MA in Applied Linguistics/TESOL..University Recommendations?

roxy_27 · Post by **roxy_27** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 11:56 pm

Hey there,

Im interested in doing an MA in Applied Linguistics/TESOL by distance learning. I was wondering if anyone had any university recommendations?? Also, since it is a distance learning course does it matter which country you select? Im from the UK but have heard that Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia is pretty good.

Any advice is most appreciated.

morningcalm · Post by **morningcalm** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:22 pm

hi there,
I'm doing the USQ (University of Southerrn Queensland) Masters in App.Linguistics course at the moment. It is pretty theoretical and there's not much feedback from the staff, so I actually wouldn't recommend it if you are living in a non-English speaking country. If you are living in Australia, you would have a better time of it 'cos at least you could access textbooks easily from libraries. I'm in Korea and it's just so hard tracking down texts, and there's no-one to discuss topics with. However, the academic standards seem to be pretty high, and it is a reputable university. For some reason this USQ course seems popular with EFL teachers in Korea - I think it's a little cheaper than most other similar courses if you are enrolling as a foreign student, and USQ also offer 3 semesters a year so you can knock it off in less time.

The Macquarie Uni courses are even more theoretical, so I guess it depends on your reasons for studying - if you want to be an academic or a teacher. There's a very practical and flexible masters degree (Masters of Learning Management) now offered by CQU (Central Queensland Uni), that is only 6 units long. I've heard UNE (University of New Enland, Armidale) also offers a good linguistics course. I'm sure there are many more.

The benefit for studying a distance education course offered by a university based in your own country is that you pay a much, much lower tuition fee as a resident ,rather than as a foreign student. Of course you can move to any other country while you study.
Well, good luck,
Morning Calm.

roxy_27 · Post by **roxy_27** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 12:54 am

Thanks a lot for your advice Morning Calm. Im heading back to Japan to teach English in August...so have been looking at starting my MA sometime next year. The lack of availability of texts was also a worry to me given that I'll be living in Japan....I guess I'll just have to see how I go. I have looked into some universities back in my home country (UK) so Im pretty much still at the decision making stage. It does seem to be slightly cheaper to do it in my home country but other than knowing what the reputable universities are...Im not sure their reputations in the MA Applied Linguistics Dept.
Do you find you have enough study time after you have finished teaching for the day???

Thanks
Roxy

morningcalm · Post by **morningcalm** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 2:46 am

short answer = no.
There's never enough time, and you have to severely limit your social life to get through the courses. When the course outline claims you can get through the material in 10 hours a week - don't believe them! Linguistics, even applied linguistics is pretty dry and theoretical as a distance ed. subject.

As far as the Uk goes, there must be heaps of good linguistics courses. During my researches I was impressed with the work of Prof. Vivian Cook. I think he's at University of Newcastle upon Tyne .

I think the most important thing to look for, apart from the university being recognised and accredited - is the on-line support and whether you can actually get feedback from lecturers when you need it. Feeling like a faceless student sending off assignments into the void of cyberspace is a tough way to spend your life in a foreign country, believe me!

roxy_27 · Post by **roxy_27** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 3:28 am

Thanks again for the useful advice. I'll take a look at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Good Luck with the MA

metal56 · Post by **metal56** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 3:46 am

roxy_27 wrote:Hey there,

Im interested in doing an by distance learning. I was wondering if anyone had any university recommendations?? Also, since it is a distance learning course does it matter which country you select? Im from the UK but have heard that Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia is pretty good.

Any advice is most appreciated.

I'd look at Leicester Uni.

fluffyhamster · Post by **fluffyhamster** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 10:49 am

metal56 wrote:I'd look at Leicester Uni.

The course that woodcutter got thrown off of?

Where they make you wade through Huddleston 1984?

Teacher Discussion Forums