TESOL and Applied Linguistics,MA

The MA in TESOL and Applied Linguistics offers excellent opportunities to develop your career in English language teaching whether you’re an inexperienced teacher, starting out in the field or a more experienced teacher looking to take your skills to a new level.

Guided by our English language specialists, you can build a skillset that you can take into primary, secondary and higher education institutions as well as specialist language schools and adult education settings. This flexible MA opens the door to a wider range of career pathways, whether you’re interested in teaching non-native speakers in the UK, applying your learning to curriculum development or teaching English overseas.

The course offers a core of theory and practice which is informed by contemporary developments in the TESOL field. It combines innovative classroom practices in areas such as syllabus design and assessment with an understanding of issues such as language structure and research methodology. This approach provides opportunities to test your knowledge of contemporary TESOL theory in a classroom setting and refine your skills as you progress.

Optional modules covering a wide range of areas relevant to English language teaching are divided into two pathways, a TESOL pathway and an Applied Linguistics pathway with some shared modules. This allows you to build the course around your interests and career goals.

The course culminates in the MA dissertation in which you plan, research and write an independent research project on a related area of interest.

Develop sought-after skills in teaching English to non-native speakers and open the door to new career opportunities with this MA based in Durham University’s Centre for Academic Development.

A 2.1 (or overseas equivalent) degree in any discipline.

A 500-word personal statement which should include the following:

• An outline of your interest in MA TESOL and applied linguistics
• An indication of what skills and knowledge you would hope to acquire
• Outlining any prior teaching experience you may have, especially teaching other languages

English language requirements

English Language education at Durham produces inspirational teachers of English as a second language who are capable of using their learned skills and knowledge for a range of employers across the globe.

As the demand for English continues to grow, the countries of origin of graduates broadens and has included Algeria, Chile, China, Egypt, Germany, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Poland, South Korea, Spain and the USA.

The professional skills that our graduates develop enables them to find posts, not only as teachers but also as managers in language schools, colleges of further education, universities or working in organisations such as the British Council. Graduates have also gone into publishing and research.

We also offer the opportunity to enhance your degree, with specialisms in areas such as Teaching English for Academic Purposes, Young Learners, and English for Specific Purposes.