Learn how to teach a truly global language
Year of entry: 2025 (September)
Join us online or in person to find out more about postgraduate study at York.
Upcoming eventsDevelop your knowledge of approaches to English language teaching to facilitate better teaching practice.
This course will provide you with the tools and resources you need to evaluate current issues and key trends in language learning and teaching in a range of contexts, and consider their application in classroom instruction, assessment, materials development and the English language curriculum. You'll also learn how to conduct your own research.
The course strengthened the skills I needed to pursue my career as an English teacher by offering me a variety of approaches and methodologies which enhanced my qualifications. I would highly recommend University of York to anyone who is interested in doing a Masters degree in TESOL; it was one of the best experiences in my life!Elena, MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
We host the Centre for Research on Education and Social Justice, meaning you will have opportunities to connect with researchers and students from across the world.
This course is designed for home or overseas students who wish to pursue a career teaching English as a second or foreign language, but who have little or no formal teaching experience.
You'll study applied linguistics, approaches to English teaching and research methods on which later training in practical teaching can build. You'll explore theories of language acquisition and language teaching, with an emphasis on how you can apply such theories in practice.
You will take a total of 180 credits, consisting of five core modules, one option module, and a dissertation.
This course does not include a teaching placement.
You will also study one option module:
The options available to you will be confirmed later in the year. For further information, please get in touch.
Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning.
You will develop, design, implement and manage your own original research project, supervised by a member of staff with the relevant experience for your topic. To complete this masters, you will produce a 12,000-word dissertation based on your research project.
Every course at York is built on a distinctive set of learning outcomes. These will give you a clear understanding of what you will be able to accomplish at the end of the course and help you explain what you can offer employers. Our academics identify the knowledge, skills, and experiences you'll need upon graduation and then design the course to get you there.
| Study mode | UK (home) | International and EU |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time (1 year) | £11,200 | £25,900 |
Students on a Student Visa are not currently permitted to study part-time at York.
UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.
Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.
There are no mandatory additional fees, but we do recommend that you set aside some money for photocopying. Course books will be available from the Library and online reading packs are available for most modules, but you may wish to buy your own copies. Each book typically costs £20 to 40.
Discover your funding options to help with tuition fees and living costs.
We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2025/26 throughout the year.
If you've successfully completed an undergraduate degree at York you could be eligible for a 10% Masters fee discount.
We are pleased to work with Chevening Scholars to offer funding for our Masters programmes. Chevening Scholarships provide one year of fully-funded postgraduate study in the UK for international (including EU) students. The scholarships are open to early and mid-career professionals who have the potential to become future leaders.
You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.
You’ll work with world‐leading academics who’ll challenge you to think independently and excel in all that you do. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace.
You will be taught through a combination of formal lectures, seminars, practical exercises and workshops.
You will spend time working on your own, reading assigned texts and researching supporting materials, as well as working with others in seminars to discuss and present your work.
You will be able to take advantage of additional English language lessons and study skills workshops should you need them.
A member of teaching staff will act as your supervisor throughout the degree to help guide your studies and monitor your progress.
You will be based in the Department of Education on Campus West. Teaching for this course takes place at various locations on Campus West, including Vanbrugh, James and Alcuin Colleges; and the Spring Lane teaching building.
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.
Types of assessments used throughout this course include:
This masters is an ideal foundation for careers in the language education sector, and for postgraduate students looking to go on to further study such as PhD.
Many of our graduates become English language teachers around the world: in private language schools, state schools, universities and other organisations requiring English language instruction. Others find employment opportunities in areas such as course and syllabus design, and materials writing in large and small scale publishing houses.
This course can be used to complement teacher training/development and voluntary or paid roles which focus on the more practical elements of teaching. However this course is not a teacher training programme.
| Typical offer | |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate degree | 2:2 or equivalent in a relevant discipline such as English Language, Linguistics or Education with a substantial English component |
| International pre-masters programme | Pre-masters from our International Pathway College |
| Other qualifications and experience | If you will have at least one year's teaching experience by the time this course starts you should consider applying for our MA in Applied Linguistics for Language Teaching |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Minimum requirement | |
|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic and Indicator) | 6.5, minimum 6.0 in each component |
| Cambridge CEFR | B2 First: 176, with 169 in each component |
| Oxford ELLT | 7, minimum of 6 in each component |
| Duolingo | 120, minimum 105 in all other components |
| LanguageCert SELT | B2 with 33/50 in each component |
| LanguageCert Academic | 70 with a minimum of 65 in each component |
| Kaplan Test of English Language | 459-494, with 426-458 in all other components |
| Skills for English | B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component |
| PTE Academic | 61, minimum 55 in each component |
| TOEFL | 87, minimum 21 in each component |
| Trinity ISE III | Merit in all requirements |
For more information see our postgraduate English language requirements.
You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.
The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.
After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.
We offer a range of campus accommodation to suit you and your budget, from economy to premium.
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