Secondary Teacher Education Programme

The MA supports student‑teachers in developing:

• In-depth subject knowledge that explores Ismaili traditions within the broader mosaic of Muslim civilisations across time and geographies
• Critical engagement with scholarship, enabling clear, analytical interpretation and communication of complex ideas
• Understanding of educational theories and contemporary discourses relating to curriculum, pedagogy, identity, pluralism, and the role of education in Muslim contexts
• Insight into the philosophical and pedagogical foundations of IIS Secondary Curriculum
• Integrated professional skills that link academic study with reflective practice and classroom experience
• Context‑sensitive approaches to teaching and learning across diverse communities.

Alongside academic study, the programme includes well-supported teaching placements, enabling student‑teachers to apply their learning in real classrooms and educational environments. STEP nurtures reflective thinking, builds practical confidence in teaching, and inspires a commitment to ongoing professional growth, encouraging curiosity and lifelong learning.

The MA in Muslim Societies and Civilisations offers students a systematic, critically engaged multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary exploration of Muslim histories and cultures, including Ismaili traditions, educational discourses and teacher-training within an integrated learning experience. Through this approach, the Programme provides the academic depth, professional formation, and contextual awareness that support student-teachers in growing as holistic, reflective, and community-minded educators.

The MA enables learners to:

1. Develop a systematic, critical, multidisciplinary understanding of Muslim societies and civilisations, with particular attention to Shi‘i, including Ismaili, traditions explored through societal, civilisational and humanistic approaches, among others.
2. Build the capacity to engage rigorously with scholarship and research across Islamic Studies, Education, and cognate fields, using appropriate methodologies and communicating your insights with clarity and academic integrity.
3. Deepen your understanding of IIS Secondary Curriculum, including its philosophical foundations, content, and pedagogical aims, and situate it within diverse educational, cultural and global contexts.
4. Develop the pedagogical competencies needed to deliver IIS Secondary Curriculum with confidence, adaptability, inclusivity, and contextual awareness across varied learning environments.
5. Strengthen the ability to critically assess and apply educational theories to practice, drawing on reflective practice, critical pedagogy, and learner-centred approaches that support transformative and ethical teaching.
6. Foster your awareness and critical evaluation of current issues, global educational trends and developments affecting Muslim, including Ismaili, learners and communities, enabling you to respond with creativity, collaboration, and solution-focused thinking.
7. Cultivate critical and ethical awareness, empathy, leadership, and professional responsibility, enabling you to contribute meaningfully within community and educational settings while upholding principles

Upon successful completion of the MA, students-teachers develop a series of subject-specific knowledge, intellectual skills, and practical and transferable skills grounded in their academic and professional learning.

Year 1

• Teaching and Learning I: Theory and Practice (Core, 30 credits)
• The Emergence of Muslim Societies and Civilisations in the Mediterranean and West Asia, 7th-10th Centuries (Core, 15 credits)
• Education, Globalisation, Migration, and Social Transformation (Core, 15 credits)
• Muslim Societies Through Time and Space, 1000-1500 (Core, 15 credits)
• The Qur’an and Its Interpretations (Core, 15 credits)
• Muslim Societies Through Time and Space, 1500-1850 (Core, 15 credits)
• Faith, Practice, and Living Muslim Traditions (Core)

Year 2

• Teaching and Learning II: Leading Learning in Community-Based Settings (Practitioner Enquiry) (Core, 30 credits)

Year 3

• Teaching and Learning III: Transitioning to Professional Practice: Teacher as Community Educator and Lifelong Learner (Core, 30 credits)
• Traditions of Enquiry (Core, 15 credits)
• Transformations in Muslim and Global Contexts, 1850 to the Present (Core, 15 credits)
• Aesthetic Expressions in Muslim Societies (with Fieldtrip Abroad) (Core, 15 credits)
• Literature for Educators (Core, 15 credits)
• Ismaili Texts in Focus (Elective, 15 credits)
• Mystical and Messianic Expressions in Muslim Traditions (Elective, 15 credits)
• The Lived Qur’an (Elective, 15 credits)
• Muslim Heritage and Cultural Memory (Elective, 15 credits)
• Being Inclusive (Elective, 15 credits)
• MA Dissertation (60 credits)

STEP offers a world-class educational experience enriched by the diverse perspectives, traditions, and experiences students and faculty bring to the classroom. As the Institute’s  flagship programme – validated by SOAS, which is renowned for excellence in Islamic Studies, the humanities, and the social sciences – STEP provides a rigorous environment for academic and professional growth.

Students develop:

• Broadened outlook
• Academic depth through sustained, rigorous study
• Critical engagement with diverse scholarly perspectives
• Nuanced understanding of Muslim societies and civilisations, with special reference to Ismaili traditions

STEP develops the capacity to:

• Develop integrated, multidisciplinary expertise across Islam and Muslim societies, including Ismaili traditions, alongside Education and the broader humanities
• Build strong pedagogical content knowledge that blends disciplinary depth with effective teaching practice
• Teach IIS Secondary Curriculum with confidence through robust curriculum competence and contextual awareness
• Context‑responsive teaching grounded in learners’ lived traditions, realities, and contextual sensitivities.

A defining feature of STEP is its sustained,  immersive professional experience, which significantly enhances graduates’ readiness to teach in diverse educational environments.

The pathway includes:

• full year of supported placements in UK RECs
• a second year of placement in student -teachers’ home contexts
• a third year focused on alternative modes of delivery (camps, episodic teaching, online/hybrid formats, and asynchronous environments).

This structured progression enables student -teachers to apply theory to practice, build confidence in real classrooms, and develop contextual sensitivity, and strengthens while strengthening the ability to teach effectively across varied cultural and educational environments.

STEP’s mentorship model is collaborative, developmental, and empowering, nurturing reflective practitioners committed to excellence and able to navigate diverse educational settings. It provides:

• Guided practice alongside experienced REC educators
• Co-creation of learning experiences for secondary learners
• Structured feedback cycles
• Modelling of effective , context‑sensitive pedagogy
• A supported journey toward self-directed, confident teaching.

STEP removes financial barriers so that student-teachers can focus entirely on their growth. The scholarship covers:

• tuition fees
• accommodation
• a living allowance