Job Discussion Forums

[igbyfish]

Hello,
After two years of teaching in China, I've decided it's time for me to move on to graduate school. I would like to continue teaching English as a foreign language, so I am looking for relevant MA programs. I've searched around on the internet and talked to different people, and I have some ideas...but I have to say I'm quite overwhelmed, and I haven't found anything that is exactly what I'm looking for. I've looked at MA degrees in Applied Linguistics and TESOL, but I'm afraid that they are too specific and maybe in the future I would be limited by that. I've also looked at many English Language and Literature programs, but again these degrees don't contain my interests in language acquisition. I know maybe you're thinking: Oh man, well what does this guy want?! So here is what I'm looking for: a MA degree maybe focusing on the use of literature and history in the language learning classroom, applied linguistics, education theory, as well as elements of international relations and studies. I don't know...any thoughts out there on this? If you have any ideas on specific programs and/or specific schools, or even on my degree ideas/requirements, I would really appreciate it. Or if you want to share your experience with a program that would help too. Location doesn't matter...but just for orientation, I'll be living in Austria after next week. Thanks! PS MA programs or the equivalent...I know that they're not called MA everywhere...

[Gordon]

Do you want a distance Masters? If not, your choice will be fairly limited.

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hello igbyfish:

You'll be in Europe, and

you're looking for an accredited MA TESOL with a

focus on Literature and Second Language Acquisition?

I'd take a serious look at The Open University (UK) MA TESOL:

http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?C01E841_5_94

excerpt:

This course offers a global perspective on the changing uses and forms of English and develops your skills in analysing them, drawing in particular on systemic functional linguistics. It covers sociolinguistic, ethnographic and social-psychological approaches to TESOL and introduces the literature on second language acquisition. It provides research methods for critical analysis of TESOL practice, and theoretical frameworks and practical tools for understanding how ELT classroom curricula can be analysed, developed and evaluated. Tuition is by computer conferencing. The course is part of our masters programme in education � MA or MEd (Applied Linguistics) but can also be studied on its own.




They are fully accredited in the UK and are one of the few

non-American universities to receive full accreditation by the

Middle States Commission on Higher Education:

http://www.msche.org/Institutions_Directory.asp

excerpt:

Open University [Accredited]
Walton Hall
Milton Keyes MK7 6AA
United Kingdom

Phone: +44 (190) 865-3788
Fax: +44 (190) 865-3019
Website: www.open.ac.uk

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research-Extensive

First Accredited in: 2005
Reaccredited in: 2005
Institution Code: 9158

[igbyfish]

Thanks, that really sounds like a great program. I'll check it out! And I don't want to be misunderstood. I'll be in Austria for now, but will be willing to go wherever the program is. Hope to get some more suggestions...

[sojourner]

Igbyfish,

I've almost completed the online MA (Applied Linguistics), through the University of New England ( www.une.edu.au ). Naturally,I've learnt a lot about Applied Linguistics - but will it necessarily make me a better teacher ? Mmmm. Some of the subjects were quite interesting, eg Intercultural Communication - but others, I found some to be a bit boring. For those contemplating doing the MA(AL) degree at UNE, in the hope that it would improve their teaching ability - or, most likely, their promotion prospects ! - I would suggest that they consider enrolling in that institution's M.Ed programme, instead. With the M.Ed, one can do TESOL units, as well as others that are of particular interest to many of us; eg, in adult education and international education. I'm not sure about this, but it may be possible for one to do some Applied Linguistics units for cross-crediting to the M.Ed.

If you are looking for a proper teaching qualification, it might be best to consider enrolling in something like the UK's PGCE or Australia's Grad.Dip.Ed. It might be possible to include some TESOL subjects in one's programme. In some places (eg HK, with respect to the NET Scheme), such a qualification may be more highly regarded than Masters' degrees in TESOL and Applied Linguistics. However, with proper teacher training programmes, it would not be possible to do all the units by the distance education or online modes.

In your OP, you touched on the possibility of doing a Master's degree in English Literature, along with some units from other disciplines. In UNE's normal MA programme, one needs to complete eight units - however, it's possible that you could do only four in your main discipline (eg English Literature) and the other four in, say, Applied Linguistics and International Politics. It MIGHT even be possible to do a couple of Education units for cross-crediting to one's MA. When choosing units, be careful, as SOME may require you to attend residential courses at the UNE campus - in Armidale, itself !

Check out UNE.The fees would, I'd imagine, be lower than those charged by Nth American and UK unis. Also, I believe that UNE has now been accredited by the pertinent educational authority in the US ( www.une.edu.au/uneweb/detc.htm ).

Peter

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Good advice from Peter.

UNE is accredited by DETC.

excerpt:

"The University of New England distance education (off-campus) programs, up to and including Masters level, are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the US-based Distance Education and Training Council (DETC)."

http://www.detc.org/ (Distance Education and Training Council)





I've reposted this a few times but who's counting?



accreditation

http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ (US Department of Education / Accreditation)

http://www.msche.org/ (Middle States Commission on Higher Education / USA)

http://www.ncate.org/ (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education)

http://www.chea.org/ (CHEA / Council for Higher Education Accreditation // USA)

http://www.detc.org/ (DETC / The Distance Education and Training Council / USA)

http://www.odlqc.org.uk/ (ODL QC / Open and Distance Learning Quality Council)

http://www.wascweb.org/ (WASC / Western Association of Schools and Colleges)

http://www.collegeofteachers.ac.uk/cpd/index.htm (The College of Teachers / UK)

http://www.actdec.org.uk/ (Accreditation Council for TESOL Distance Courses / UK)

http://www.auqa.edu.au/ (AUQA / Australian Universities Quality Agency / Australia)

http://www.qca.org.uk/index.html (QCA / Qualifications and Curriculum Authority / UK)

http://www.accet.org/index2.cfm (ACCET / Accreditation Council for Continuing Ed / USA)

http://www.citaschools.org/ (Commission on International & Trans-Regional Accreditation)

http://www.tesl.ca/ (The TESL Canada Federation Website / please refer to 'Standards')


general information & discussion

http://www.matesol.info/ (MATESOL / free graduate & MA TESOL Guide)

http://www.whichcourse.com/ (comparative guide / choosing a TEFL course)

http://www.eslcafe.com/discussion/dz1/ (Dave's ESL Cafe / Teacher Training Forum)

http://www.degreeinfo.com/index.html (DegreeInfo / Distance Learning Info & Forum)


distance TEFL / TESOL & post-graduate studies

http://www.eddegree.com/ (George Washington University / Distance MA Education)

http://www.educ.utas.edu.au/users/tle/Tesol/ (University of Tasmania / MEd TESOL)

http://www.une.edu.au/arts/LCL/index.shtml (UNE / Online MA in Applied Linguistics)

http://www.anaheim.edu/edu/index.shtml (Anaheim University / Online MS in TESOL)

http://www.uga.edu/academics/distance.html (The University of Georgia / Online MEd)

http://www.aston.ac.uk/lss/english/index.jsp (Aston U / Distance TESOL & MSc TESOL)

http://www.thedistancedelta.com/index.cfm (British Council & IH / The Distance DELTA)

http://www.dundee.ac.uk/languagestudies/ (University of Dundee / Online MA in TMLA)

http://www.teflinternational.com/m_ed_tesol.html (TEFL Int. & Manipal U / MEd TESOL)

http://www.bridgelinguatec.com/ (Bridge-Linguatec / CELTA, TEFL & Online certification)

http://www.smuc.ac.uk/lttu/actdec/index.html (St. Mary's College / Distance Dip. TESOL)

http://www.schooloftesl.com/ (School of TESL & Seattle Univ / Online TESOL certification)

http://www.shu.ac.uk/schools/ed/tesol/ (Sheffield Hallam University / MA & PgDip TESOL)

http://www.intesolprague-teflcourses.com/index.htm (INTESOL Prague / Online & Hybrid)

http://www.usq.edu.au/handbook/current/opacsprog.html (USQ / MA TESOL & Appl. Ling)

http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/support/distance.htm (Macquarie U. / MA in Applied Linguistics)

http://ioewebserver.ioe.ac.uk/ioe/index.html (University of London / Distance MA in TESOL)

http://maxkade.miis.edu/call_online/index.html (Monterey Institute / Online CALL certificate)

http://www.teachenglish.co.uk/ (London Teacher Training College / Online TEFL certification)

http://www.open.ac.uk/ (The Open University UK / offers BA, MA, Certificate & PGCE Studies)

http://study.massey.ac.nz/ (Massey U - New Zealand / a variety of Distance TESOL Degrees)

http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/pub/index.shtml (Penn State World Campus / Online MEd)

http://www.surrey.ac.uk/ALRG/ (University of Surrey / MA in TESOL & MSc in ELT Management)

http://www.transworldschools.com/home.htm (TransWorld / Online CTESOL Cert & practicum)

http://www.englishtc.co.uk/ (The English Training Centre / 3 levels of Online TESOL certificate)

http://www.csu.edu.au/courses/pg/edu/gcteso/ (Charles Sturt U - Australia / Grad Cert TESOL)

http://www.americanbritish.com/ (American British Teaching Group / Distance TEFL certification)

http://www.tesoltraining.co.uk/index.html (SGI / Trinity College Diploma or Certificate in TESOL)

http://www.intesolinternational.com/ (INTESOL / Online TESOL & Diploma in TESOL certification)

http://www.indiana.edu/~disted/index.html (Indiana U of Bloomington / Online MA & Certificate)

http://www.drexel.com/ (Drexel University / Online post-grad teaching degrees & TESL certificate)

http://www.le.ac.uk/se/courses/tesol_home.html (U of Leicester / MA & PhD in Linguistics & TESOL)

http://www.oxfordtefl.com/index.htm (Oxford TEFL / Trinity College Cert TESOL or Diploma in TESOL)

http://www.education.manchester.ac.uk/postgraduatestudents/ (U of Manchester / MEd & MA TESOL)

http://www.uts.edu.au/study/courses.html (Univ of Technology Sydney / Distance MA in Appl. Ling)

http://www.ef-tefl-training.com/teacherinfo/training/online/default.asp (EF Diploma in TEFL / NEW)

http://www.cels.bham.ac.uk/prospectus/ODL/odlteflinfo.htm (University of Birmingham / MA TEFL)

http://www.su.edu/sas/tesol/ (Shenandoah University / Distance TESOL & MA TESOL programs)

http://www.cie.ca./otherpro.htm (Canadian Institute of English / Distance BEd & MEd in TESOL)

http://www.ling.lancs.ac.uk/study/masters/index.htm (Lancaster University / Online MA in ELT)

http://www.tesol-education.com/ (Harrow Institute of Linguistics / Online TESOL certification)

http://www.rdg.ac.uk/AcaDepts/cl/slals/pgcourse.htm (The University of Reading / MA in ELT)

http://tesol1.net/ (William Brewster TESOL Institute / Onsite in Jakarta, Online & BA TESOL)

http://www.tesolplus.com/tesol_ol.php (ELS / Online TESOL cert with practicum in Adelaide)

http://www.bangor.ac.uk/linguistics/ (University of Wales Bangor / MA & PhD in Linguistics)

http://www.swan.ac.uk/cals/ (University of Wales Swansea / Online BA, MA & PhD in TEFL)

http://www.english-international.com/ (English International / Distance TEFL certification)

http://www.thekennedyacademy.com/ (The Kennedy Academy / Online TEFL certification)

http://www.bostontefl.com/index.htm (Worldwide Teachers / Online CTEFL & Cert TBE)

http://www.globaledcorp.com/index.html (GEC / hybrid TEFL & teach abroad programs)

http://www.innovative-english.com/ (Teachers Latin America / Online TEFL certification)

http://www.americantesol.com/ (American TESOL Institute / Online TESOL certification)

http://www.lambert.edu/eli/eli_e.html (Lambert University / Online TESOL certification)

http://www.apu.apus.edu/index.htm (American Public University / Online BA in English)

http://distance.wsu.edu/degrees/ESLDistance.asp (WSU / Distance ESL Endorsement)

http://www.olionline.com/ (Open Learning International / Online TEFL, YL & Dipl. TEFL)

http://www.netlanguages.com/ (Net Languages - Barcelona / Online ELT certification)

http://unitedtesol.com/english/default.asp (United TESOL / hybrid TESOL certification)

http://www.traininglinkonline.co.uk/ (Training Link Online - Online TESOL certification)

http://www.global-english.com/ (Global English / distance learning TEFL certification)

http://www.uclaextension.edu/ (UCLA Extension / offers a variety of online courses)

http://www.cui.edu/cui/cui_shell.aspx?id=2120 (Concordia University / Online MEd)

http://www.worldportesl.com/index.htm (Worldport ESL / Online TESL certification)

http://www.monash.edu.au/ (Monash University / Distance PGCE, Diploma & MEd)

http://www.teflcenter.com/ (The TEFL Center / 120 hour Online TEFL certification)

http://www.onlinetefl.com/ (i-to-i Online TEFL / 'The Original Online TEFL Course')

http://www.onlinelearning.net/ (OnlineLearning.net / 'teacher education online')

http://www.excelsior.edu/ (Excelsior College / Distance BA or MA in Liberal Arts)

http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/ltc/efl/ (The University of York / Distance MA in TEYL)

http://www.norwoodenglish.com/ (Norwood English / Online TEFL certification)

http://www.ontesol.com/Welcome.asp (ONTESOL / Online TESOL certification)

http://www.winfieldcollege.com/ (Winfield College / Online TEFL certification)

http://www.teflireland.com/ot.shtml (TEFL Ireland / Online TEFL certification)

http://www.eurolinkcourses.co.uk/ (Eurolink / Distance TESOL certification)

http://www.tefl-uk.com/ (TEFL-UK / 40 & 60 hour Online TEFL certification)

http://globaltesol.com/ (Global TESOL College / Online TESOL certification)

http://www.canadian-englishcenter.com/ (CEC / Online TEFL certification)

http://www.tesol-direct.com/ (tesol-direct / Distance TESOL certification)

http://www.tefl-prague.com/teflonline_public.htm (Tefl Online Prague)

http://www.teachercertificate.com/ (CETC / Online TEFL certification)

http://teacher-training.net/ (ICAL Online TESL/TEFL certification)

http://teflpro.com/ (PSL TEFLpro / Distance TEFL certification)



~ The End

[DZNZ]

Good God! Thanks for all of the links! A wealth of info here!

[Gordon]

Yes, Kent has a "links" fetish.

[thelmadatter]

(tapping on the monitor screen) Hey Dave? You in there?

Perhaps we can take a lot of this useful information about Master's programs (including a way for people to permanently post their experience with it) on a section of the website. We've had a number of threads about this. While I agree that we will never have a consensus on any given institution nor should Dave's be in the business of recommending any specific programs, but at least a list with links such as Kent posted would be a useful resource. A ratings or discussion about the various programs would be nice, but not absolutely necessary.

If they could be separated by location (including distance programs "as a location"), that would be nice, too.

As Kent notes, this kind of information has been posted multiple times, so there is ongoing interest in it.

Whaddya think, Dave?

If anyone is interested in the English Language/Linguistics Program at the University of Arizona, PM me. I graduated from that program in 2003.

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hello DZNZ

Thank you. I'm glad the info was (is?) helpful.

Hello Gordon

My pet fetishes? Let's not go there. I'd have to edit myself.

Hello D.O.S.

I'd agree with you that not all accreditations carry equal weight or recognition.

If the DETC (established in 1926) is merely a rubber stamp, it deserves our attention.

http://www.detc.org/theassociation.html

Can you provide any solid facts to back up your claims?

Hello thelmadatter

The above links are available 24/7 on either

The Master Index Thailand

or

The Master Index Russia sticky posts.

Plus - we already have the Teacher Training Forum. (link above)

It would be nice if we could somehow bring the two elements together!

Are you volunteering for the task?

[nomadder]

I heard of someone getting an M.Ed that included a teaching license. Anyone know anything about this?

[PAULH]

[thelmadatter]

Hey Kent,

If my short stint in the army taught me anything, it was "never volunteer'!

PAULH has a good idea in making the thread a sticky.

[Sheep-Goats]

[Sheep-Goats]