Job Discussion Forums

[wildchild]

Right. I apologize for my lack of clarity. I didn't mean to say that they require two MAs to get in, but that once you are in, you will be required to do another, as this is a normal part of the PhD process (as far as I understand).

So, those who hold a BA and are seriously interested in a PhD might want to consider going directly to a PhD program, rather than first doing a terminal MA program which they would have to repeat once in the PhD program. This is not to say that many folks havn't done this, nor that an MA isn't desirable, but I just wanted to put it out there.

[Gordon]

Wild child, this is not true. The exceptions are IF your first masters is unrelated to the PhD or if your masters did not include a thesis. With option 2, you would just need to do a thesis and perhaps a stats course, not do an entirely new masters. This is what I have found in the many programs I have looked at, but I am sure there are exceptions.

[Johanna]

I am a couple of weeks short and a review and fix up of my thesis shy of a face to face Masters in Applied Linguistics from the University of Adelaide.

I'm really happy with my masters, the teaching has been good and you can really do what ever you want with your own research as part of the course work - I've done lots of classroom based research.

I'm not sure what TA work is but I have had as much work as I've wanted both teaching in the English Language Centre associated with the university and as a research assistant within the department of linguistics.

I'm not sure of fees for international students but for me (local) I think the total is about $16,000 for three semesters full time study.

The course is two thirds course work (Language and Learning, Language Teaching in Specific Settings, CALL, Language and Meaning, EAP) and one third thesis - 18,000 words.

The student mix in Applied Linguistics is about 60:40 international:local students, with a real mix of international students.

I would recommend it.

[Jizzo T. Clown]

I'm in the same boat as thelmadatter--our program is geared towards those who want to go for their Doctorate.

However, the degree itself-- MA English/TESL is pretty flexible. With it, you can teach freshman composition courses at many universities in addition to working in the IEPs.

The cost is about $180/credit hour in-state.

No teaching component, and heavy on the theory, literature, rhetoric, etc.

Still, for my current situation, it's not bad.

Here's the link to our program:

http://lfa.atu.edu/english/matesl_curriculum.htm

[sojourner]

Hello all,

Last year, I completed an online MA (Applied Linguistics), through the University of New England : ( http://www.une.edu.au/lcl/maal/index.php#degree ) . For those who might be prejudiced against online and other forms of distance education, I should point out that UNE is NOT a "degree mill". It is an actual university, not just a p.o. box number or website address, in that it has an actual campus, with lecture buildings, library etc, and "internal" students who actually attend lectures, as well as "externals" ! UNE came into existence in , I believe, 1938, as a non-urban college of the University of Sydney, Australia's oldest and probably most prestigious university. UNE became a university in its own right in 1958. Thus, UNE has a reasonable lineage !

The MA (AL) programme consists of eight courses (or units),which could be completed within two years - although, if you are working, it might be best to spread the units out over four years, ie to say, to do one unit per semester.

In this eight unit programme, there are four core units, viz: The Scope of Applied Linguistics, The Design of Language, The English Language, and Intercultural Communication. Apart from the Linguistics Departments list of optional units, the university will allow a student to include units being offered by other departments - and, even, by other universities. In my own case, I did two units offered by the Linguistics Dept, viz, Bilingualism, Education and Society; and Second Language Acquisition - Theory. I also did a unit offered by the Asian Languages Dept ( Cultural Contact and Hybridity in the Arts of Asia ), and one offered by Macquarie University ( Language for Specific Purposes).

My impressions of the programme ? Some of the subjects I found to be quite interesting, esp the ones on Intercultural Communication, and Cultural Contact/Hybridity; but it was a struggle with some of the others. Nevertheless, I felt that I learnt a lot through the programme, even though it was pretty theoretical. There is one unit that is "practically-oriented" (Second Language Acquisition - Applications) - I did enrol in that unit, but dropped out because of the workload - but which might have been "doable" if I had had a lot of SLA classroom experience behind me. There is also a research unit that one can do, which could be practically-oriented if one so desires - eg, basing it on one's own classroom work experience, etc. As I've said before, UNE, allows one to enrol in units being offered elsewhere - so, it would be possible to do units in, say, Adult Education and Curriculum Planning, offered by the Education Faculty; or in the area of CALL, that is offered by the University of Southern Queensland. On the other hand, if one wants a "more practical" qualification, it might be best to enrol in a M.Ed programme, specialising in TESOL - but, it may not be possible to do all the work for such a degree entirely by distance education, as classroom teaching observance is often required. If one has his/her heart set on doing an MA (AL), but wants it to be as "practical" as possible, then the person should do the research unit option or/and SLA - Applications. Alternately, do units that are "theoretical", and then "top up " the degree with a CELTA - or a DELTA, if one has already had a couple of years of teaching experience.

Generally speaking, I found the teaching staff to have been very helpful. Assessment is based mainly on essay work, online tests (multiple-choice questions), and contributions to online discussions. For the unit ,SLA-Applications, the assessment requirements were (still are ?) for more complicated. All students are given access to the UNE library's online articles and selected chapters. When I was enrolled in the programme, there were occasional hassles in accessing certain articles and chapters - but the teaching staff always did their best to rectify those problems.

One drawback with the UNE programme is that not all of the listed units are available in all semesters (and years !) - thus, one needs to plan ahead, by ascertaining from the admin staff when particular units will be offered. I would also suggest to anyone contemplating enrolling in such a degree programme to check the equivalent programme that is being offered by Macquarie University - that institution has a much wider range of units than UNE.

The cost of UNE's MA (AL) programme ? For Australian citizens, there is the HECS scheme. But for non-Aussies, the (2006) fees for the entire programme are : AUD 13,008, which works out at around USD 9,775. There is also an annual General Service Fee of AUD 80. I'd imagine, that there would be very few Masters' programmes in Canada or the US that would cost around USD 9 - 10 k !

Apart from Masters' programmes in Applied Linguistics or TESOL, you might also want to consider enrolling in a "proper" teaching course, such as an PGCE or Grad.Dip.Ed. In some of these programmes, you might be able to specialise in TESOL. For the more lucrative jobs, such as with HK's NET scheme, a recognised (school) teaching qualification such as a PGCE would probably be of far greater value than an MA(AL) or M.TESOL.

Happy studying !

Peter