Job Discussion Forums

BigJim · Joined: 23 Feb 2009 Posts: 5

A friend has told me that MAs earned via distance study are not acceptable as qualifications to teach at university level in UAE. Is that correct?

I was going to study applied linguistics in Australia which would get me where I want to go, but I would much rather study online. In fact, I would much rather study an MA (Writing) online. I have read some job requirements that mention an MA in TESOL/TEFL or Applied Linguistics or a related field are needed. Would the MA (Writing) qualify as a "related field?"
I have teaching experience to go with it. Would be interested in opinions. Before anyone suggests it, I have emailed some employers but have been waiting a long time without reply.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

The last word on the Emirates is that it depends on the Ministry. The Ministry of Education (primary/secondary) does NOT allow distance degrees. The Ministry of Higher Education (university) allows them. I'm sure someone will come on if they have heard anything new about this.

As to which degree... if you want to teach writing, there are jobs teaching writing. But, it is mostly first year composition and research writing. The students tend to be low and it is very much EFL based because they are all second language students. I think employers would want to see something like a CELTA too if it was a writing MA. Try to think about what you want to do in the future... outside the Middle East too.

If you can do the degree on-campus, it will certainly help you to avoid any possible problems with countries and employers who may prefer them.

VS
(and... employers tend to never bother to answer questions like this... Laughing

)

BigJim · Joined: 23 Feb 2009 Posts: 5

I had a feeling that a reply form an employer was unlikely.
I have a degree in TESOL, a Windsor TEFL Trinity Certificate and currently five years teaching experience at all levels and ages. The goal is to teach English at one of the better employers in the UAE for a number of years. I have a family that will be coming too so I need to get the MA thing right. I don't mind doing an MA in Applied Linguistics, but I write novels and my goal is to become a novelist, so I'm being pulled in two directions here, one of which may not be compatible.
You know, ultimately I'm a realist and the the possibility of ever making anything like a living out of writing is remote. My Conflicted Heart.

Sheikh N Bake · Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 1307 Location: Dis ting of ours

I also write. I'm currently a regular columnist for http://demockracy.com and contributor to two others, have written a travel memoir (book, unpublished), and did a BA in journalism before getting into higher ed and TEFL. I suppose if I were you I would choose a brick-and-mortar MA in TESOL because (a) the only writing degree worthwhile is the MFA, which is a terminal and sometimes three-year degree, at least in the US, and (b) graduate-level writing programs all have their own avant-garde biases and formulas and you're probably better off just to keep reading a lot and developing your own style if you have the talent. Meanwhile reap the financial rewards of the MATESOL assuming you have significant postsecondary teaching experience.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

I agree with SnB... the linguistics MA gives a better chance at making a decnt living.

We all know plenty of unpublished writers and I don't think an MA in writing will be of any help getting over that hurdle.

VS

carlen · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 172 Location: UAE

BigJim · Joined: 23 Feb 2009 Posts: 5

I'm planning to study through Open Universities Australia (the courses are from Monash) or the University of Southern Queensland (direct from them). I am aware of degree mills and want nothing to do with them.

carlen · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 172 Location: UAE

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

carlen · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 172 Location: UAE

Sheikh N Bake · Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 1307 Location: Dis ting of ours

The US university system is extremely large and complex, with about 1,500 accredited bachelor-degree-granting institutions, a certain percentage of which also offer master's degrees, and a certain percentage of which offer PhDs, MDs, JDs and other professional graduate degrees.

Then, yes, there are some diploma mills. So all this can be mystifying for any non-American (and some Americans) who wish to obtain a US degree.

I always say, get a copy of Barron's Profiles of American Colleges. If the institution is not accredited, it will not be in there. I like Barron's because the book provides the best general profiles of undergraduate schools compared to other reference works.

There is also http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/state/ for a simple online listing of accredited institutions.

Then weed out the for-profit ones, whether they're accredited or not. One place with a listing is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_for-profit_universities_and_colleges

The latter even lists some in other countries such as Malaysia and Cyprus.

Iamherebecause · Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 10:33 am Post subject:

The Minstries have been inconsistent on this one but at present I know of people at both HCT and UAEU who have MAs earned on distance programmes, eg Surrey or Aston in the UK and Deakin in Australia.

If you write novels, just keep writing and keep sending manuscripts off. Do the App Ling to make sure you have a day-job while your novel lies around on various slush-piles....

helenl · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202

Yes but aren't both HCT and UAEU governed by the MoHE (which recognize distance MAs) as opposed to the MoE which frowns on distance Master's?

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

I agree helen1. As far as we have heard here on the board, the two Ministries have been consistent for the last few years on this issue.

MoE - no

MoHE - yes

As I said in my first post above.

VS

GlobalDawg · Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 91

A few years I attended the TESOL-Arabia Conference and got offers from several of the most reputable universities in the region on condition that I would complete my MA before the Fall semester began. During the interviews the question of whether the degree was an online degree never came up. Not boasting, but more importantly, my sense of it is that what I brought to the interviews indicated that I have a depth of knowledge in the areas that concerned the interviewers. When I initially started the MA program I was concerned about it being an online degree, but once I got into the courses, my confidence increased because I was learning. Also, I feel that my choice of programs--curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in TESOL--was a good choice. I learned important aspects of teaching that I didn't learn when I got my teaching credential. The bottom line for me is that it's all about being able to articulate what you know rather than whether the degree was completed at home or on campus.