Entry year
2023
2023
Entry requirements
2.1
2.1
Duration
3 years (Part Time)
1 year (Full Time)
3 years (Part Time)
1 year (Full Time)
Places available
no limit (Part Time)
no limit (Full Time)
no limit (Part Time)
no limit (Full Time)
The MSc in TESOL and Applied Linguistics is a professionally-oriented higher degree for those who intend to pursue a career in language teaching (i.e., novice as well as practicing teachers) or careers in other professional areas related to language advocacy, policy, or research. The programme provides students with the opportunity to develop deeper, contextualised understandings of the flexible and dynamic ways that language is learned, taught, and used in education, media, workplaces, and in greater society. It enables participants to gain the necessary knowledge and skills to devise and teach language, in addition to equipping students with the essential research and analytical skills to stay current with rapid developments in language teaching and other robust areas of applied linguistics.
Through the range of modules, you can also focus on certain pedagogical aspects of TESOL and Applied Linguistics, including, materials development, bilingual education, language assessment, or you can learn about broader intersections of language in society such as the impact of digital literacies and communication . One of the key features of the MSc TESOL and Applied Linguistics is that the programme is linked directly to the Centre for Language Education Research which means that students can benefit from a rich research culture to augment their course activities.
Closing date for applications: Friday 30 June 2023 at 4pm.
Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages and Applied Linguistics highlights
Over 83% of research submitted by colleagues based in the Education Unit of Assessment was judged to be ‘World Leading’ or ‘Internationally Excellent' by a peer review panel (REF2021).
Student Experience
- Small-group teaching The academic team is internationally recognised for its range of teaching and research in language education and Applied Linguistics.
- Flexibility: Diploma and Certificate options are also available.
- Credit transfer Students who have completed other masters-level awards, eg PGCE, within the last 10 years are eligible to credit transfer. The credit transfer application must be submitted at the same time as the online programme application as retrospective applications are not accepted.
- Disciplinary-focused assessment There are no examinations. Assessment is based on continual assessment of coursework, e.g. written assignments, online discussion forum tasks, presentations, role plays, online and digital projects.
“MSc TESOL and Applied Linguistics provides a strong foundation in research and theory pertaining to language education and language use across a wide variety of contexts in our increasingly multilingual world.”
Dr Mel Engman, Programme Director
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Course content
Course Structure
Students may enrol on a full-time (1 year) or part-time (3 years) basis. Part-time students typically complete one or two modules per semester. Full-time students typically complete three modules per semester.
The MSc is awarded to students who successfully complete six taught modules (120 CATS points) and a 15,000 word research dissertation (60 CATS points).
Exit qualifications are available: students may exit with a Postgraduate Diploma by successfully completing 120 CATS points from taught modules or a Postgraduate Certificate by successfully completing 60 CATS points from taught modules.
| Course Details | Core Modules include (all 20 CATS): Language Awareness This module asks ‘what is language?’, and examines different systems, constructs, and practices (e.g., phonology, grammar, discourse, pragmatics, speaking, reading) associated with language. It aims to equip students with the skills needed to think analytically about language. It draws on real-world language practices in Englishes and other linguistic sources, including Indigenous communities, to provide students with the building blocks needed to incorporate usage-based practices in their teaching and research. This module takes a critical approach to language as a mediator of relations in the social and material world. Principles and Practices in Language Teaching This module considers the principles and practices of Language Teaching methodology and traces developments over the past 40 years. From the advent of 'the communicative approach' to the current 'Content Based Language Learning' era, the course examines a range of pedagogical and assessment issues and evaluates their impact on current classroom practice. The module offers students the chance to critically examine research and practices pertaining to translanguaging, decolonising approaches to language teaching, and the incorporation of social justice in the language classroom. Contemporary Issues In Applied Linguistics This module on contemporary issues in Applied Linguistics scholarship considers what “Applied Linguistics” is and what it does (as well as what it is not and does not do). It introduces students to a number of issues in the field (including translanguaging, language and power, politics of language, language and identities and multimodality) and critically examines different theories of language and language use. Students will become familiar with research methodologies relevant to Applied Linguistics (e.g., discourse analysis, corpus-based methods), and it will develop their critical awareness of the geo-socio-political complexities that are central to conducting research in the field. This module challenges students to expand their thinking about language in use, and about the relevant signs, ideologies, and subjectivities that both construct and resist unequal power relations. Bilingualism, Literacy and Disciplinary Literacy Development This module is designed to provide participants with a foundational understanding of bilingualism/ multilingualism and models of bilingual/ multilingual education. The module will advance teachers�� understanding of the pedagogical and programmatic practices for addressing linguistic and academic needs of multilingual learners by drawing on their linguistic and cultural resources. The course will cover historical and theoretical foundations of bilingual education as related to various bilingual programs, including instruction, curriculum, and assessment. Optional module: (20 CATS) One optional module may be chosen from those offered on the Educational Studies (MEd) programme including the following: Digital Literacy and Communication The aim of this module is to examine the impact of new digital literacies upon language learning and TESOL. The module begins from a social practice view of literacy, which is then used as a lens to critically examine digital literacy in contemporary society, and its role in language education. Course participants will also examine methodologies that have been applied to researching language and literacy in digital environments. The module equips course participants with the skills needed to practically examine and analyse digital literacy in the lives of people, in institutions, and in wider society. Issues in Language Assessment * This module explores key issues in language assessment including the relationship between assessment and learning, feedback, and the impact of assessment and testing on learning. It provides an overview of key assessment concepts of validity and reliability and considers various models of assessment practice and feedback. This module examines the notion of language proficiency beyond dominant ideals of verbal and written outputs to consider decolonial conceptualisations of communicative ability. It also includes current methods and practices in classroom-based language assessment across a wider range of contexts. *Students cannot take Assessment Issues in Teaching and Learning in Classrooms if taking this module. Materials Development in Language Teaching This module operates on the notion of context on distinct (yet inter-related) levels: the global social context and the classroom as context. The module considers the specific contexts in which languages are taught and examines the features of social context which influence learning outcomes. Attention is paid to the global spread of English and the issues this has raised for TESOL pedagogy and the teaching of heritage, Indigenous, and other world languages. One key focus for discussion is the place of materials and their appropriateness to different contexts. Other issues which are given attention include classroom discourse and the relationship between teacher language and learning, and syllabus design. Dissertation – 60 CATS points (15,000 words max.) |
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People teaching you
Director of the Centre for Language Education, Senior Lecturer in EducationSSESW
Email: a.oboyle@qub.ac.uk
Dr O’Boyle’s research explores the relationships between dialogue and education. This leads to methodological interests in corpus linguistics and discourse analysis and applied research in English Language Education, particularly in the topics of academic discourse and the socially embedded nature of English language teaching and learning in refugee and gender equality concerns. Her interests in the dialogic nature of language and the need for context-sensitive language education are borne from my experiences of teaching in a range of multilingual/plurilingual educational contexts
SSESW
Email: c.linse@qub.ac.uk
As a Senior Lecturer in the area of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages with a couple of decades of experience working in different aspects of ELT, I strive to link theory to practice. I have developed taxonomies and frameworks which can help educators and families of learners take notice of different aspects of education including but not limited to elements of home school contacts and the range of skills children develop.
SSESW
Dr Ibrar Bhatt is Senior Lecturer in Education at Queen’s University Belfast. He is a Leverhulme Research Fellow (2021-22), a member of the Governing Council of the Society for Research into Higher Education, and Executive Editor for the journal ‘Teaching in Higher Education’. He specialises in research and teaching related to literacy and writing studies, digital epistemologies and higher education. He tweets at @ibrar_bhatt.
SSESW
Email: m.engman@qub.ac.uk
Dr Engman's research interests address questions related to Indigenous/heritage language maintenance and reclamation, materials use, identity, and policy in a variety of language teaching and learning contexts. She draws on her years of experience with Native and settler educators in the Upper Midwest of the United States to examine the intersections of language, sign, and power in the social and material world.
SSESW
Email: s.turkan@qub.ac.uk
Dr Sultan Turkan’s academic background is in language teaching and teacher education. Her research focuses on promoting bilinguals/multilinguals’ participation and engagement in the formal and informal processes of schooling and other sociocultural landscapes through drawing on bilinguals/multilinguals’ linguistic and cultural capital.
SSESW
Email: y.ortega@qub.ac.uk
Dr Yecid Ortega completed his doctoral program in Language and Literacies Education (LLE) with a collaborative specialization in Comparative International, and Development Education (CIDE) at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. His general research interests are within decolonial critical ethnographic approaches to research. Yecid explores how globalization, capitalism and neoliberalism influence educational policy decision-making processes and their effects on classroom practices and students’ lived experiences. He advocates for other forms of knowledge creation and knowledge mobilization as a way to reach out to marginalized communities who cannot have easy access to information.
Contact Teaching Hours
| Personal Study 24 (hours maximum) e.g. 22-24 hours studying and revising in your own time each week, including some guided study through online activities. |
| Medium Group Teaching 10 (hours maximum) Weekly module lectures (in classroom), online discussion. |
Teaching Times
| In-class teaching is on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. |
Career Prospects
Introduction
Graduates have found their degree very beneficial in gaining employment in a range of teaching institutions worldwide, international agencies and examination bodies, and to gain promotion in their current workplace. Others progress to further doctoral-level studies and research.
Queen's postgraduates reap exceptional benefits. Unique initiatives, such as Degree Plus and Researcher Plus bolster our commitment to employability, while innovative leadership and executive programmes help our students gain key leadership positions both nationally and internationally.
Learning and Teaching
Learning opportunities available with this course are outlined below:
Contact hours per semester
Varies, depending on module choice and study mode (full-time/part-time).
Assessment
Assessments associated with this course are outlined below:
There are no examinations. Assessment is based on continual assessment of coursework, e.g. written assignments, online discussion forum tasks, presentations, role plays, online and digital projects.
Facilities
The School is situated across a suite of three buildings in Belfast's Queen's Quarter. We provide student and staff common rooms, computer suites and designated study spaces.
Explore the teaching and social spaces in our School through our 360 Virtual Tour:
https://youtu.be/PJeiF24bjxE
The Graduate School
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ_BwOtjXAE
Prizes and Awards
- Teachers working on classroom-based dissertation projects may apply for the Northern Ireland Centre for Educational Research (NICER) award.
Resources
You can watch a recording of a recent webinar at the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAfuOy2delE
Modules
The information below is intended as an example only, featuring module details for the current year of study (2022/23). Modules are reviewed on an annual basis and may be subject to future changes – revised details will be published through Programme Specifications ahead of each academic year.
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Entry Requirements
Entrance requirements
Graduate
A 2.1 Honours degree or above or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University in any subject discipline plus evidence of relevant teaching experience (minimum of 30 hours).
Applicants with a 2.2 Honours degree or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University may also be considered if they have at least two years of professional experience in an education, training or relevant context plus evidence of relevant teaching experience (minimum of 30 hours).
Closing date for applications: Friday 30th June 2023 at 4pm.
Late applications may be considered.
Applicants are advised to apply as early as possible. In the event that any programme receives a high number of applications, the University reserves the right to close the application portal prior to the deadline stated on course finder. Notifications to this effect will appear on the Direct Application Portal against the programme application page.
International Students
Our country/region pages include information on entry requirements, tuition fees, scholarships, student profiles, upcoming events and contacts for your country/region. Use the dropdown list below for specific information for your country/region.
English Language Requirements
Evidence of an IELTS* score of 6.5, with not less than 5.5 in any component, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University is required. *Taken within the last 2 years.
International students wishing to apply to Queen's University Belfast (and for whom English is not their first language), must be able to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study or research. Non-EEA nationals must also satisfy UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) immigration requirements for English language for visa purposes.
For more information on English Language requirements for EEA and non-EEA nationals see: www.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs.
If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this degree programme, INTO Queen's University Belfast offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for admission to this degree.
- Academic English: an intensive English language and study skills course for successful university study at degree level
- Pre-sessional English: a short intensive academic English course for students starting a degree programme at Queen's University Belfast and who need to improve their English.
INTO - English Language Course(QSIS ELEMENT IS EMPTY)
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Modules
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Fees and Funding
Career Prospects
Introduction
Graduates have found their degree very beneficial in gaining employment in a range of teaching institutions worldwide, international agencies and examination bodies, and to gain promotion in their current workplace. Others progress to further doctoral-level studies and research.
Queen's postgraduates reap exceptional benefits. Unique initiatives, such as Degree Plus and Researcher Plus bolster our commitment to employability, while innovative leadership and executive programmes help our students gain key leadership positions both nationally and internationally.
Additional Awards Gained
Students who choose to conduct dissertation research in Northern Ireland, involving participants under the age of 18, will be required to undergo an Enhanced Disclosure Check with Access NI costing £33.
Prizes and Awards
Teachers working on classroom-based dissertation projects may apply for the Northern Ireland Centre for Educational Research (NICER) award.
Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award for extra-curricular skills
In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised from a world leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.
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Fees and Funding
Tuition Fees
| Northern Ireland (NI) 1 | £6,980 |
| Republic of Ireland (ROI) 2 | £6,980 |
| England, Scotland or Wales (GB) 1 | £8,360 |
| EU Other 3 | £19,100 |
| International | £19,100 |
1 EU citizens in the EU Settlement Scheme, with settled status, will be charged the NI or GB tuition fee based on where they are ordinarily resident. Students who are ROI nationals resident in GB will be charged the GB fee.
2 EU students who are ROI nationals resident in ROI are eligible for NI tuition fees.
3 EU Other students (excludes Republic of Ireland nationals living in GB, NI or ROI) are charged tuition fees in line with international fees.
All tuition fees quoted are for the academic year 2023-24, and relate to a single year of study unless stated otherwise. Tuition fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
More information on postgraduate tuition fees.
Additional course costs
All Students
Depending on the programme of study, there may be extra costs which are not covered by tuition fees, which students will need to consider when planning their studies.
Students can borrow books and access online learning resources from any Queen's library. If students wish to purchase recommended texts, rather than borrow them from the University Library, prices per text can range from £30 to £100. Students should also budget between £30 to £75 per year for photocopying, memory sticks and printing charges.
Students undertaking a period of work placement or study abroad, as either a compulsory or optional part of their programme, should be aware that they will have to fund additional travel and living costs.
If a programme includes a major project or dissertation, there may be costs associated with transport, accommodation and/or materials. The amount will depend on the project chosen. There may also be additional costs for printing and binding.
Students may wish to consider purchasing an electronic device; costs will vary depending on the specification of the model chosen.
There are also additional charges for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.
Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages and Applied Linguistics costs
Students who choose to conduct dissertation research in Northern Ireland, involving participants under the age of 18, will be required to undergo an Enhanced Disclosure Check with Access NI costing £33.
How do I fund my study?
The Department for the Economy will provide a tuition fee loan of up to £6,500 per NI / EU student for postgraduate study. Tuition fee loan information.
A postgraduate loans system in the UK offers government-backed student loans of up to £11,836 for taught and research Masters courses in all subject areas. Criteria, eligibility, repayment and application information are available on the UK government website.
More information on funding options and financial assistance.
International Scholarships
Information on scholarships for international students, is available at www.qub.ac.uk/Study/international-students/international-scholarships/.
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Apply
How to Apply
Apply using our online Postgraduate Applications Portal and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to apply.
When to Apply
The deadline for applications is normally 30th June 2021. In the event that any programme receives a high volume of applications, the university reserves the right to close the application portal earlier than 30th June deadline. Notifications to this effect will appear on the Direct Entry Portal (DAP) against the programme application page.
Terms and Conditions
The terms and conditions that apply when you accept an offer of a place at the University on a taught programme of study.
Queen's University Belfast Terms and Conditions.
Download Postgraduate Prospectus
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Fees and Funding