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rustbot82
Joined: 18 Jan 2011
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 Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 12:04 am Post subject: One year masters programs? |
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I'd like to save up to get a TESOL MA in a few years, and advance myself professionally. I've looked into a few programs in Australia, but some people have told me that I'd do better getting an American masters, as I am American. But I don't really wanna invest a huge amount of time in school; I'd rather be working. I'm also not really drawn to online programs.
Any thoughts on that?
I've also considered Masters programs in Britain. How are they seen in Korea?
Anyone know of a decent one-year on-campus TESOL MA program in the states?
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 12:22 am Post subject: |
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I am guessing that the people who are telling you not to get your MA outside the states don't have an MA.
I my personal experience, an MA that was conferred by an accredited institution anywhere in the anglophone world is acceptable to most employers anywhere else in the anglophone world
AND I have never met an employer outside the anglophone world who would discount it over one conferred in another anglophone country.
Bottom line - they are as good as you want them to be regardless of the country it was obtained in (Aus, UK, US, Canada, etc). An MA is an MA is an MA.
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marsavalanche
Joined: 27 Aug 2010
Location: where pretty lies perish
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 12:32 am Post subject: |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
I am guessing that the people who are telling you not to get your MA outside the states don't have an MA.
I my personal experience, an MA that was conferred by an accredited institution anywhere in the anglophone world is acceptable to most employers anywhere else in the anglophone world
AND I have never met an employer outside the anglophone world who would discount it over one conferred in another anglophone country.
Bottom line - they are as good as you want them to be regardless of the country it was obtained in (Aus, UK, US, Canada, etc). An MA is an MA is an MA.
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This is a dumb question as I don't know anything about this matter but are schools in Aus/NZ generally considered just as "accredited" by Korean/Chinese/other ESL career countries as a MA from the States?
I'm not comparing Harvard to some NZ school in the boonies, but in general. |
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rustbot82
Joined: 18 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 12:41 am Post subject: |
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Well how about for Korean colleges?
Aren't American degrees more esteemed? I feel like I've heard that a lot... |
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marsavalanche
Joined: 27 Aug 2010
Location: where pretty lies perish
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 1:04 am Post subject: |
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| rustbot82 wrote: |
Well how about for Korean colleges?
Aren't American degrees more esteemed? I feel like I've heard that a lot... |
American degrees are more esteemed than any other country's in the world. They are ten times more esteemed than Korean colleges, which is why so many Koreans go there to study instead of it being the other way.
But for getting an ESL job in Korea, I'm curious whether the country you got your degree in matters as much. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 1:06 am Post subject: |
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| marsavalanche wrote: |
This is a dumb question as I don't know anything about this matter but are schools in Aus/NZ generally considered just as "accredited" by Korean/Chinese/other ESL career countries as a MA from the States?
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Either the university is or is not ("accredited").
If it is then it is.
If it is not then it is nothing more than a paper mill (like those that send you adds in your e-mail to get a Ma/PhD in 30 days based on experience).
Would you like a PhD from Ttompatz-U? "Guaranteed" to get you that position you always coveted. Not accredited but sure looks "purdy" up there on the wall.
| rustbot82 wrote: |
Well how about for Korean colleges?
Aren't American degrees more esteemed? I feel like I've heard that a lot... |
More esteemed = maybe (especially in the eyes of those who don't know any better).
Will it make a difference in getting a job = unlikely unless you are up against someone with their MA/PhD from "Harvard".
I have NEVER had any problem finding a decent position (with the pay and benefits that I expect). People with MATESOLs are hard to find (much harder to find than MA.Ed.s) so the jobs outnumber applicants about 20-1.
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dyc
Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Location: Vancouver
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 1:32 am Post subject: |
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| Just curious, but what are the advantages of getting an MA in TESOL? Could one use that education to teach ESL back home in N America? |
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olsanairbase
Joined: 30 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 2:11 am Post subject: |
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| dyc wrote: |
| Just curious, but what are the advantages of getting an MA in TESOL? Could one use that education to teach ESL back home in N America? |
MA TESOL crowd are often given non-tenured jobs of working hourly from school to school in morning day and night teaching classes and waiting for one of the few full-time tenure track positions to open up.
MA in Applied Linigustics tend to teach clases to the regular non-esl population either to undergrads or teachers in truaining which are almost always tenured right of the bat.
In Short,
MA TESOL probably makes more sense overseas but Applied Linguistics applies much more to the academia then it does the pracitcality of the profession. |
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Poker
Joined: 16 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:37 am Post subject: |
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| About MA TESOL in Korea, can one teach at a public school and study/go to class during the nights and weekends? Any places that offer flexible programs in SK? I am only looking to teach in Korea. Anyone with experience in taking a Korean MA TESOL? How long did it take and how was it? Thanks |
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pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 5:04 am Post subject: |
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To Koreans, USA only has 9 Univesrities. The 8 Ivy league schools and MIT. If you didn't go there, you are considered to have gone to a crap school.
It doesn't matter that there are over 200 Tier 1 Universities in the US that are hands down better than Korean Universities. |
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zappadelta
Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 5:25 am Post subject: |
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| pkang0202 wrote: |
To Koreans, USA only has 9 Univesrities. The 8 Ivy league schools and MIT. If you didn't go there, you are considered to have gone to a crap school.
It doesn't matter that there are over 200 Tier 1 Universities in the US that are hands down better than Korean Universities. |
Totally disagree with your first statement. Well, maybe it's true to uneducated Koreans. |
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Thiuda
Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Location: Religion ist f�r Sklaven geschaffen, f�r Wesen ohne Geist.
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:23 am Post subject: |
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If you want to do an MA residentially, consider attending a Korean university. Korea U., Yonsei , Sookmyung, Woosong and several more offer MAs in Linguistics, English Education or TESOL, and all of them provide you with a decent program, taught (mostly) in English by Korean and foreign faculty. Costs for these programs can be high, but you stand a pretty good chance of getting a scholarship if you received reasonable marks as an undergrad.
Whether your Korean university experience will be worth it is up to you. If you take your studies seriously, you'll get just as much out of your program as you would anywhere else. Posters who comment negatively on the quality of Korean universities have limited experience with tertiary education, in Korea or anywhere else. |
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bobbybigfoot
Joined: 05 May 2007
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 2:23 pm Post subject: |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
| An MA is an MA is an MA.. |
I respectively disagree.
Top notch employers aren't stupid. MAs without a thesis are not worth nearly as much. And as much as online degrees have gained respectability over the years, a brick n mortar degree is still superior. Whether it's worth the extra cash it costs? Depends on the job you are trying to get.
People need to remember that ESL is largely a "joke" industry, where the first warm body will do. Obviously then, any warm body with any MA is better than one without. But see it for what it is.
If you are planning on returning to N. America and want a SOLID job, then I'd think twice about getting a one year, non-thesis, 8 course MA from Australia. They will see right through it.
Just my opinion. |
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languistic
Joined: 25 Nov 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 3:20 pm Post subject: |
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| bobbybigfoot wrote: |
| ttompatz wrote: |
| An MA is an MA is an MA.. |
I respectively disagree.
Top notch employers aren't stupid. MAs without a thesis are not worth nearly as much. And as much as online degrees have gained respectability over the years, a brick n mortar degree is still superior. Whether it's worth the extra cash it costs? Depends on the job you are trying to get.
People need to remember that ESL is largely a "joke" industry, where the first warm body will do. Obviously then, any warm body with any MA is better than one without. But see it for what it is.
If you are planning on returning to N. America and want a SOLID job, then I'd think twice about getting a one year, non-thesis, 8 course MA from Australia. They will see right through it.
Just my opinion. |
Wow. What a revelation. You should start a thread about this unexplored, yet fascinating topic.
Ugh.
Not everyone shares your disdain (reiterated at each and every opportunity) for online degrees or EFL/ESL. BTW: Many Australian unis offer thesis MAs.
OP...you are in a good place to get a degree, especially while working. It will give you many chances to put some ideas into practice for research, not to mention financing the whole thing. Do some reading about the various unis/countries offering degrees; some may be more desirable than others, but this is mainly in the eyes of Koreans (Asian countries perhaps) who have a narrow view of education. Internationally known, accredited unis offer valid MAs that nobody can take away from you.
Last edited by languistic on Thu Jan 20, 2011 3:30 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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sigmundsmith
Joined: 22 Nov 2007
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 3:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Thiuda wrote: |
If you want to do an MA residentially, consider attending a Korean university. Korea U., Yonsei , Sookmyung, Woosong and several more offer MAs in Linguistics, English Education or TESOL, and all of them provide you with a decent program, taught (mostly) in English by Korean and foreign faculty. Costs for these programs can be high, but you stand a pretty good chance of getting a scholarship if you received reasonable marks as an undergrad.
Whether your Korean university experience will be worth it is up to you. If you take your studies seriously, you'll get just as much out of your program as you would anywhere else. Posters who comment negatively on the quality of Korean universities have limited experience with tertiary education, in Korea or anywhere else. |
But you should be careful in the quality of education your get. Some programs are not really up to par with what you should be taught. So choose wisely which institution you pick.
Scholarships are great. They usually work depending on your GPA you receive each semester. Example, at one place in Seoul if you get a GPA of 4 or above, you get back 100% of your tuition fee for that semester.
Online (distant learning) programs have become a real cash cow for Australia, US, and English universities. But again, you need to choose which actually offers quality education. I have seen some of the programs offered by Australian and US MA TESOL programs and none match up to the program that I have done in Korea.
But if you just want the paper so you can get the good jobs just do some online one that doesnt require a thesis or practicuum, just course work. These programs are pretty easy actually. If you want quality, do some searching. |
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