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jimi1999uk · Joined: 19 Jul 2009 Posts: 63

Hello all,

I'm months away from finishing an Open University undergrad English Language and Literature honours degree and I'm weighing up the idea of jumping right in to an OU MA course this Oct 2013.

My question is:

How would an OU Applied Linguistics MA go down in Saudi? Specifically the OU (as opposed other distance or blended providers). I've become fairly attached to them over the last few years.

I'm pretty early in my teaching career for a MA but I've truly caught the study bug and between that, and the flux in the British educational system, I think I may as well try to gather up all the pretty letters behind my name while they're still going cheap Wink

Thanks all.

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

In your situation, it would be both a bachelor's and an MA completed via distance learning. Anyway, take a look at "Open University academic degrees" (http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=99272).

jimi1999uk · Joined: 19 Jul 2009 Posts: 63

Thanks nomad, I did do a search before posting and bumped into that thread. I thought I deserved a handcrafted jimi1999uk reply. I should know by now that I'm not a special or unique snowflake (I recite some line from Fight Club). ;-P

So overall it is risky in a sense that it COULD be refused sometimes (or law changes) but the OU has enough name recognition so it shouldn't be THAT risky????? Plus, things can only get better in the future with the whole bricks-and-mortar vs online debate, due to the fact that they are getting a lot more common.

I'm probably going to do it regardless at some point or another. (Now I just need to finish the undergrad first, knock on wood). Smile

JustinC · Posted: Sun May 05, 2013 4:25 am Post subject:

Why not a PGCE?

jimi1999uk · Joined: 19 Jul 2009 Posts: 63

Hi Justin,

I'm drawn to Applied Linguistics for a couple of reasons.

1) There is quite a bit of crossover from my English Language part of my OU degree and some (maybe 1/3) of their MA course. My current module has a great deal on Halliday's Systemic Functional Linguistics (I think that's what it's called). The MA has one of its three total modules covering that in depth I think.

2) I REALLY enjoy learning about linguistics and the English language. In fact, if someone banned me for doing Applied Linguistics I'd probably pick something else English language related as a postgrad. Applied Linguistics is a trade off with myself. I have a language/linguistic course that might actually be USEFUL sometime, rather than something I enjoy but would be pretty 'meh' when job hunting (such as sociolinguistics or corpus linguistics or whatever. Hell, I'd even do stylistics probably lol).

JustinC · Posted: Sun May 05, 2013 6:23 am Post subject:

If you're looking into TEFL long-term I think that's a great idea, it'll certainly open doors. I can't say which will be open when you complete the course, though. Maybe Saudi's will, maybe Universities in other countries' doors will open to you. Also you'd likely be more qualified for curriculum and coursebook design. A PGCE would also open doors and is only a year, albeit full-time and in house. It'd also allow you to easily get work in English speaking countries.

clyde · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 52

An online Master's will basically disqualify you from working in the Middle East. The program that I did mine through (high residency, but this year changed to low-residency) is causing me problems with job hunting. I have to verify that it was indeed done in a classroom. I would suggest choosing on of the intensive summer programs. I would recommend mine, but as I said, it has gone low-residency.