. All students must maintain a minimum CGPA of 2.50 at the end of each semester and at the time of graduation.

Course Plan for MPhil ELM

 

 

Electives for MPhil ELM

 

• EDU 512 The Arts and Education | (3 credits)
• EDU 522 Inclusive Education: Rethinking the Other |  (3 credits)
• EDU 523 Cognition and Computers |  (3 credits)
• EDU 552 Education for Sustainable Development |  (3 credits)
• EDU 563 Ethnography for Education Policy | (3 credits)
• EDU 613 Education for Social Justice | (3 credits)
• EDU 614 Reconceptualising Curriculum with the Arts | (3 credits)
• EDU 622 Educators’ Seminar Series: Special Topics in Teaching and Learning | (3 credits)
• EDU 623 Effective Teaching and Learning in Higher Education | (3 credits)
• EDU 624 Differentiating Instruction in Inclusive Classrooms | (3 credits)
• EDU 662 Impact Evaluation Methods in Education | (3 credits)
• CS 5613 Human Computer Interaction Design | (3 credits)
• MBA 6060 Managing Workplace Diversity | (1.5 credits)
• MBA 6324 Strategic Management of Non-profit Enterprises | (1.5 credits)

The MPhil Education Leadership and Management programme is structured around six key components:

• Grounding in analytical methods and tools for empirical analysis and engagement with education practice
• Introduction to leading methodological and theoretical debates from multiple disciplines that shape the education sector
• Core emphasis on leadership theory and application in the education space
• Critical understanding of research driven models of school effectiveness and improvement in K-12 settings, including curriculum development, teaching and learning
• In-depth exploration of policy issues affecting education in Pakistan
• Targeted research and field-based Practicum that will build on academic training and field exposure, resulting in a final capstone

MPhil Practicum

The Practicum is a mandatory, intensive semester-long “residency” or internship rooted in field-based research during which students are placed in one of several educational organizations partnered with SOE. These partners operate in a variety of domains within educational service delivery including the public, private and non-profit sector. The Practicum gives students real-time exposure to challenges in education leadership and management while they are still in training, encouraging them to address these issues by developing research-based solutions to problems encountered in the field. In preparation for this immersive field intervention, all MPhil students take a mandatory 3 credit course (EDU 690 Practicum Proseminar) in Practicum planning and development alongside a faculty mentor. This course and the Practicum itself build on previous courses in theory, methods and techniques and on school exposure that students gain through their field visits. A highlight of Proseminar is a series of partner meetings held with the students both at LUMS School of Education and the partner organization where high ranking representatives from every practicum organization meet with the respective student group to immerse, discuss and familiarize with the details and scope of the project for the forthcoming practicum, which is then student led with faculty oversight working on a strategic project, involving a problem of practice deeply rooted and embedded in research.

MPhil Capstone Exercise

The final product of the Practicum is a mandatory capstone assignment. It is underpinned by a philosophy of research-based practice-oriented critical thinking about pressing education issues. Further, it encompasses an analytical and reflective narrative of the strategic project undertaken by the student, including all the necessary components of good research, a critical survey of existing academic literature, analysis based on primary data, and conclusions in the form of student reflections, lessons, and recommendations. The capstone exercise is not restricted to a standard dissertation format. Instead, it includes education practice innovations in formats beyond writing; technology-based pilot projects; and/or policy analysis reports. This final product will demonstrate the student’s ability to identify challenges, develop strategies to address them, and clearly communicate their analysis and recommendation. The final stage of the practicum is the oral defence phase where the students will present their project in front of faculty and their peers. For these reasons, students must complete their Capstone, and are not allowed to substitute it with coursework. The final product will be examined by the committee to assign appropriate credit.