Explore contemporary approaches to language learning and insights into second language acquisition on an MA that opens the door to career opportunities around the world. You'll develop a deeper understanding of language and discourse analysis on this master's for English, linguistics and education graduates with professional teaching experience.
Introduction
From current trends in language teaching to a comprehensive understanding of second language acquisition, this MA immerses you in all aspects of language learning and linguistics.
We’ll introduce you to the latest approaches to linguistics research and reveal how these methods are being applied in the classroom. Developing a deeper understanding of every facet of language, you’ll analyse spoken and written discourse and gain experience of developing and refining language learning materials and assessment strategies.
The skills you develop will demonstrate your suitability for senior positions teaching English to speakers of other languages, as well as a variety of educational administration roles, in the UK and overseas. Your command of language could open the door to a career in publishing or journalism too.
You’ll learn from a friendly and supportive team of active researchers who have international teaching experience. Our students consistently praise the support they receive. Social visits to local places of interest will be arranged to help you to get to know your peers and the programme team.
Who is this course for?
The programme is designed for teachers, teacher trainers, materials writers, researchers and administrators. If you’ve got at least 12 months’ professional teaching experience, we’ll prepare you to teach English in educational settings across the globe.
If you have limited or no professional teaching experience, you’ll not usually be eligible for this MA but can apply for our MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
What you'll learn
Recent developments in approaches to language learning and teaching
Theories and research in second language acquisition
How vocabulary shapes language structure and contemporary language learning
How to analyse spoken and written discourse
Critical thinking, academic writing and research design skills
Key differences between spoken and written language
The principles and practices of teaching English to young learners
How to test and assess language skills in learners
The role of digital technologies in language learning
How to develop, evaluate and adapt language learning materials
Course content
Discover what you'll learn, what you'll study, and how you'll be taught and assessed.
Semester one
Compulsory modules
METHODS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING (ENGL641)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
Methodology is a key aspect of language teaching. It is therefore vital that teachers keep up to date with changes in methodology and also critically evaluate their own approaches to teaching. This is an essential part of being an engaged and effective language teacher, whichever context you work in.
Second Language Acquisition (ENGL661)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is fundamental to any study of language learning. This module provides an overview of SLA theories and research that are relevant to Applied Linguistics and TESOL and which will underpin students’ future teaching practice. The module will introduce students to theoretical and practical areas which they could further explore in their dissertation.
LEXIS AND VOCABULARY TEACHING (ENGL670)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
This module will enable you to understand the role of lexis and the teaching of vocabulary in contemporary approaches to language learning and teaching. You will survey and analyse current approaches to lexical description. You will analyse lexical systems in spoken and written communication. You will learn how to identify and evaluate current practice and discuss how learners are enabled to practise and remember new vocabulary. You will explore corpus/corpora and learn how to use corpus tools to analyse data. You will examine implications for applied linguistics, TESOL and language teaching. Sessions are delivered through interactive seminars, and a different aspect of lexis is discussed each week. The module is assessed by means of a 4,000 word assignment. You will be expected to produce two short essays, which will address a choice of questions related to the module input.
Optional modules
SPEAKING AND LISTENING (ENGL645)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
Many learners study second languages with the main purpose of speaking to other people. For this reason, it is vital that teachers at all levels of experience understand how spoken language differs from written language and also the processes involved in listening to second languages. This module aims to help teachers to understand these aspects and also how they relate to established methodologies, including their own.
READING AND WRITING (ENGL644)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
This module aims to provide students with theoretical knowledge and practical experience in Reading and Writing relevant to language teaching and research. Students will learn about recent insights into language theory and use which have been offered by research into corpora, genre and register. Implications of the insights to language teaching and learning will be explored throughout the course.
Teaching English to Young Learners (ENGL664)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
Teaching English to Young Learners has become a major career field for MA TESOL and MA Applied Linguistics graduates. Also in the Chinese primary and secondary education systems, more focus is being given to starting learning English at younger ages, for which teachers will need to be familiar with the principles and practices of teaching English to Young Learners.
Pedagogical Grammar for TESOL and Applied Linguistics (ENGL665)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
If you are, or if you want to become, a teacher of English to speakers of other languages, you’re almost certainly going to have to get to grips with English grammar. Grammar still plays a key role in most published coursebooks, as well as in foundational and more advanced ESOL teaching qualifications. In this optional module for both MA TESOL and Applied Linguistics and TESOL programmes, we essentially want to do two things: (1) to build up your language awareness (see, e.g., Garrett, P. & Cots, J. M. (eds.). (2017). The Routledge handbook of language awareness. Routledge.). This will involve surveying some of the traditional elements of English grammar (e.g., word classes, the structures and functions of clauses); but we will also consider some more recent developments of and challenges to these traditions (e.g. that no absolute distinction can be made between grammar and vocabulary; the existence of an informal, spoken grammar which does not fit neatly into traditional categories); (2) to enable you to analyse and evaluate various ways of teaching and learning grammar (e.g. in coursebook activities).
A student who successfully completes the module will have a clearer grasp of the different levels of grammar (e.g. in words, groups of words, utterances, clauses and longer stretches of text), and of how it can be taught. The module will be delivered in workshops and seminars (2 hours in total per week), and students will be expected to supplement these contact hours with their own reading. The module will be assessed by means of a written assignment of approximately 3,000 words.
Programme details and modules listed are illustrative only and subject to change.
Semester two
Compulsory modules
INTRODUCTION TO DISCOURSE ANALYSIS (ENGL640)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 2
This module is an introduction to Discourse Analysis. It aims to provide students with theoretical knowledge and practical experience in the field of Discourse Analysis which are relevant to language teaching and research. Students will learn about the insights into language theory and use which have been offered by research so far, and will have the opportunity to first analyse spoken and written data and then to select their own data for analysis.
RESEARCH SKILLS (ENGL642)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 2
This module aims to help students develop essential learning skills to develop critical thinking skills, to develop academic writing skills, to understand the principles of research design in relation to TESOL and Applied Linguistics, to become familiar with the typical research methodology, to understand the importance and procedures of ethical conduct of research projects design research projects and to write up MA dissertations. After the module, students will become able to demonstrate skills in managing learning resources, demonstrate skills in writing academic essays, demonstrate critical thinking skills in reviewing academic articles and demonstrate familiarity with and understanding of a range of relevant literature. At the end of the module, students will be asked to design a research proposal with appropriate research questions, methodology and theoretical support from the literature.
Optional modules
TESTING AND ASSESSMENT OF LANGUAGE PERFORMANCE (ENGL652)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 2
This module will enable you to understand the role of testing within contemporary second language testing. You will survey and analyse current approaches to language testing. You will analyse testing of language skills and systems and the principles behind different test types. You will learn how to identify and evaluate current practice. You will examine implications for applied linguistics, TESOL, language testing and language teaching. Sessions are delivered through interactive seminars and a different aspect of testing is discussed each week. The module is assessed by means of a 4,000 word assignment in the form of a ‘take home exam’. You will be expected to produce two tasks: one which enables you to produce a rationale for a section of a test and one which enables you to evaluate a published test.
LITERATURE AND SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHING (ENGL663)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 2
There is a long history of using literature in teaching English in a second or foreign language because in many contexts literature has been and is a valued learning resource. This module aims to make students aware of how literature has been used over time in EFL/ESL, how it can be analysed for teaching purposes and also to critically evaluate the teaching options for the use of literature in the second language classroom.
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR LANGUAGE TEACHING (ENGL662)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 2
Delivered through a mix of physical workshops, online discussion and video, this module provides students with understanding of, and skills in the principles and practice of using digital technologies to promote language learning. Content includes: developing digital literacies, exploiting computer mediated communication, video, evaluating language learning apps and websites and data driven learning. It will adopt and extended classroom / blended learning approach which students will then be able to apply to future classroom practice. Students are assessed through their contributions to online discusion and the development of a wiki evidencing skills in and understanding of specified technologies.
Corpus Linguistics for Language Research and Teaching (ENGL685)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 2
This module aims to provide students with theoretical knowledge and practical experience in the field of Corpus Linguistics which are relevant to language teaching and research. Students will learn about the insights into language theory and use which have been offered by corpus research so far, and will have the opportunity to conduct work on their own data using different software applications.
PRINCIPLES OF COURSE AND MATERIALS DESIGN (ENGL672)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 2
This module aims to introduce the students to the basic principles and procedures of course and materials design. Specifically, it helps them to become able to analyse, evaluate, adapt and develop materials for specified learners and contexts. Through experiential approaches, the students will be given opportunities to reflect upon their subconscious beliefs about learning and teaching, to articulate the principles behind teaching and materials and to critically appreciate the relevant literature on language learning, teaching and materials development. This module will also explore various ways of needs/wants analysis and designing a course. As outcomes, the students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge, awareness and skills in developing materials for any specific learners and contexts with clear objectives and appropriate methodology, justifying the use of effective texts and methodology for language learning and educational development and articulating the principles behind teaching and materials.
English for Academic Purposes (ENGL660)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 2
This course is aimed at teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) who are interested in teaching, or who may in future be required to teach, learners to use English in higher education. The course focuses on aspects of EAP teaching and research and the interactions between them. On the course we consider EAP to be an example of communicative language teaching, since it is based on a theoretical construct of contextualized communicative language ability; what constitutes good teaching and research practice in communicative EFL courses is also appropriate for EAP courses.
Programme details and modules listed are illustrative only and subject to change.
Final project
Compulsory modules
Applied Linguistics and TESOL Dissertation (ENGL682)
Credits: 60 /
Semester: summer
The aim of the dissertation is to enable students to carry out a research project of an appropriate scale, which is informed by relevant concepts from the literature and which demonstrate the ability to design a viable project, gather data with due concern for validity and reliability, interpret the findings with due caution and insight, and to write up a coherent account of the process and outcomes.
Programme details and modules listed are illustrative only and subject to change.
How you'll learn
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials and seminars. You will also complete extensive individual work under supervision. The modules will increasingly challenge you, as you progress through the course, to engage with current debates, think critically and study independently.
The teaching approach is interactive. To help model best practice in teaching English to speakers of other languages, the programme will maximise your participation in taught sessions through discovery learning and group activities.
How you're assessed
You will be assessed through a variety of essays and written assignments, including portfolios of coursework. You will also produce a research proposal and complete a substantial research project.
Most modules also include unassessed coursework tasks. These range from the analysis of language and the evaluation or production of teaching materials to the preparation and delivery of a micro-teaching activity.
Liverpool Hallmarks
We have a distinctive approach to education, the Liverpool Curriculum Framework, which focuses on research-connected teaching, active learning, and authentic assessment to ensure our students graduate as digitally fluent and confident global citizens.
Your experience
Teaching is delivered by the Department of Languages, Cultures and Film who bring together experts in a wide range of disciplines. A cutting edge research programme and award-winning teaching provide great opportunities to study all aspects of language and culture within a global context.
Support for students with differing needs from the Disability advice and guidance team. They can identify and recommend appropriate support provisions for you.
An exciting place to study English
We are internationally renowned for advancing the study of language, literature, and creative writing and have a strong research ethos
Our programmes offer opportunities to study creative writing and literature from a wide range of periods, as well as a range of approaches to understanding the way in which the English language works
We have a reputation for radical thinking, as exemplified by our success rate in the BBC and Arts and Humanities Council’s ‘New Generation Thinkers’ scheme. In total, five members our academic staff have been selected since the scheme was established in 2010
We are committed to small group teaching. This encourages a more rewarding learning experience, where ideas are shared and explored with peers and tutors
Ranked 10th in sector for research impact classified as outstanding (4*) (REF 2021)
We are host to Europe’s largest collection of science fiction materials which includes the John Wyndham Archive and home to the annual Liverpool Literary Festival.
Applied Linguistics and TESOL social trip to Haworth, home of the Brontës
Careers and employability
The programme provides a platform to develop your career in teaching, educational administration and other areas. You’ll be well placed to pursue new opportunities both in the UK and internationally.
The key transferable skills you’ll develop, especially in spoken and written communication, are highly sought after in publishing, journalism and marketing, for example. Clarity of expression, independent study and effective time management will also prepare you for further academic study and research.
Career support from day one to graduation and beyond
Our alumni have gone on to teach English in elementary and secondary schools, as well as tertiary education settings, around the globe.
You’ll graduate well placed to secure a senior teaching post in state or private education in the UK and overseas. A Masters degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages is a pre-requisite for securing a long-term teaching post in many countries worldwide.
This MA is also a key qualification if you want to transition from classroom teaching to teacher training, higher education, or roles shaping educational policy and practice.
Potential career paths include:
Teaching
Teacher training
Lecturing
Research
Leadership
Educational administration
School inspections
Consultancy
Curriculum design
Publishing
Journalism
Marketing
Sales
Human resources.
A significant number of MA graduates in the Department of English continue their studies to PhD level.
Fees and funding
Your tuition fees, funding your studies, and other costs to consider.
Tuition fees
UK fees (applies to Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland)
Full-time place, per year
£10,400
International fees
Full-time place, per year
£21,400
Fees stated are for the 2023-24 academic year.
Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching and assessment, operating facilities such as libraries, IT equipment, and access to academic and personal support.
We understand that budgeting for your time at university is important, and we want to make sure you understand any course-related costs that are not covered by your tuition fee. This could include buying a laptop, books, or stationery.
You will normally need a 2:1 honours degree or above, or equivalent, in English, Linguistics or Education, as well as at least 12 months of professional teaching experience.
Other degree subjects may be considered on an individual basis.
International qualifications
If you hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, but don’t meet our entry requirements, you could be eligible for a Pre-Master’s course. This is offered on campus at the University of Liverpool International College, in partnership with Kaplan International Pathways. It’s a specialist preparation course for postgraduate study, and when you pass the Pre-Master’s at the required level with good attendance, you’re guaranteed entry to a University of Liverpool master’s degree.
Liverpool bursts with diversity and creativity which makes it ideal for you to undertake your postgraduate studies and access various opportunities for you and your family.
To fully immerse yourself in the university experience living in halls will keep you close to campus where you can always meet new people. Find your home away from home.
Discover what expenses are covered by the cost of your tuition fees and other finance-related information you may need regarding your studies at Liverpool.
Contact us
Have a question about this course or studying with us? Our dedicated enquiries team can help.
