What will I study?
This course caters for both experienced and inexperienced teachers who study on specifically designed pathways leading to the same degree:
- The Experienced Language Teachers (ELT) pathway is for students with more than two years of full-time English language teaching experience. Students following this pathway are likely to be both native and non-native speakers with a range of relevant teaching experience, either in the UK or overseas.
- The Practical Language Teaching (PLT) pathway is for students with less than two years of full-time English language teaching experience. The MA provides a pathway into the English Language Teaching profession.
The course has a very practical focus and is constantly being developed to ensure that you will be fully prepared for your future teaching career. Our teaching methods encourage active participation in group work, discussion and exchange of experiences and ideas. You will be involved in designing materials, planning lessons and tests, observing classes and demonstrating teaching methods.
We value the differing perspectives of teachers from different countries and their varied experiences of teaching and learning; the broadening of cultural horizons is one of the advantages of joining such an internationally diverse programme. Students on our course have come from a wide variety of countries including Taiwan, Japan, Bangladesh, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Switzerland, Korea, China, Mexico and the UK.
Special features
Our teaching staff are experts in their field of English Language Teaching, with many having taught English abroad. We offer a high level of in-sessional support designed specifically around the needs of students, both in classes and on an individual basis. Our staff give individual help with assignment and dissertation writing and are always happy to make appointments with students who want to talk privately about their work and progress.
The course is based in the Nottingham Language Centre on our City site.
Book onto one of our postgraduate open events
Any questions?
General course enquiries
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Telephone: +44(0)115 848 4200
Please note the following information for applicants.
Please note the following information for applicants
Core modules
Each stage must be successfully completed before a student is allowed to progress to the next stage.
- Stage One: Certificate (60 credits – three 20-credit core modules), addresses fundamental issues in the theory and practice of language teaching.
- Stage Two: Diploma (60 credits – three 20-credit option modules), allows students to choose specialised option modules according to their individual requirements or preferences*.
- Stage Three: Masters (60 credits – dissertation), students are free to select their own topic.
Stage One: Certificate Students on the ELT pathway take the following 20- credit core modules:
- Language in Use
- Theory and Practice in Language Teaching
- Course Design and Assessment.
Students on the PLT pathway take the following 20-credit core modules:
- Language in Use
- Principles of Language Learning and Teaching
- Materials and Assessment in Language Teaching.
Stage Two: Diploma Students on both pathways take three 20-credit option modules selected from the following*:
- Blended Learning and CALL: Multimedia applications in language learning
- English for Specific Purposes (ELT pathway only)
- Intercultural Communication
- Learner Autonomy
- Management in ELT (ELT pathway only)
- Materials Development
- Teacher Education (ELT pathway only)
- Teaching English Language Through Literature
- Teaching English to Young Learners
- Teaching Reading and Writing
- Teaching Speaking, Listening and Pronunciation
*Option module availability is subject to demand
Stage Three: Masters
- Dissertation. The dissertation is a 15,000-word piece of independent work that builds upon the practical, theoretical and research skills of the MA programme. It is an opportunity for students to follow their own interests, demonstrate their strengths and produce a rigorously researched dissertation on a specific subject.
Assessment
Assessment methods on this course are designed to evaluate your ability to apply theoretical concepts to practical work and where possible to relate ideas and proposals to your own teaching context. You will receive detailed feedback on all assessed work. A range of assignment types are represented across the course as a whole. These include:
- essays
- practical tasks (e.g. designing a course, syllabus or materials and providing an accompanying rationale, or writing a report or set of proposals)
- portfolios
- oral assessments (e.g. giving a presentation, leading a seminar)
- demonstration lessons
- class tests.
Resources and facilities
The Nottingham Language Centre has an open access Language Resource Centre. Facilities include a library of language practice books, video and audio tapes and a computer suite.
This career focused course is designed to provide a pathway directly into the profession of English Language Teaching for beginner teachers, and to posts in academic management, teacher-training or materials writing for experienced teachers. We have graduates teaching English in countries throughout the world.
Although this course does not offer a formal placement, it is a vocationally focused course which aims to help you to achieve an English Language teaching post in your chosen country.
