Job Discussion Forums

[flapjack]

I have done lots of research on getting a masters degree and come up with a great option for people in my situation, which is I need to continue working and earn a masters at the same time.

There are 5 Masters offered in English in TW, and while they may be useful here I have to ask myself the question, "What about after leaving TW, would a Masters from TW be accepted in first world countries? Probably not.

So I began my search for online degrees. There are some great options but most require a time limit of 2 years to complete, have an IN-house period of study (which would require going to their school, cost prohibitive), and have strengent standards, example University of Boston online TESOL masters.

Last year I found a good place and did some research on it. I am not advertising for them and I dont have to because they already advertise on Daves. It's the UNE, University of New England in Australia, its completely done online and you have up to 4 years to finish, at a cost of about 480 USD a month, of course you have to pay a semester at a time, but there are credit cards that will let you split your payments in 3 parts.
And it is fully acredited by Australian standards and could be used anywhere in the world.

It's in Applied Linguistics. What are yours thoughts and do you know of any other good options for masters online? thanks

[Ki]

This is the program I did two years ago. As an Australian it was cheaper, and therefore better, for me to complete.

First off you need to be aware that some countries including Taiwan do NOT officially accept online degrees. I can confirm, however, that my degree fromt the UNE has been through the books here and was recognised.

The degree is one year full time. It is not that strenuous so an experienced teacher could put in 25 hours a week while still doing full time study. But only if you had the diligence to do so.

While the degree does require some effort, it is rather, um, easy. Many of the subjects had content which crossed over and as a result the lecture notes were copied word for word for perhaps one quarter or one third of the semester for at least three subjects.

Please feel free to ask any specif questions about the course.

[flapjack]

Wow, thats great! It's good to be able to speak with someone who has actually taken their Masters there.

Well, I am aware that many countries do not accept online degrees so I asked them if their Degree was acknowledged as "online" on paper or any other way and they said it wasn't. So That's one reason I thought this was a good prospect. It's also good to know that your degree was accepted here, that's the kind of information I can use, thanks.

I am also glad to hear that it is as you said rather easy, because honestly I am more or less the Forrest Gump of ESL, with only a BA degree, I have lucked into some pretty great jobs. But the times they are a changing and "payin' the bills" is becoming harder to do without upgrading my sheep skins.

I can't think of any specific questions right now but I appreciate your offer and will keep it in mind.
Cheers Ki

[Miyazaki]

[flapjack]

Thanks for your input Miyazaki,
I don't plan to stay in TW all my life and from what I have heard, although it could be wrong, TW degrees are not accepted in first world countries.
My goal is to teach here another 5 years then go to Australia and teach in a Uni there. The course at UNE I have been looking into says their degree is accepted throughout Australia and does not mention it being an online degree. I understand that there may be risks at any rate even though the degree doesnt mention that its online.
Of course I am in a situation where I have to settle for less than optimal choices. I work full time and have a family so I will have to settle for an online degree and take my chances.

If you have any suggestions about other "fully" online line degrees or first hand knowledge of TW degrees being accepted in Austarlia I would like to know more.

Cheers!

[Ki]

I do not currently teach full time at a university in Taiwan. I used to teach part time at a university here though about a year ago. During that time the university has taken my original copy of my degree and transcript and submitted them. I was told it all went to a government agency but they were never added to my ARC. So I don't know who saw my degree. I was assured by my supervisor that it was essential I submitted my documents to her and that they had been checked and certified in Taiwan. But this could just be BS on her side.

I believe online degrees are accepted in more places than on campus Taiwanese degrees. Although for Taiwan in particular the opposite holds true. There are degrees such as an MBA which you can complete here under scholarship. This would probably be more useful to use to teach business English as it is less generalised if you wanted to head in that direction. But you may still have some difficulty with it being recognised.

One note of mention about the degree offered at the UNE is that it can be done entirely via coursework. This seems to be the easier option but be careful. Most universities will want to see a thesis and if possible two or three publications.

[Serious_Fun]