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bellum99

Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: don't need to know
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Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:13 pm Post subject: What is a good online masters degree program? |
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Can anyone actually recommend a good school to use? I want to take a masters program but i want it to actually be worth the money. |
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Incognito
Joined: 20 Dec 2004 Location: Teacher centered hell!!!
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VanIslander

Joined: 18 Aug 2003 Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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So are THOUSANDS of others.
Those are degree mills getting a rep for churning out many graduates who are neither good academics nor great teachers.
So I was told by some recruiters and employers at an ESL job fair outside of Korea. In Korea, however, maybe they'd be respected. |
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Grotto

Joined: 21 Mar 2004
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 5:29 pm Post subject: |
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a wee bit pricey too. 17,000$ for an online course? |
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mithridates

Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 5:32 pm Post subject: |
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For $17000 I could spend a year abroad and pick up two or three more languages. I think that's a bit much. |
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Incognito
Joined: 20 Dec 2004 Location: Teacher centered hell!!!
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 5:42 pm Post subject: |
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VanIslander wrote: |
So are THOUSANDS of others.
Those are degree mills getting a rep for churning out many graduates who are neither good academics nor great teachers.
So I was told by some recruiters and employers at an ESL job fair outside of Korea. In Korea, however, maybe they'd be respected. |
Thanks for the objective response.
Did the recruiters and/or employers you spoke to mention what programs they considered respectable?
Thanks
Incognito |
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Scott in HK
Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Location: now in Incheon..haven't changed my name yet
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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I did my Masters in Education through Deakin University.
I was really satisfied with the course. It was flexible and allowed me to take courses that I thought would be of practical use in my daily teaching.
I took the coursework degree, but you can also do a thesis if you want.
Deakin is not cheap. But I like the courses that they offered and that is why I chose it.
I did mine part time over two years and would recommend it to you. Though I would say that you need to be active on the online discussions to really get a lot of the degree. I have two kids and was working full time so I didn't get a chance to take a more active part on the discusssion boards, and I regret that now. |
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thorin

Joined: 14 Apr 2003
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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mithridates wrote: |
For $17000 I could spend a year abroad and pick up two or three more languages. I think that's a bit much. |
You could also get your head out of all those damn books and get a BA before you start replying to graduate school topics.  |
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HapKi

Joined: 10 Dec 2004 Location: TALL BUILDING-SEOUL
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 10:24 pm Post subject: |
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I am just finishing my dissertation through the University of Birmingham, in England. The program has been excellent, though I can't compare it to others. Its divided into 6 modules, each containing 2 courses. Each module taking 4 months to complete.
Module 1- Language Teaching Methodology-Classroom research and research methods.
Module 2- Second language acquisition- Pedagogic grammar
Module 3- Lexis- Syllabus and Materials
Module 4- Classroom and spoken discourse- Written discourse
Module 5- ELT management- Sociolinguistics
Module 6- 2 optional courses
They send you the reading requirements for each course, and it is always fun every 4 months scouring the bookstores of Seoul like an Easter egg hunt trying to find them. Or you can just order them on-line. After 3 months of reading, you write a 4,000 word paper on one of the many topics provided pertaining to the two courses in that module. You do that times 6 and that's the coursework. Then the dissertation. Korea has a new administration center, at Kyungwon University, and they are the middle man with Birmingham. They also provide an in-country tutor, though I didn't use mine too much. It cost about 13.2 million won (2.2 million x 6 payments) which is reasonable, I think, though the price may have changed since I started. The diploma you receive is identical to those who do the work in class at Birmingham. I plan on being there in person to pick mine up this July!
They accept students twice a year, April and October. |
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Derrek
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 10:42 pm Post subject: |
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But remember... if Korea goes the route of Taiwan, you're screwed.
Taiwan will not recognize online degrees. And they check very hard, I hear. |
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HapKi

Joined: 10 Dec 2004 Location: TALL BUILDING-SEOUL
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:24 pm Post subject: |
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and I guess I should clarify-
The Birmingham course is not on-line.
It is a "Distance MA in TEFL/TESL" |
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VanIslander

Joined: 18 Aug 2003 Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 2:16 am Post subject: |
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HapKi wrote: |
I am just finishing my dissertation through the University of Birmingham, in England. The program has been excellent, though I can't compare it to others. |
You maybe don't, but others do. That institution has a great reputation! As does the University of York, which also operates distance graduate programs (again: NOT online). |
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riverboy
Joined: 03 Jun 2003 Location: Incheon
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Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 2:20 am Post subject: |
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Athabasca in Canada is considered to be a very good distance program. |
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VanIslander

Joined: 18 Aug 2003 Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 2:38 am Post subject: |
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riverboy wrote: |
Athabasca in Canada is considered to be a very good distance program. |
I'm sorry but, By whom?
My years in a Canadian graduate program, travelling to other universities for conferences, gave me the impression that academic work from Athabasca was usually a step lower than the regional or local institutions like Brandon University and the University College of the Cariboo.
It is recognized, and seen as legit, but as clearly third rate: Maybe because of a stigma against distance learning in general? I don't know, because ten years ago Athabasca was the only university in Canada with a reputation for that sort of thing (that I can recall).
I know the reputable University of Calgary has a distance program for a Master's of Education (M.Ed.), which ESL teachers could take if they have the grades (A- I believe) and recommendations (from past professors).
In general, you can trust any graduate distance program that only admits a limited number of applicants, requires at least a B+ level undergrad degree (no equivalency granted for experience), requires a thesis/dissertation be done and has PhD's as your tutors (not grad students). In fact, only reputable institutions meet those requirements. (These are sufficient conditions, not necessary conditions, of quality.) |
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mithridates

Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 4:23 am Post subject: |
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Quote: |
You could also get your head out of all those damn books and get a BA before you start replying to graduate school topics. |
Yeah, but...
or maybe you have a point there.  |
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