Job Discussion Forums

[moemanco]

Hello all, hope all is going well. Needed some advice and I thought
where better to turn then to you fine people of this world wide web with
your wealth of experience and all.

So my three years in Japan are coming to a close due to the birth of my
first baby boy and it's time to get it together.

After I finished my Business degree in Australia, where I was born and
raised, I came to Japan for a working holiday and here I am two and a
half years later thinking I've enjoyed this job so much that I think I
want to continue with it. I speak,not read or write, native Arabic and
I'm fully native in English of course. I was thinking of starting an MA
in Linguistics in the hope of it allowing me the opportunity to work
anywhere around the world at any in teaching English. I was even
thinking of this MA in Linguistics rather then an MA in TESOL because I
figure it would help me if and when I improve my Arabic to a level where
I can teach it or translate.

Does my track of thought appear to be sound thinking to you all out
there? Just need to know I'm not setting unrealistic goals.

So with this in mind I'm looking around and I realise I'm going to have
to choose between a coursework based MA or a research MA. Now I'd love
to get a Scholarship so I think I might have to do a research based MA
but I'm loosing hope of getting such a scholarship mainly because I
don't think I can work out how to go about it, so any information on
that would be really handy too.

Finally here are the two courses I'm thinking about.

Master of Applied Linguistics by research
http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ling/postgrad/ma.html

Master of Applied Linguistics by Coursework
http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/lcl/postgraduate_coursework/masters-appling.html

I just can't work out which one is going to be more beneficial for me in
the long run. I also don't have the first clue as to how or what I'd do
a
research for a MA of Linguistics as this is kind of a new field for me.
My B.B was in E-Commerce and Transport Logistics.

I hope I've provided enough info for you to be able to enlighten me with
your wisdom oh wise one of the web.

Moe

[abufletcher]

First of all, an MA in Linguistics combined with fluent (written and spoken) English and Arabic (and Japanese?) sounds like a powerful combination. It's definitely a worthy goal.

I don't really understand the difference between a research MA and a coursework MA when they are alternates offered by the same university. Is the coursework done "on campus" i.e. while attending actual classes or done as written "modules" over the internet. If the former, the coursework MA sounds stronger. If the latter, I think I'd go with the research degree.

I think it's going to be hard to "do it all" and study both TESOL methodology, linguistics, and Arabic language (to the level required to do or teach translation). This sounds more like two or three MA's.

Mabruk, BTW, on the birth of your child! Now the countdown begins until you have to figure out how to arrange an English-language education for her while still teaching EFL overseas!

[abufletcher]

Having now skimmed over the website you provided, it sounds like the research MA with dissertation might be considered the more elite of the two, at least in OZ. The "coursework" MA looks like a typical "distance" degree.

Personally, I think the coursework MA might expose you to a far wider range of information than doing specialized research.

[scot47]

It does not matter which one you choose.

[abufletcher]

[jonks]

I've been reading posts on the middle east board and the Saudi board for a while now and I am astonished to see so much discrimination against A.) course work degrees, and B.) distance degrees!

I have rarely heard anyone backing up their reasons for prejudice on the matter and as I have almost fully completed an MATESOL via distance learning myself, I have good reason to believe the exact opposite.

One of my lecturers from Victoria University in Wellington (which has a very respected Linguistics and applied Linguistics departments), once remarked to me that he thought that the work (which is exactly the same for on campus students - almost) produced by distance students was almost always superior to the work produced by the campus students. He commented that "it isn't how you learn - but what's in the head that matters".

I mean, let's face it. The readings etc that one does are the same. The assignments etc are usually the same, and potentially, if you are not a very extraverted character, you can get more out of learning via written discussion than in a spoken classroom!

The only disadvantages that I can think of are as follows:

1) no access to library

2) can be potentially problematic if you are technologically challenged

but

1) the wealth of online information counters this (especially if you have access to online journals as most universities offer

2) it's easy to learn how to navigate an internet site

I would like to hear comments from any of you who are predisposed to "distancism" (my newly coined term) which are backed up with valid reasons.

I am not advocating that unaccredited schools (of which there are certainly plenty offering fast online degrees) are equal in educational bearing to the traditional Ivory Tower, but if you are going to discriminate about either course work degrees or distance earnt degrees, at least put your money where your mouth is and back it up with some good reasons.

Afterall, with current trends in TESOL vearing towards CALL and online learning activities, and the opportunities that these provide, I am astounded that so many of you are 'stuck in the mud' so to speak over your OWN education...

[veiledsentiments]

[Cleopatra]

[Gordon]

Cleopatra, how many Gulf states do not recognize distance degrees? I don't know of any. Some schools perhaps.

I just finished a distance masters and I was able to find quite a few academic e-books that I had access to through for my university. Also, the uni library had a policy where they would send you any book you wanted free of charge, you just had to pay to return it. Frankly, I did not find it a hindrance to research papers online with the occassional visit to a library (summer vacations).

[Cleopatra]

[Gordon]

I agree that an on-campus degree would be preferable, in a perfect world. I'd love some more face to face talks. But when you support a wife and 2 young kids and have to work f/t at the same time, you can't take off and go to school for 2 years. Life does not fit into a perfect world.
I believe it is the UAE Ministry of Education (not Higher Education) that does not accept distance degrees, otherwise no one would be able to work with a distance degree in any university in UAE and this is simply not true. The only university the Ministry of Education hired for was MIL and they are gone now. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

Are you also saying that not one university in Saudi will hire someone with a distance masters? Not that I'd lose any sleep over it if true.

[jonks]

That's not true Gordon.

[Gordon]

[veiledsentiments]

[Gordon]

So in other words, as far as universities are concerned, we are talking about select schools being prejudiced or biased against distance degrees, not entire governments. No big deal.