Program Overview
This Master's program in Applied Linguistics (TESOL) equips aspiring and practicing teachers with advanced knowledge and practical skills in English language teaching. It provides a comprehensive understanding of linguistics, teaching methodologies, materials development, research methods, and practical classroom experience, culminating in TEFLQ status and qualification to teach English as a foreign language globally.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
This Master's offers an advanced-level professional qualification for practising and aspiring teachers of English as a foreign language. It is designed for both native speakers and non-native speakers with a high level of English. Through the course you focus on areas such as the relationship between linguistics and second language learning; the methodology and techniques of language teaching; and the appropriate development of materials for language teaching and learning purposes. The course offers you professional training and development and includes practical classroom experience on placement with observed and assessed teaching practice. On successful completion you achieve Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Q status meaning you are fully qualified in British Council terms.
Outline:
The MA Applied Linguistics (TESOL) is designed to develop both an understanding of the theoretical issues relating to language teaching, and the practical skills needed by the language teacher. The unit also acts as preparation for your dissertation research.
- Materials Development For Language Teaching And Learning: This unit provides the opportunity to put into practice more theoretical issues related to language teaching and learning covered in other units. This unit aims to enable you to:
- enhance your in depth-knowledge and develop your experience in evaluating, adapting and creating L2 Materials for various purposes (e.g. language teaching and learning development, classroom practice, research);
- develop your experience and employability as an ELT language teacher or manager, an L2 materials developer as well as a researcher in applied linguistics;
- develop your insight into theoretical and practical issues related to ELT through the process of Materials development;
- gain a better, critical understanding of language teaching and learning issues through the development of different stages in L2 materials;
- enhance your professional experience through self-reflection on achievement and staff development needs; phonology, grammar and lexis, and their application to language teaching and learning, hence of the fact that such systems operate within a context. Language teachers are aware of the influence context and situation exert on the ways language is used, therefore they need to develop ways of presenting the sounds, words and grammar that make up these language systems in meaningful contexts using a range of methodologies and teaching materials. More specifically this unit aims to enable you to:
- develop your understanding of the phonology, morphology and grammar of English, and to demonstrate how these ‘language systems’ might be taught and assessed in the classroom;
- develop a critical understanding of the uses of needs and error analysis, and to obtain substantial experience carrying out a needs and error analysis of a particular teaching and learning context;
- develop a critical understanding of the production and delivery of a lesson plan, stating objectives, and evaluating its potential effectiveness in a localised, context-driven approach This unit is, in this sense, essential in order to provide an element of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to your curriculum. The intention is that the development of teaching skills in this unit will facilitate an understanding of the more theoretical parts of the course, just as the theory informs the practical skill development.
- Exploring Research: Concepts And Methods: This unit acts as a foundation to postgraduate study as it deals with methodological issues relating to ethical research in the social sciences. This unit provides the background knowledge and skills needed for students to design a small-scale research project; to analyse different types of data; and write-up the findings. It refers particularly to issues surrounding data collection within the fields of international business, intercultural communication, international relations, linguistics and language teaching. The teaching team is made up of very experienced lecturers and researchers whose expertise lies in the areas of ELT and language teaching and learning in general. The unit aims are:
- To introduce students to different research strategies and methods;
- To enable students to plan and conduct a small research project effectively;
- To demonstrate the importance of certain generic, vocational skills such as good time management, meeting time deadlines, communicating clearly;
- To introduce you to important issues related to conducting research in the social sciences and certain ethical issues in research;
- To gain in-depth knowledge and a critical, deeper understanding of ways of collecting and analysing original and secondary data.
- The Methodology Of Language Teaching: This unit is a core element of the course as it relates to more practical based issues related to English Language Teaching. This unit aims to enable you to:
- develop your knowledge and insight into the principles, theories and practice of different language teaching and learning methodologies;
- enhance your critical understanding and appreciation of a wide range of language teaching methods, approaches and techniques in relation to Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research;
- develop your experience of the process of reviewing language teaching and learning materials in order to demonstrate your knowledge of language teaching methodology principles and their possible practical applications;
- develop your creativity, innovative ideas and personal initiative in language teaching.
- Dissertation In Applied Linguistics And Elt: A vital aim of your postgraduate course is to enable students to successfully carry out a major piece of research by using their knowledge and skills independently. The dissertation provides students with the opportunity to do this, and represents the culmination of their studies. The main task is to carry out a significant piece of original research related to your area of study and interests in reference to Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching and Learning. Dissertation supervision is assigned by the course coordinator, taking into account your chosen area of research. This is done according to the various areas of expertise and research of the teaching team and other members of academic staff.
Assessment:
The purpose of assessment is to provide opportunities for students to demonstrate the extent of their knowledge and skills at a given point. The outcomes are as important to the provider as it is to the student. This is a substantial piece of original research on an aspect of Applied Linguistics TESOL but whose precise focus is determined by each student and according to their anticipated career plans. Here the ability to plan execute and evaluate independent research is assessed and represents the apex of a student's postgraduate studies. To complement and lead up to the dissertation there are different types of assessment on the course each designed to relate to the content and the cumulative body of knowledge upon which the research plans of the dissertation are based. The types of assessment include: essays and reports, in-class tests conducted under examination conditions, practical tasks (eg questionnaire design test item construction), case studies assignments and presentations. The assessment methods have been selected to support the pedagogical development of research skills and subject knowledge and to satisfy individual unit and global course learning outcomes. The overall assessment map is available in the course handbook. Each point of assessment provides opportunities for valuable feedback from teachers but also from peers to enable students to review and improve their work.
Teaching:
The teaching team is made up of very experienced lecturers and researchers whose expertise lies in the areas of ELT and language teaching and learning in general. The course includes a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, and practical sessions. Students are encouraged to participate actively in class discussions and to share their own experiences and perspectives.
Careers:
On successful completion you achieve Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Q status meeting British Council standards and meaning you are qualified to teach EFL in the UK and internationally. The course could also be a route to progression for developers of educational materials; assessment and examination/test paper writers; and researchers in applied linguistics. Graduates of this course have shown themselves to be highly competent and professional in whatever they have gone on to do.
Other:
- The course has been designed to enable you to gain a TEFLQ status - fully qualified TESOL/TEFL teacher status following British Council regulations.
- All the assessed teaching practice hours are provided and organised by the department staff and delivered on campus.
- This course meets the following requirements:
- you will complete a course which is externally validated by a university
- you will complete at least six hours’ supervised teaching practice where a qualified and standardised assessor observes you teaching real students and gives you feedback on your performance
- you will study a course which contains at least 100 hours of ELT/TESOL input
- Please note: TEFLI (initial TEFL teacher status) will be awarded to those with no prior teaching experience. In order to meet the requirements you must study and pass all the units included in the course diet and particularly the observed and assessed Teaching Practice unit.
- Develop excellent transferable skills in communication literacy and research in demand across a wide range of sectors.
- Benefit from the expertise of our Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (CRELLA) whose research is recognised as world leading by the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2024/25 is £10,000 per year. The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2024/25 is £15,600
