Applied Linguistics for TESOL MA
16 Months Full-Time | January Start

Our MA combines exciting subject-specific content with an emphasis on development of independent analytical and research skills, supported by knowledgeable, research-active staff.

Our learning and teaching strategy is designed to deliver a stimulating and student-centred environment through a combination of lectures, seminars, group workshops and individual tutorials. The range of subject-specific modules has been developed to help you acquire the core skills appropriate to the study of TESOL and Applied Linguistics and the course culminates in a dissertation of approximately 15,000 words.

Our team offers a progressively challenging and rewarding experience, integrating the teaching of fundamental issues in Applied Linguistics and TESOL with the up-to-date findings of research conducted by the teaching team.

Our staff have extensive practical experience of both teaching and teacher training and they have strong connections with the professional (English) language teaching community in the UK and overseas.

You will benefit from the vast research experience of the teaching team. While much of our current research relates to the teaching and learning of language, we also explore a broader range of applied linguistic topics including: discourse analysis and representations of culture; the spread of English and Englishes around the world; educational linguistics and the internationalisation of UK Higher Education; and second language acquisition.

Cutting-edge research undertaken by the Applied Linguistics and TESOL team has been published in leading journals in the field and our lecturers are regularly invited to present their research around the world.

You will engage with a range of technology enhanced learning (TEL) activities that support the learning and teaching principles, including a virtual learning environment that delivers specific course and module information, a range of course-related activities and online interactive reading lists. You will also have access to scholarly databases and can submit coursework electronically.

Our staff constantly seek to develop new ways of engaging with technology, including the use of mobile technology, tablet devices, and social media in both directed and independent learning to improve individual and group interaction. Engagement with TEL throughout the course will prepare you for the increasing importance of technology in the teaching of TESOL and Applied Linguistics.

Research, informed by our wide-ranging staff interests, is embedded throughout the course.

We specifically recruit students of a high calibre with a view to further develop intellectual and professional interests through a lifelong engagement with the subject matter. You will engage with advanced theory, professional development at a high level, and critical reflection on methodological assumptions within the field.

The modules combine exciting content with an emphasis on the development of independent analytical and research skills, supported by knowledgeable team members with links to the English Language Teaching Journal (Oxford University Press), British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL), International Cognitive Linguistics Association (ICLA), International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) and the British Council.

We encourage postgraduates to manage their own research projects as a preparation for possible independent research at doctoral level.

Employability is woven into the course at all stages to develop your lifelong learning, critical skills and attitudes, presentation skills, and reflective and evaluative abilities.

You will improve skills in motivation, show initiative and personal responsibility, be capable of making decisions in complex situations, and possess a thirst for independent learning. You will have demonstrated a critical awareness of the current research and scholarship within your discipline, helping you to interpret knowledge in a variety of professional fields. In addition, the course will strengthen your communication skills, media literacy, self-management and planning, ethical and professional understanding, as well as developing your research and inquiry skills.

The MA has been designed to enhance promotion prospects, fulfilling industry demands for highly qualified graduates with the skills to work across a variety of professions – most notably English Language teachers and teacher trainers, managers, course planners, government advisers, inspectors, material developers and consultants.

The course is also ideal for those looking to move into professional research, publishing and editing, and educational management. There is constant demand both in the UK and overseas for Applied Linguistics and TESOL graduates in other language-related professions, such as the media, the helping professions, communication, publishing and editing.

Employment prospects for those holding the MA Applied Linguistics for TESOL qualification are excellent and graduates have gone on to good careers as English teachers overseas or in their home countries.