Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) MA

Expand your horizons. Travel the world. Qualify for a range of academic and professional teaching positions in many international contexts.

Skills Boost NE Discount

Info on joining us in September 2020

Overview

MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) is a world-renowned qualification which will enable you to access reputable and high-paying teaching roles in many international contexts.

You will develop an in-depth theoretical knowledge of the English language, and develop your identity as a language educator, as well as practical and effective teaching skills.

Why us?

Gain experience of practical teaching and also receive a postgraduate degree
Work in any country where people want to learn English

Practise teaching skills in a supportive environment
Benefit from over 20 years of teaching on the MA TESOL course

Joining us in 2020

This year you will be studying in a hybrid mode, combining online study with some face-to-face sessions. The online teaching and learning will include a variety of stimulating activities, such as lectures, discussion groups and other interactive tasks, and in addition to this, you will have access to the wealth of online resources offered to our distance learning students.

We have also made some minor changes to the sequence of the modules this year. You will study your optional module at the certificate phase of the course and ‘TESOL: Principles and Practices’, at the diploma phase.

We recognise how important it is for our students to gain hands-on teaching experience and this adjustment will mean that face-to-face contact can be maximised for the practical element of the module. You can count on a high level of support from our experienced staff. We look forward to working with you and hope you enjoy your time with us.

Course structure

You will be taught via lectures, seminars, practical tasks and independent learning activities. Your progress will be assessed with written assignments, teaching observation, oral and written presentations, and your dissertation.

Compared to an undergraduate course, you will find that this Master's degree requires a higher level of independent working. However, you will have a high level of support from staff throughout your degree.

Core modules:

TESOL: Principles and Practice (30 credits)
Linguistics for English Language Teaching (30 credits)
The Research Process (30 credits)
Dissertation of up to 15,000 words on a TESOL-related topic of your choice (60 credits)

Optional modules (choose one):

Theories of Second Language Learning (30 credits)
Corpus Linguistics for Language Teaching (30 credits)
Language, Discourse and Power (30 credits)

Please note that modules may vary from year to year. Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Facilities

You'll be taught on the Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s - a modern and vibrant campus with a riverside view.

The Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s is nestled between the River Wear and the sea, just two minutes from the coast, and set in expansive green space on the banks of the river next to the historic St Peter's Church. This provides a picturesque backdrop and a great location for travelling to the beach or the city centre.

Entry requirements

Our typical offer is:

Qualification	Minimum grade
a Canadian bachelor's degree	GPA 2.40
a USA bachelor's degree	GPA 2.5

If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.

We usually require applicants to hold at least a second class honours degree (usually a 2:1) or equivalent. You should also have excellent English language skills.

If your first language isn’t English, you must achieve a minimum IELTS score of 6.5, and all elements must be 5.5 or higher.

If you don’t have IELTS 6.5, you are advised to take one of our English for Academic Purposes University Preparation (EAP UP) courses:

If your score is IELTS 4.0: English for Academic Purposes Pre-sessional Course A
If your score is IELTS 4.5: English for Academic Purposes Pre-sessional Course B
If your score is IELTS 5.0: English for Academic Purposes Pre-sessional Course C
If your score is IELTS 5.5: English for Academic Purposes Pre-sessional Course D

If you have any of the following qualifications, please ensure you include a copy of your certificate with your application:

CELTA
Trinity CertTESOL
DELTA
Trinity DipTESOL

Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.

Fees and finance

2019/2020 annual fees are:

£6,000 if you are from the UK or EU
£12,500 if you are an international student

2020/2021 annual fees are:

£6,250 if you are from the UK or EU
£13,000 if you are an international student

If you are not sure whether you qualify as a UK, EU or international student, find out more in our Help and Advice article.

The Skills Boost North East Discount is a 20% waiver on the full cost of course fees for postgraduate taught Masters courses for any worker who has been furloughed, has been made redundant, or is likely to be made redundant and who has a local connection to the North East region. The discount is also available to anyone with a connection to the North East who graduated in academic year 2019/20 with an undergraduate degree from any university, or who has graduated with an undergraduate degree from a university in the North East in academic year 2019/20 and has been unable to secure full-time graduate employment due to pressures of Covid-19. Read more about the discount.

Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Career ready

A TESOL qualification is an essential qualification for many overseas teaching jobs. Other career options can include senior roles in educational institutions, educational advisers, and educational inspectors.

You will find that possessing a Master's postgraduate degree will also support a career in other fields, as employers recognise the higher levels of research, analysis and communication that a postgraduate degree requires.

Meet the students

My experience of studying at a foreign university was incredible

Ksenia Provalennikova
The academic staff were always there for us, ready to offer their professional support.

Maria Benovia
When I faced difficulties I always emailed my tutor who was the greatest help during this journey.

Stefanie Deri
The design of the course has helped prepare me well for the language teaching profession

Thanh Loan Nguyen
If you like peace and friendliness then come to Sunderland

Thi Thao Suong Nguyen

Meet the team

Related courses

MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

View Programme Specifications for the Faculty of Education and Society

Page last updated: 03 September 2020

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