Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mortimer]

Hi all, I've been narrowing down my options for which universities i should apply to do a masters. I was just hoping to get some feedback on what people thought was the better option - linguistics or Tesol? Will it really make a difference which one I choose? Does anyone of them make you more employable?

Thanks!!!

[bassexpander]

I don't believe it matters much, because one set of countries likes to use TESOL, and other countries like to call it Linguistics.

[aarontendo]

It's not a matter of them being called different things, they are actually different by quite a bit. I think jobs will take either one as equal in regards to English teaching, so in that regard same-same. To be honest Applied Linguistics might almost be better, if you intend to go onto PhD work at some point it might be an easier transition.

Though TESOL will give you more hands on tools and such for your classroom I'd imagine.

[Thiuda]

OP, I assume you're asking about Linguistics, not Applied Linguistics/TESOL.

TESOL is a combination of linguistics, focusing on the grammar of the English language, applied linguistics, centring on second language acquisition, and education related courses. As such, an MA in TESOL is the one most relevant to English teaching.

Applied Linguistics is a much broader field than TESOL, it is, as is suggested by it's name, knowledge of language applied to problems in fields such as psychology, sociology, forensics, education, anthropology and education, and can lead to work in teaching languages, editing, speech pathology, the court system...etc. An MA in AL will provide you with more knowledge of the structure of language in general, with less of a focus on English, and gives you the opportunity to apply this knowledge to fields outside of education.

Linguistics is the scientific study of language, focusing on answering three questions: how do we learn languages, how do languages vary, and what is universal to language. To answer these questions, linguists investigate phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, lexis, semantics and pragmatics using theoretical models that are tested and refined through research. An MA in Linguistics is useful if you require a very thorough understanding of language, because, for example you want to work as a speech pathologist, translator, or academic, but it's also eminently suitable for language teaching.

Personally, I recomend AL, because it allows you more freedom to move than either TESOL or theoretical linguistics. With an MA in AL you can go on to do a PhD in fields outside of language teaching and AL; for example education, psychology and cognitive science, or, as I hope to, linguistics.

Wikipedia is my friend.

[TECO]

TESOL and Applied Linguistics are exactly the same subject. In America they call it TESOL and in Australia and the U.K. they refer to is as Applied Linguistics.

Some universities let you choose what you would like written on your degree - TESOL or Applied Linguistics. The coursework for the degrees is exactly the same. No difference.