Michelle Murray
With an interest in leadership and working as a teacher at post-primary level in a school in the Midlands, the Master of Education was a natural fit for Michelle Murray who graduates from the programme in 2026.
“I came back to education later in life. I came back to do the Bachelor in Religious Education and English at DCU as a mature student, and I completed that four-year course, graduated top of my class and had a great experience,” Michelle says.
“While I did that course I was working in retail management, and I think I’ve always had an interest in leadership so I gave myself a year of teaching after completing my undergraduate and decided while I’m on this learning roll and as an alum of DCU, I looked into Master’s courses and the Master’s in Ed felt like the right one.”
Among the things that drew Michelle back to further study at DCU was the flexibility of the programme and the opportunity to dive deeper into the theoretical areas of leadership.
“It was just so flexible. We had two online classes per week and over the two years I was on campus twice which was nice to have those days with your classmates, but the flexibility was a huge factor and the discount available for alumni too,” she said.
“Having come through a management programme in retail, and maybe it’s in my personality too, I definitely wanted to know more about the theoretical background of leadership in education and that’s what this course said it would provide. That’s what it did provide.
“You do the core modules and then my specialist area was in education and leadership, and I wanted that understanding of the theoretical background but also with an interest in progressing in my own career.”
With the M Ed under her belt and having seen through her own research project as part of the programme, Michelle hasn’t ruled out further studies at some point in the future, building on her experience on the Masters of Education.
“I’m definitely still thinking about the next step. I have a real appetite for learning and anyone who knows me personally would say give yourself a long break but I’ve an interest in learning and a huge interest in teacher education, and that is something I would like to explore down the line. I had a great supervisor for my research and I’ve made great lifelong contacts in DCU too.”