NTU establishes joint Masters programme with the University of Da Nang

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and VNUK Institute for Research and Executive Education (VNUK) recently launched a joint MA TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) programme to help students in Vietnam access the UK’s prestigious education system.

Angela Brown (front, left) with Dr. Nguyen Huong, Deputy Director of VNUK (front, right) with various VNUK and NTU staff members

Designed for English teachers in countries where English is not a first language, MA TESOL is accepted in more than 80 countries, and graduates are qualified to teach English professionally worldwide.

The programme focuses on practice and provides learners with skills and experience to become professional and excellent English teachers who can work in international environments.

In an era of internationalisation, fluency in English has become an urgent need on all educational levels. In 2020, the National Foreign Language Project will be launched in Vietnam, with brand new advances to innovate foreign language teaching and learning across all school levels in Vietnam. The project especially emphasises the improvement in quality of English teachers.

Angela Brown with Deputy Director of VNUK

Angela Brown (left) with Nguyen Thi My Huong

The first cohort of the joint programme is expected to start in September 2019, with the first semester being delivered at VNUK in Da Nang. Students will then come to NTU to complete their second semester, giving them the chance to experience the UK and its educational system.

They will then return to Vietnam to complete a thesis in their third and final semester under the supervision of NTU’s academics. All students of the programme will graduate with an NTU degree.

Martin Seviour, NTU's Acting Head of Department for Nottingham Language Centre told us: "We are delighted to be sharing the delivery of our MA TESOL course with a new partner, and to be able to give students from Vietnam the opportunity to experience postgraduate study in their own country and in the UK. I am sure this is the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial relationship between VNUK and NTU."

Dr. Nguyen Thi My Huong, Deputy Director of VNUK shared in her speech: "Through this joint programme, we would like to take a step-by-step approach to improve the quality of English teacher training programmes. With the experience and dedication of NTU, we are confident that the programme will be a success."

Both universities are determined to provide students with an optimal learning experience. In turn, the students will contribute towards improving the quality of English taught in the Central region of Vietnam.

This venture will also create opportunities for collaborative research in English language teaching between academics from both universities.

Notes for editors