MA in Catholic School Leadership: Principles and Practice
Credit Exemptions for holders of NPQH and Leading from the Middle
St Mary's University College has joined other major universities who recognise the value of the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) and Leading from the Middle (LfM) awarded by the National College for School Leadership.
To understand how the MA in Catholic School Leadership complements NPQH and yet offers a very distinctive approach to leadership for those serving in Catholic schools and colleges, download the paper to be published in Networking: Beyond NPQH. Note that from September 2012, holding NPQH will no longer be an essential requirement for headship.
It is now possible for holders of NPQH who join the MA programme to gain credit exemption from the two 30 credit modules that have the greatest degree of overlap with NPQH. The modules in question are:
As we also cover within these modules how Catholic education should be distinctive - in terms of leadership, management, curriculum and quality - those seeking exemption will still attend the seminars (whatever the mode of study) and receive our highly praised course materials.
However, holders of NPQH will not be required to complete the two 4,000 word assignments and will only pay half the fees for these modules. All that will be required to gain the 60 credit exemptions is provide evidence of study through satisfactory completion of the St Mary's Online learning tasks and by making contributions to the online discussions.
The 60 credit exemption will apply to the MA and the Postgraduate Diploma. A 30 credit exemption is available for the Postgraduate Certificate. For holders of the NCSL qualification ‘Leading from the Middle’ a 30 credit exemption is available with 50% fees payable for Module 2.
Please note that the agreement between the National College of School Leadership and higher education institutions works both ways. Holders of an MA in Catholic School Leadership will be able to apply for exemptions from part of the NPQH programme. This is important as the NPQH programme is only offered to those ‘close to headship’. Gain your MA CSL early in your career and then apply for NPQH when you have progressed to deputy headship.
To register to claim the exemptions provide a copy of your NPQH certificate when you apply.
