Job Discussion Forums

[waks]

Hi,

I've been teaching ESOL/EFL amongst other disciplines for a few years now in the UK. Recently however, I've been considering a change of scenery and am thinking about teaching abroad, preferably in the Middle East.

EFL would be an obvious choice as I hold a Trinity Cert TESOL and a PGCE but I was also looking at pursuing a Masters to improve my chances and to further opportunities for myself but am unsure which would be better: MA in Applied Linguistics or MA in TESOL/ TEFL?

I would be grateful for any thoughts or suggestions on which you would consider to be more beneficial?

[nomad soul]

Assuming you expect to teach in a university foundation program in the region, either one will work although the MA TESOL seems to edge out the MA in Applied Linguistics. (If you look at the job ads for the Mid East, a TESOL degree major is usually listed first and more often.) That said, choose whichever program you're most interested in.

[MsRT]

There are universities that actually offer combined MA applied linguistics and TESOL...so maybe you could look into that as well.

[rtm]

[Solar Strength]

They are the same thing.

Applied Linguistics - British Term

TESOL - American Term.

They cover the same content.

Some schools allow students to choose what they have written on their parchment.

[johnslat]

Dear Solar Strenght,

Nope: "Dr. Peter C.

Undergraduate Supervisor, University of Cambridge, Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics

They are in essence very different subjects, although occasionally they do overlap.

TESOL is about teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), and that's it. Within TESOL, there are some elements of formal linguistic training (studies of English grammar) and applied linguistic training (second language acquisition). The majority of a TESOL program focuses on materials development and pedagogy for teaching English.

Applied linguistics can be subdivided into language processing, historical linguistics, corpus linguistics, computational linguistics (natural language processing, etc.), semantics, pragmatics, syntax, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, language assessment, neurolinguistics, speech and language therapy, and first and second (+bilingual or third, fourth) language acquisition, amongst others. While applied linguistics can sometimes focus on the learning of English as a second/foreign language, more often than not it focuses on a wide variety of non-English language learning issues. What is more, in the vast majority of cases, it is has nothing to say about pedagogy.

As someone who has masters degrees in both TESOL and applied linguistics, I have seen both sides of the coin so to speak, and so this is an honest evaluation of the difference between the two."
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/What-s-difference-between-doing-1356867.S.233996526


and

"TESOL or Applied Linguistics?
There are so many different types of TESOL related m aster’s degrees that figuring out which one is best for you may be a challenge. Most of the degrees can fall into one of two categories:

MA in TESOL
.
This degree focuses on pedagogy.If you are hoping to teach English as a second language to non-English-speaking students in an ESL context, or if you would like to teach in an EFL context,then this degree will give you the proper training and experience to do so.
You should be able to teach students English without knowing the language of the students that you are teaching,but when teaching ESL or EFL it is also beneficial if you know something about the language(s) and culture(s) of your students.
Many colleges that offer an MA in TESOL will also offer state certification to teach ESL in K–12 public schools. This route will require more units to satisfy the requirements that lead to certification and usually involves a semester of student teaching. This would not be necessary for prospective students that already have a teaching credential, are attending the school online, do not live in the same state or country as the school, or have already decided that they would like to teach adults,

MA in applied linguistics.
This degree will usually focus more on theory and language research. The MA in applied linguistics is designed as a first step in a research career
in applied linguistics. It provides both breadth of knowledge in several areas of applied linguistics and the specialized knowledge and skills needed to plan and conduct research in the areas of specialization within a program, such as language acquisition or discourse analysis.

http://www.tesol.org/docs/career-center/tips-for-choosing-a-ma-in-tesol-program---michelle-bagwell-4-9-13.pdf?sfvrsn=2

[rtm]

Another (big) difference is that, as a field, Applied Linguistics need not focus on English, nor language teaching/learning at all.

In practice, an MA in TESOL usually focuses more on pedagogy, whereas an MA in Applied Linguistics often focuses more on theory. That said, it really depends on the program, as I've seen TESOL programs that are very theory-heavy, and AL programs that have a strong English teaching focus.

[Solar Strength]

[Solar Strength]

[rtm]

[johnslat]

Dear Solar Strength.

"Anyone interested can have a look at Griffith University course list for the two - they are interchangeable with core courses and electives the same."

These core courses don't look the same to me:

Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics (Research pathway)

Students must complete the following courses:

Semester Course code Course title Credit points
Sem 1 or 2 7267EDN Research Methods in Education 10
Sem 1 or 2 7015EDN Educational Research Design 10
Sem 1 or 2 Listed electives 60

Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Students must complete the following courses:

Sem 1 7902EDN Second Language Acquisition and Learning 10
Sem 1 7903EDN Second Language Teaching in Practice 10
Sem 1 Listed electives 20
Sem 2 7901EDN Linguistics for Second Language Teachers 10
Sem 2 7904EDN Second Language Curriculum Development 10
Sem 2 Listed electives 20

Regards,
John

[nomad soul]

[Shimokitazawa]

There is no difference between a M.A. in Applied Linguistics and an M.A. TESOL. Both programs typically include the same core and elective courses.

Someone mentioned above what the employers are looking for in a particular context, and I would agree with that.

In sum, however, there is no difference at all between the M.A. Applied Linguistics degree or the M.A. TESOL degree.

[nomad soul]

[Shroob]