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Course description

The MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is aimed at graduate teachers and other English Language Teaching professionals with at least a year's English language teaching experience who wish to further their academic and professional development.

This degree will provide you with:

• A critical understanding of key issues and debates in many areas of applied linguistics and of how these relate to English Language Teaching.
• A body of knowledge that will enhance your ability to undertake language teaching at a range of levels in different cultural and institutional contexts.
• The ability to reflect, analyse and critically evaluate language teaching and learning concepts and theories, and to understand and examine the assumptions underlying different classroom practices.
• The skills to undertake effective practitioner research in your specific area of interest.

You will also benefit from our active involvement in research in different areas of Applied Linguistics and TESOL.

If you take the two ‘Language Testing and Assessment’ modules and choose a language testing topic for your Dissertation, you will be awarded an MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL with Language Testing’.

Teaching and learning

Teaching consists of lectures, seminars and workshops, with tutorial support. You will be assessed through written assignments and some tests, presentations and project work, depending on the particular module. You will be encouraged to develop your transferable skills, including IT and communication skills.

Careers and employability

The field of English language teaching is increasingly competitive and many organisations see a Masters level qualification as an essential requirement. Many of our graduates go on to gain promotion in their existing jobs or to move on to more senior or challenging posts. This course is a powerful vehicle for both personal and professional development.

The University of Leicester provides further support to teachers through our School of Education, where we offer a range of professional development opportunities for practising teachers, including CPD courses and Masters degrees.