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Question about Distance Learning M.A.
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J.M.A.

Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 69

Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 9:20 pm Post subject:

Justin Trullinger wrote:

Not really that strange a question- one of the reasons, though not the only one, that many of us are doing Masters degrees is to get better jobs and higher salaries. Fair or not, some countries, not necessarily employers, don't give a distance degree the same weight for visa considerations. Heck, some don't consider them qualifications at all.

Yes, from what I've been told, they wouldn't allow you to teach at universities in Brazil. And I vaguely recall one of the major Asian countries not accepting them or something to that effect, although I'm not sure about that. And I don't know how they're looked upon in the Gulf.

In any case, I'm trying to get a broad picture of what the distance M.A. is worth before I start one. That's why I want to get everyone's input. Unfortunately I'm not in the position to stop work and go back to Canada just to spend two years studying at uni.

As for prospective employers/immigration officials finding out, I imagine they could check your university records if they really wanted to.

J.M.A.

Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 69

Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 9:25 pm Post subject:

[quote="anospi"]

Quote:

Besides, in this day and age, who can really afford to take a year off to study on campus? Studying by distance is a growing phenomenon, and employers "should" be aware of this.

I don't disagree, see my above post. I'm just interested in finding out what sort of limitations (re. distance M.A.) exist in the job market in general.

GambateBingBangBOOM

Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan

Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 1:06 am Post subject:

J.M.A. wrote:

I vaguely recall one of the major Asian countries not accepting them or something to that effect, although I'm not sure about that. And I don't know how they're looked upon in the Gulf.

In any case, I'm trying to get a broad picture of what the distance M.A. is worth before I start one. That's why I want to get everyone's input. Unfortunately I'm not in the position to stop work and go back to Canada just to spend two years studying at uni.

As for prospective employers/immigration officials finding out, I imagine they could check your university records if they really wanted to.

I remember hearing that TAIWAN doesn't accept distance qualifications. That would be the major Asian country. And I think I've heard of people having problems with them in the UAE, but I'm not sure.

Employers will know it was done by distance simply by looking at your resume. If you had a job in Japan that began in 2008 and continued until 2011, and you did your MA in TESOL or Applied Linguistics through an Australian university from 2010 until 2011, then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened.

I think especially with the economic downturn throughout the world, distance qualifications are going to become more common because nobody will want to stop working for two years in order to go back to university. Canada seems to be the only major English speaking country in which there aren't many distance MAs in TESOL / Applied lingusitcs etc. available (in fact, I was only ever able to find ONE- at a Christian University in BC). Even Athabasca University in Alberta, basically a distance university, doesn't offer one.

jillford64

Joined: 15 Feb 2006
Posts: 397
Location: Sin City

Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:48 am Post subject:

Quote:

Exactly. Whether you do an MA on campus or by distance with Macquarie, you get exactly the same certificate at the end of it all. No mention whatsoever that it was done by distance.

Even though they say exactly the same thing wouldn't a potential employer still be able to figure it out if on your resume you had a degree granted in a certain year from a university in one location but you had work experience listed for the same time period in a different location?

Justin Trullinger

Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit

Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 2:35 pm Post subject:

Again, an employer who is knowledgeable in the field will know that Macquarie is famous for the distance quals in TESOL, much less so onsite, and will ask or speculate. But the trouble here isn't really with employers so much as immigration. Best, Justin

J.M.A.

Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 69

Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 6:30 pm Post subject:

Justin Trullinger wrote:

But the trouble here isn't really with employers so much as immigration.

So in your estimate employers would generally accept the distance M.A. without any reservations and as basically being on par with on-site M.A.'s? I know that's an incredibly broad question but this is what I'm trying to get at (in addition to the immigration question). Since a regular M.A. is going to be accepted without any qualms, I wonder how employers (and academics I suppose) in TEFL perceive the distance qualification.

Chancellor

Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)

Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 7:57 pm Post subject:

anospi wrote:

Quote:

But how would they know it's a distance degree if it's from, say, the State University of New York system?

Exactly. Whether you do an MA on campus or by distance with Macquarie, you get exactly the same certificate at the end of it all. No mention whatsoever that it was done by distance. After all, the same content is taught in both forms of the course, the same assignments are done by all students, and they are marked by the same assessors, using the same criteria.

Besides, in this day and age, who can really afford to take a year off to study on campus? Studying by distance is a growing phenomenon, and employers "should" be aware of this.

With some of the accredited university distance programs, it's the same course content but the schedule is compressed so that you end up doing a course in maybe eight weeks instead of a full semester. So, in some cases doing a course through a school's distance learning program may be more rigorous than taking the same course on campus.

Chancellor

Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)

Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:00 pm Post subject:

GambateBingBangBOOM wrote:

J.M.A. wrote:

I only know of one distance MA TESOL program in the US and it's actually an MA in Applied Linguistics with an emphasis on EFL/ESL: the University of Massachusetts.

Justin Trullinger

Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit

Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 10:40 pm Post subject:

Check out the New School in New York. Justin

MikeySaid

Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 509
Location: Torreon, Mexico

Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 11:16 pm Post subject:

anospi wrote:

I'm doing my MA with Macquarie Uni in Australia

How's the payment schedule? All at once or pay as you go?

wfh

Joined: 10 Nov 2006
Posts: 30

Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 8:08 pm Post subject:

I am considering the Open University, MA in Education (Applied Linguistics), does anyone have any experience of, or comments about, the course?

Chancellor

Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)

Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 9:15 pm Post subject:

Justin Trullinger wrote:

Check out the New School in New York.

Justin

I had never even heard of this school before.

johnslat

Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 9:38 pm Post subject:

Dear Chancellor, Well, after all, it IS new (actually, it's not - it was founded in 1919 - so it's kind of Old School.) http://www.newschool.edu/quickfacts.aspx Regards, John

anospi

Joined: 03 Dec 2004
Posts: 152
Location: Perth, Western Australia

Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 11:47 am Post subject:

Two birds with one stone:

Quote:

anospi wrote:

Quote:

I'm doing my MA with Macquarie Uni in Australia

How's the payment schedule? All at once or pay as you go?

Pay as you go. You pay up front for each unit. So if you do two units in your first semester, you only pay for them. Then, when you enrol in other units, you pay for them.

Quote:

I am considering the Open University, MA in Education (Applied Linguistics), does anyone have any experience of, or comments about, the course?

I know Open University and Macquarie have some sort of partnership, and their MA Applied Linguistics (TESOL) are virtually identical, using the same texts.

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