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773
Joined: 29 May 2005 Posts: 213
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 4:07 am Post subject: How are Masters from Australia perceived? |
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I am planning on doing my Masters in Appl. Ling. this year in Australia, but have heard that some places around the world don't look favorably upon degrees from some Aussie unis for various reasons (many of them are completed without a thesis and just by coursework, etc.).
Is there any talk of this in the UAE? What is the reputation of grads from non-Ivy League Aussie unis, like Griffith? Just want to make sure I am making the correct decision...
thanks! |
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only1life
Joined: 09 Jan 2005 Posts: 19
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 11:01 am Post subject: Australian degrees |
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Well, 773... most people are familiar with the University of Melbourne, Sydney or the Australian National University but may not have heard of Griffith University. I am Australian and as far as I know Griffith University is one of the best places to do studies in Applied Linguistics in Australia. Griffith teachers and graduates have notched up some real achievements in Language teaching over the years. For example, the creators of ISLPR teach there. I hear Macquarie University has a good reputation, too.
Having a degree from an Australian university is not a problem in itself. However, some institutions have ties specifically with the United States or Britain and want teachers from those countries. If you are a British or US national, then having an Australian degree is still no problem. There is the occasional hassle with institutions wanting teachers with either a British or American accent. This is a narrow minded and misguided attutude, but unfortunately there are many who think Aussies have an accent difficult to understand (e.g. What toim is it? or It's a noice dai ta dai). Sure, there are some pretty 'rough' accents in Australia... but there are in every country! Some people think I'm not Australian because I don't speak like Crocodile Dundee! Ughhh... I don't know... maybe we need to bring back Errol Flynn. I'm not quite sure if there's a way of changing these perceptions.
The good news is, major reputable players in education make their judgments based on the overall quality of the applicant: Does the applicant have a degree from a Western university? Does he/she have a stable background in teaching? etc... It's only the halfwits who get wrapped up in this nationality preference game and those places wouldn't be worth working for anyway.
The question of coursework or thesis; I graduated from an Australian university by doing one coursework unit and then a thesis (hard work!) Most people enrolled in the Master's program did it by coursework only. What many people are doing now is a coursework program of studying 6 months for a certificate, 12 months for a diploma and 18 months for a Master's. Most have no intention of going on to do a PhD so a coursework Master's is more suited to their needs. If you do want to possibly do a PhD in the near future you had better do Master's by thesis. However, if you choose this option, be ready for a major committment. Writing a thesis is no walk in the park!!! |
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773
Joined: 29 May 2005 Posts: 213
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 1:55 pm Post subject: |
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Only1Life, thanks for the amazingly informative response! Much, much appreciated!!!!  |
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Gordon

Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 2:23 pm Post subject: |
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I just completed a masters of applied linguistics from USQ. I chose the coursework option since I do not intend to do a PhD in the future. I personally don't think it matters if you do a thesis or not. However, if I do change my mind I could do the honours option at a later date, which is basically a thesis on top of what I have already done. After 2 years of hard work, I think I am done now and I do not regret my decision at all about where I went or my particular degree. |
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