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MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) – February or September entry

  • Year of entry
    2024/25 See 2023/24 entry
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  12 months Part Time: 24 months
  • Year of entry
    2024/25 See 2023/24 entry
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  12 months Part Time: 24 months

Study MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at one of the world's best known centres in TESOL and Applied Linguistics.

Reading's Department of English Language and Linguistics has more than 50 years of excellence in the field. David Crystal OBE (awarded for services to the English language, 1995) set up the first linguistics degree at the University of Reading, and sociolinguistics was born at Reading. 

This course is suitable for graduates already working or just starting a career in the field of English as a second/foreign language and who wish to develop and deepen specialist knowledge and skills in TESOL and related linguistic areas. We’re in the top 150 universities in the world for these subjects (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023).

It connects theory with practice to build relevant teaching expertise in key TESOL areas, and provides up-to-date, thorough and critical knowledge of the field taught by top researchers and teachers.

This course offers flexibility through a choice of tracks to suit individual needs and experiences using small-group teaching and a wide choice of optional modules are available. The 'Dissertation Track' is suitable for students who already have teaching experience, and is especially recommended for those who wish to pursue further study. The 'Portfolio Track' is designed for those with little or no teaching experience. It involves completing a portfolio based on classroom observations and teaching experience gained during the summer term in our renowned International Study and Language Institute (ISLI).

Our specialist research areas include:

  • testing and assessment
  • second language acquisition
  • intercultural communication
  • second language teaching
  • multilingualism
  • vocabulary studies
  • language teaching and creativity
  • language curriculum design
  • EFL teacher training
  • child language development
  • language and migration
  • world Englishes
  • sociolinguistics.

For more information, please visit the English Language and Applied Linguistics website.

Overview

Study MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at one of the world's best known centres in TESOL and Applied Linguistics.

Reading's Department of English Language and Linguistics has more than 50 years of excellence in the field. David Crystal OBE (awarded for services to the English language, 1995) set up the first linguistics degree at the University of Reading, and sociolinguistics was born at Reading. 

This course is suitable for graduates already working or just starting a career in the field of English as a second/foreign language and who wish to develop and deepen specialist knowledge and skills in TESOL and related linguistic areas. We’re in the top 150 universities in the world for these subjects (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023).

It connects theory with practice to build relevant teaching expertise in key TESOL areas, and provides up-to-date, thorough and critical knowledge of the field taught by top researchers and teachers.

This course offers flexibility through a choice of tracks to suit individual needs and experiences using small-group teaching and a wide choice of optional modules are available. The 'Dissertation Track' is suitable for students who already have teaching experience, and is especially recommended for those who wish to pursue further study. The 'Portfolio Track' is designed for those with little or no teaching experience. It involves completing a portfolio based on classroom observations and teaching experience gained during the summer term in our renowned International Study and Language Institute (ISLI).

Our specialist research areas include:

  • testing and assessment
  • second language acquisition
  • intercultural communication
  • second language teaching
  • multilingualism
  • vocabulary studies
  • language teaching and creativity
  • language curriculum design
  • EFL teacher training
  • child language development
  • language and migration
  • world Englishes
  • sociolinguistics.

For more information, please visit the English Language and Applied Linguistics website.

Entry requirements

IELTS: 6.5 overall with no element less than 6.0 (or equivalent).

Entry requirements: Normally a good undergraduate honours degree (2:1 or above), or equivalent from a university outside the UK. Those with other qualifications and relevant work experience may also be considered.

For the MA TESOL dissertation track, you normally need a minimum of one year’s relevant work experience. For the MA TESOL portfolio track, no teaching experience is required. Each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Pre-sessional English language programme

If you need to improve your English language score, you can take a pre-sessional English course prior to entry onto your degree.

  • Find out the English language requirements for our courses and our pre-sessional English programme

Structure

  • Modules

Core modules:  

Language Curriculum Design

Explore the main approaches to the design of language curricula, examine relevant factors in specifying a syllabus and analyse teaching materials in the light of syllabus requirements. You’ll discover the processes involved in implementing curriculum innovation while understanding the educational environment and goals, needs of learners, principles underpinning language teaching, and curriculum evaluation.

Foundations of Language Study

Explore the phonetic and phonological systems of the English language to develop skills in analytical listening and broad phonetic transcription. You’ll acquire a practical understanding of functional units involved in the production of sounds, syllables, stress, intonation, words, and the construction of sentences. 

Second Language Learning Principles

Discover the principles of second language learning and their implication for professional practice in language teaching, learning, and other relevant disciplines. You’ll familiarise yourself with the key factors that influence language learning, understand their effects on learners and learning processes, and analyse how they can be used to promote real-life language learning and teaching. 

Academic Practice in Applied Linguistics

Gain the skills needed to identify, evaluate, and use relevant information resources and virtual learning and assessment platforms at the University. You’ll understand the significance of following appropriate academic practices and conventions, and the importance of critical reading and writing skills at master’s level.

Research Design Methods

Explore the principles of research and commonly used research designs, approaches, and techniques used in TESOL and applied linguistics. You’ll gain necessary knowledge and skills to conduct valid, ethical, and reliable research and use quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods techniques for data collection and analysis. 

Dissertation

Develop a dissertation topic in a sub-field of TESOL or applied linguistics to conduct a piece of original research within a clearly defined context, leading to the production of a master’s-level research dissertation.

Portfolio

Through observation of classroom events, detailed analysis of a language learner, development of lesson plans, and teaching delivery, you’ll acquire basic knowledge of how to evaluate, adapt, plan and deliver a lesson or part of a lesson, and how to analyse the language of learners. 

Issues in Language Skills Teaching

Gain an understanding of the theory and practice of a skills-based English language lesson, including the design of activities and tasks for teaching reading, writing, speaking and listening in English. 

New technologies in language learning and teaching

Explore the connection between second language acquisition theories and the implementation of current Internet and computer technologies. You’ll examine ways in which technology can be used to support the learning of a new language in both educational and everyday life settings. 

Optional modules: 

Language Testing Principle

 Discover the issues and methods of language testing and its role in educational, professional, employment and immigration fields. You’ll explore the key characteristics of good language tests, consider the usefulness of different tests for educational and non-educational purposes, and provide opportunities for test evaluation and test design. 

Sociolinguisitics

Gain a deep understanding on the interaction between social factors such as age, gender, region, and the way people use language, and why people and societies value particular ways of speaking over others. Explore the role of language in a range of social issues, including citizenship, racism, educational policy and migration. 

Intercultural Communication

Explore how people of different discourse systems or nationalities communicate with one another in various face-to-face and digitally mediated contexts. You’ll gain knowledge of a range of theoretical and methodological tools, such as discourse and conversation analysis, that will support your critical analysis and reflection. 

Child Language Development

Examine the main theories of language development and the developmental stages of language components: phonology, lexicon, morphosyntax, and pragmatic. You’ll learn to use a computer programme for child data analysis to develop your own research project and investigation of a   child language development issue. 

Issues in Bilingualism

Explore the concepts and problems discussed in bilingualism studies. You’ll be introduced to the main research questions and analysis methods of problems related to societal and cognitive bilingualism.

Introduction to Corpus Linguistics

Gain basic training in the use of specialist software programmes for the analysis of language in large or specialised corpora, applying a set of quantitative and qualitative methods. You’ll learn how to use computational corpus-based tools and methods to study a variety of linguistic and semantic features, registers and genres. 

Approaches to Discourse Analysis

Gain practical insights into how the theoretical and methodological tools of discourse analysis can be applied in educational and other professional contexts. Explore a range of analytical approaches in the description of authentic language, relating features of text to the context in which the language is produced and understood.

Language and Migration

Explore the role of language in migration by focusing on the multiple and complex ways that migration has been sustained and constrained through language use for centuries. You’ll examine a range of theories from sociolinguistics, sociology and education studies, learning to apply these theories to different contexts of migration across the world, and study topics such as multilingualism and mobility, and globalisation and language policy.

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.


Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Fees

New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £10,800

New international students: £22,350

Tuition fee information

The fees listed are for full-time study, unless otherwise stated. Fee information will be confirmed in offer letters sent out to successful applicants. You can find further information, including information for part-time study, through our dedicated fees and funding page.

EU student fees

With effect from 1 August 2021, new EU students will pay international tuition fees. For exceptions, please read the UK government's guidance for EU students.

Additional costs

Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.

Financial support for your studies

You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.

Careers

Graduates from this course enter the following careers worldwide: teacher training; university research, teaching and leadership; testing and assessment; directing, managing and teaching roles within language teaching institutions worldwide including state (governmental) and private sector; translation and interpreting, publishing in the language industry.

In the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20, overall, 100% of graduates from English Language and Applied Linguistics are in work or further study within 15 months of graduation (based on our analysis of the most recent HESA data for this subject © HESA 2022, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20; includes all English Language and Applied Linguistics responders).

Alis discusses her experience of MA TESOL. 

More than any other factor, my experience on the MA programme at Reading precipitated my transition from teacher and teacher trainer to fully-fledged ELT professional. The MA gave me not just the skills and the discourse that enabled professionalisation, but also the confidence. It was a turning point and I’m enormously grateful.

Scott Thornbury
Former master's student

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