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TESOL - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages MA

About this course

  • 73% of NTU’s research in English Language and Literature was assessed to be world-leading or internationally excellent - REF2021.
  • Take part in practical teaching and build a whole portfolio of teaching materials.
  • We are a Cambridge-approved Centre so there may be the opportunity to add a Cambridge Teaching qualification such as CELTA to your degree.

This course is ideal for both experienced English Language teachers and those with little or no experience in the area who wish to become an English language teacher to speakers of other languages. The course helps you develop employability and enterprise skills, and offers a lot of teaching practice as well as an optional placement.

MA TESOL will equip you with a highly portable global skillset that allows you to get started as an English teacher in schools, universities and private training institutions around the world, manage English Language Teaching (ELT) programmes, develop educational material and textbooks, or even start your own language teaching business.

What you’ll study

The course has a very practical focus. You will have the opportunity to take part in practical teaching. You will be involved in demonstrating a range of teaching methods in practical sessions, including:

  • designing teaching materials
  • planning lessons and tests
  • practising teaching in a peer group
  • analysing real lessons through DVD observations.

At the end of the course you will be able to accumulate the teaching materials  you develop into a portfolio for job applications.

We very much value the range of perspectives that students from different socio-cultural contexts bring to teaching and learning. The profile of course participants is very international, including most recently Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Mexico, Poland, Switzerland and the UK.

Our teaching methods encourage active participation in group work, discussion and the exchange of ideas, with the aim of developing your critical and analytical skills.

We offer a high level of in-sessional support designed specifically around the needs of students, both in classes and on an individual basis.  We provide one-to-one 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.

Core modules

Investigating Language in Use  (20 credits)

Develop your knowledge and skills in analysing language in use. It covers fundamental areas in language analysis for English language teaching practitioners. It also focuses on why knowledge of these systems and ability to analyse language are essential skills for the language teacher, and how they can be used in a variety of language teaching situations.

Developing Classroom Practice or Extending Classroom Practice (20 credits)*

Novice teachers will study Developing Classroom Practice which will build your knowledge of classroom methodologies, strategies for second language teaching and the principles underpinning these. This includes practical, classroom-based orientation and develops your confidence and competence in the planning, delivery and analysis of lesson types.

More experienced teacher will study Extending Classroom Practice which will challenge you to critically investigate your current knowledge and practices and explore a range of pedagogical options. Real language classrooms allow you to experiment with new methods, strategies and techniques.

* This is subject to student numbers.

Analysing Second Language Learning (20 credits)

Critically evaluate the effectiveness of teaching methods in light of research evidence, and build evidence-based practice and informed evaluations of your own, and others', teaching. You will produce a video or podcast aimed at a specific group of teachers, giving practical advice on how the theory or research can be meaningfully applied to practice.

Designing Courses and Assessments (20 credits)

Examine the principles of syllabus and course design. You will apply your knowledge and understanding to design an English language course for a group of learners and outline strategies for evaluating the effectiveness of your course.

Research Methods / Practical Project / Dissertation (60 credits)

The Research Methods module supports your transition towards developing your own personalised research project, allowing you to conduct original research on a topic of your choice related to teaching English to speakers of other languages. The Research Methods module will support development and enable you to gain in-depth knowledge of research methodologies, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches as well as using discipline standard software to support your analyses. Your development is supported with a hands-on approach to exploring research at the forefront of teaching and learning. This approach will support development of your skills as a researcher, which culminates with one-to-one supervision from our experienced lecturers. Comprehensive support ensures you develop robust competencies, critical thinking, and expertise to contribute meaningfully to the field of TESOL. The Research Methods module provides support for your academic and professional journey with rigorous, real-world research experience.

The dissertation is a piece of independent work that builds upon the practical, theoretical and research skills of the MA course. Alternatively, you may produce a practical project of around 10,000-words with accompanying material, such as bespoke teaching materials, or re-designing a curriculum.

Optional modules - choose two

Options are subject to student numbers and demand

Teaching English for Academic Purposes (20 credits)

Understand the role of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) within Higher Education sectors around the world.

Exploring Teacher Education (20 credits)

Evaluate the practices and processes of teacher education and professional development. You will consider at least two different teacher education settings such as pre-service training, in-service training, action research, self-directed teacher development.

Teaching English to Young Learners (20 credits)

Explore the teaching of young learners, based on understanding of psychological and sociological factors contributing to the general and linguistic development of children. You will learn how to evaluate published materials for teaching young learners, and apply your knowledge to a variety of practical teaching contexts.

Designing Materials for the Language Classroom (20 credits)

This module focuses on the design of TESOL materials. You will be tasked to produce effective materials and be able to trial them through micro-teaching and live language classrooms, in both physical and online environments.

Teaching and Assessing Vocabulary (20 credits)

Over the past 30 years there has been a dramatic increase of research in the area of language acquisition, and it is now a central area of investigation in the wider field of applied linguistics. This module uses this research to question current practice and outline principles of good teaching. You will analyse instructional material of your choice, and develop materials and assessments for classes to promote vocabulary learning.

We regularly review and update our course content based on student and employer feedback, ensuring that all of our courses remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or module availability in future years.

Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves

Student Profiles

Sora Fujishima

MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

I’m so satisfied with the course so far and I want to praise my old self for choosing NTU to study TESOL!

Mook Mou

MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

The level of support I received during my stay at NTU was really valuable to me. All of our classes are well planned and very engaging, we also have additional academic support available, to make sure we receive targeted tutorial if needed.

Amal Hanashi

MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

The ability to access NTU anywhere is excellent as I can work and download articles and papers outside the library. Sometimes I worked from home and during the summer holidays, I worked from my home town in Oman.

Phuong Nga Ngo

MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

I really enjoy my course, especially all the modules. I get the chance to learn all the theories about the field, as well as be taught by knowledgeable teachers. I also have peer-teaching and teaching practice sessions where I can practice and apply everything.

How you're taught

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.
A range of assignment types are used including essays, practical tasks, portfolios, presentations, demonstration lessons and class tests.

Learn a new language

Alongside your study you also have the opportunity to learn another new language. The University Language Programme (ULP) is available to all students and gives you the option of learning a totally new language or improving the skills you already have. Learning a new language can enhance your communication skills, enrich your experience when travelling abroad and boost your career prospects. Find out more about the University Language Programme.

Staff Profiles

Dr Amy Wang - Senior Lecturer

Nottingham Institute of Languages and Intercultural Communication (NILIC)

MA TESOL Course Leader Nottingham Institute of Languages and Intercultural Communication (NILIC)

James Cooper - Senior Lecturer

School of Arts & Humanities

James Cooper is a Senior Lecturer specialising in second language pedagogy.

Samuel Barclay - Senior Lecturer

School of Arts & Humanities

Dr Sam Barclay is a Lecturer in second language acquisition. His teaching and research largely focuses on teaching and assessing vocabulary, and course and materials design.

Octavia Harris - Senior Lecturer

School of Arts & Humanities

Octavia Harris is the EFL and Business English Subject Coordinator for ULP.

Sarah Khan - Senior Lecturer

School of Arts & Humanities

Sarah Khan

Jumana Ghannam - Senior Lecturer

School of Arts & Humanities

Dr Jumana Ghannam is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Arts and Humanities. Jumana is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a UNILANG certified Examiner and Assessor.…

Carla Grimley - Senior Lecturer

School of Arts & Humanities

Carla Grimley is a Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University

Peter Lee - Lecturer

School of Arts & Humanities

Peter Lee teaches in the School of Arts and Humanities within the subject area of linguistics.

Laura Manzie - Senior Lecturer

School of Arts & Humanities

Laura Manzie is a Senior Lecturer in English as a Foreign Language and a teacher educator.

Careers and employability

Your career development

Our graduates are now working as English language teaching professionals, teacher trainers, textbook writers or university lecturers 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. You will have the opportunity to take a one-year module on practical teaching and be involved in demonstrating a range of teaching methods in practical sessions, designing teaching materials, planning lessons, and tests.

Campus and facilities

Entry requirements

UK students

Academic entry requirements: 2.2 honours degree or equivalent.

Applications from candidates with non-standard entry qualifications will be considered on an individual basis if they can demonstrate relevant professional experience.

International students

Academic entry requirements: 2.2 honours degree or equivalent.

We accept equivalent qualifications from all over the world. Please check your international entry requirements by country.

English language requirements: See our English language requirements page for requirements for your subject and information on alternative tests and Pre-sessional English.

Policies

We strive to make our admissions procedures as fair and clear as possible. To find out more about how we make offers, visit our admissions policies page.

Fees and funding

UK students

- see the fees for this course, as well as information about funding and support.
  • £9,300 per year

Please note that if you are considering a course that runs over more than one year, the tuition fee stated is for the first year of study. The course fee for the second year may be subject to annual review.

Find out about the extra support we may be able to provide to help pay for uni, including scholarships, discounts and loans.

Scholarships

You might be able to get a scholarship to help fund your studies. We award scholarships to students who can demonstrate excellent achievement, passion and dedication to their studies.

Alumni discount

We’re happy to offer a 20% alumni discount to most current NTU students and recent NTU alumni. This discount is currently available for those starting an eligible postgraduate taught, postgraduate research or professional course.

Postgraduate loans

There is a government postgraduate loan scheme for Masters degrees. The loan contributes towards costs of study, and students can put it towards tuition fees, maintenance costs or other costs at their discretion. Find out more about postgraduate loans.

International students

- see the fees for this course, as well as payment advice and scholarships.
  • Full-time - £17,850
  • Part-time - £8,925

Please note that if you are considering a course that runs over more than one year, the tuition fee stated is for the first year of study. The course fee for the second year may be subject to annual review.

Find out about the extra support we may be able to provide to help pay for uni, including scholarships, discounts and loans.

Scholarships

We offer scholarships for international students up to 50% off your tuition fee. You can apply for a scholarship when you have an offer to study at NTU.

Alumni discount

We’re happy to offer a 20% alumni discount to most current NTU students and recent NTU alumni. This discount is available for those starting an eligible postgraduate taught, postgraduate research or professional course.

Living costs

See our advice on managing your money, the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham and how to budget.

Paying fees

As an international student, you'll need to make an advance payment of £6,000 when you've accepted your offer to study at NTU. You'll then need to pay your tuition fees in full, or have an agreement to pay in two further instalments, before the start date of your course.

Find out how and when to pay your fees, including information about advance payments, instalment dates and how to make payments securely to the University.

Enquiries

If you have any queries relating to advance payments or arrangements to pay, please contact our friendly and experienced international enquiries team.

Additional costs

Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses. There are just a few additional things you may need to budget for:

Textbooks and library books

Most modules will recommend one or more core textbooks, which most students choose to purchase. Book costs vary and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential textbooks, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) - meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you might think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available for purchase from previous year students.

Printing and photocopying costs

The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the printing and photocopying information on the Library website.

Fees and funding advice

For more advice and guidance, you can email our Student Money Team or phone us on +44 (0)115 848 2494.

Cost of living information and support

Managing your money can help you make the most of life at NTU. Here's how we can support you, and now you can make your funding go further.

How to apply

If you are interested in joining us in September 2025, this course will open for applications through the applicant portal from September 2024. Courses starting in January 2026 will be open for applications from July 2025.

Ready to join us?

Just click the Apply button at the top of the page and follow our step-by-step guide. You can apply for this course throughout the year. Most of our postgraduate and professional courses are popular and fill up quickly though, so apply as soon as you can.

Writing your application

Be honest, thorough and persuasive in your application. Remember, we can only make a decision based on what you tell us. Make sure you include as much information as possible, including uploading evidence of results already achieved, as well as a personal statement.

Keeping up to date

After you’ve applied, we’ll be sending you important emails throughout the application process - so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.

You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU in our postgraduates’ guide. Here you’ll find advice about how to write a good personal statement and much more. Good luck with your application!

Getting in touch

If you need any more help or information, please contact us at Ask NTU or call on +44 (0)115 848 4200.

If you are interested in joining us in September 2025, this course will open for applications through the applicant portal from September 2024. Courses starting in January 2026 will be open for applications from July 2025.

Apply online through our NTU applicant portal.

Application advice

Apply early so that you have enough time to prepare – processing times for Student visas can vary, for example.  After you've applied, we'll be sending you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.

Writing your personal statement

Be honest, thorough, and persuasive – we can only make a decision about your application based on what you tell us:

Would you like some advice on your study plans?

Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.

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