MA Education with TESOL

Ranked 1st in the UK for Teaching Quality (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025)

Why study this course

Get hands on: make the most of English Language teaching opportunities and observe professionals or teach classes in person and online

Immerse yourself in global and local debates about education policy, the role of English as a world language, second language learning theories, and multilingualism

Choose assessment topics to develop the areas of knowledge you need for your future careers or further research

Study at a university with a 160-year history in teacher training and education situated within walking distance of the historical city of Lincoln

Course summary

Are you an aspiring or experienced teacher or education manager who wants to find out more about supporting EAL learners in primary or secondary settings in the UK? Do you want to extend your skills for English language teaching in FE? Are you a TEFL teacher working in the UK, overseas, or online and want to develop your practice? Perhaps you intend to work in international school settings and need to know how to support students in multilingual and multicultural classrooms? Maybe you want to further your knowledge of education policy for social inclusion and diversity and how to implement it in your school. If the answer is yes to any of the above, the MA in Education with TESOL is the ideal course for you.

For more information, contact enquiries@bishopg.ac.uk

Don’t forget that BGU Alumni receive a 20% discount on all Master's course fees for 2025/26.

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Key facts

Award	MA
Duration	1 year
Mode of study	Full time
Start date	January & September 2025
Award	Bishop Grosseteste University
Institution code	B38

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About this course

Our popular MA in Education with TESOL programme is taught on the beautiful BGU campus by experienced researchers and TEFL professionals. The course is structured to give you the flexibility to engage with areas of language education, education policy, English language teaching, teacher education - and more - that interest you, allowing you to develop the knowledge and skills you require most for your future careers. The programme is taught over two trimesters, with the third trimester seeing you focus on your dissertation project.
On the programme you will:

grow your knowledge of education and language learning theory and policy
discuss the latest developments and debates on topics ranging from World Englishes to TESOL methodologies
develop your language awareness and descriptive language skills
get hands on experience of teaching and observing language lessons in person and online
learn the theories that underlie language teaching methodologies, syllabi, and materials for language teaching - and get to use and create them yourselves
hear from guest lecturers, student researchers, and industry professionals
discover a range of research approaches and devise and conduct a research project (dissertation) of your choosing

Our students have progressed to careers as diverse as teaching English in FE, as EAL specialists in schools, university lecturers, TEFL teachers, and teaching materials creators...among others. They work in schools and colleges in the UK, in international schools, in local government - and they also continue their research with PhD study in Australia, USA, China, and here at BGU Lincoln.

So, are you ready to take the next step in your career with a programme that takes a local and global outlook on education? Find out more below, or apply now.

I would say to anyone thinking of coming to BGU that if they are looking for quality and a community that recognises all its members as equal and provides the best facilities and teaching for its students then this is the place for them. Nowhere else.

Moses
MA in Education with TESOL student

What you will study

Students on this course currently study some or all of the following modules:

Course modules

This module examines the current ‘lingua franca’ status of the English language. The implications of this status are wide-ranging as it causes major changes in the way in which the language is conceptualised, used, taught, learned and assessed globally. A further aim of the module is to develop your language awareness and to give you a thorough understanding of the key systems and skills of the English language.

This module is designed to develop knowledge of and explore the application of the methodology of teaching English as a second/foreign language. The module has a strong practical focus on aspects of English language teaching in order to ensure that you are equipped with essential experience and knowledge to enable you to prepare for, plan and deliver successful English language lessons in a real teaching context.

The aim of the module is to develop your understanding of the ideological and structural features of educational policy text, how these are constructed (including the impact and use of educational research), and how these influence practice at individual, institutional, national and global levels. It aims to interrogate the ways in which concepts of teacher professionalism, organizational development and pedagogical improvement in different contexts are constructed through education policy at national and international levels.

This is a core module intended to provide you with sufficient theoretical, conceptual and philosophical grounding in qualitative, quantitative and mixed method research designs to become an increasingly informed and productive member of your own professional and scholarly communities. The module will provide you with the research skills to commission or carry out and critically evaluate rigorous research in the field of education and TESOL.

The dissertation demands enquiry and research skills, intellectual awareness of issues, discriminating use of research methodologies and refinement of argument, all at the highest levels within the framework for M-Level qualifications. You will face the challenge of developing a sustained, accurate, subtle and reflective argument on an educational issue, with a view to impacting on policy, practice and learners progress.

Entry requirements

You will need to have obtained or be predicted to obtain, normally an undergraduate honours degree in a relevant subject (or equivalent).

If you have any questions about the entry requirements for this course, please contact our Enquiries team for advice on +44 (0) 1522 583658 or email courseenquiries@bishopg.ac.uk.

BGU is committed to widening access and participation and we adhere to a strict policy of non-discrimination.

Further information

Click here for important information about this course including additional costs, resources and key policies.

In accordance with University conditions, students are entitled to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning, RP(C)L, based on relevant credit at another HE institution or credit Awarded for Experiential Learning, (RP(E)L).

How you will be taught

There are a number of study modes available; learning methods include Interactive lectures and student and staff led seminars, directed pre and post session tasks, directed reading, practical workshops, student and staff-led seminars, and project work. Teaching, learning and assessment draw on the different backgrounds, experience and knowledge of our students, and encourage critical reflection. Teaching style is highly participatory and engages you in practical teaching, workshop activities, online discussion, peer evaluation, presentations and research projects. The programme is supported by a full online ‘virtual learning environment’ which includes readings, discussions, session materials, peer support for assignments, and opportunities for students on campus and online to share professional concerns and debates.

Academic staff

Assessment

We aim to make assessment an integral part of your experience here at BGU. The assessment tasks take a number of forms as all tasks are appropriate to the content and learning outcomes of the module being assessed. These include essay or report writing, online discussions, group tasks, oral presentations an analysis of an educational text. Assignments will be assessed with reference to guidelines provided in individual module assignment briefs and will relate closely to the learning outcomes for that particular module. Assessments are supported by online materials and discussion boards, presentations of work in progress with the opportunity for tutor and peer feedback and/or formative tasks with detailed and feed forward feedback to assist with summative assignment.

Careers & Further study

The MA in Education with TESOL programme is perfect preparation for anyone wishing to work in a diverse range of educational roles which involve having a specialism in supporting multilingual learners from diverse cultural and language backgrounds of all ages. Careers may involve you being inside or outside the classroom, in schools, colleges, government, or your own businesses, both in the UK or internationally- This could mean working with EAL students in primary and secondary contexts, language learners in FE colleges, students learning English around the world, or international schools where English is the medium of instruction. It could also mean working as materials creators for EFL publishers, or advising policy makers and local government bodies on how best to support people from multilingual backgrounds in their daily lives or to achieve their education goals. Many of our students are multilingual and are able to use the skills and knowledge from the programme to teach languages other than English and others go on to work with refugee and asylum seekers.

Many of our students proceed to PhD study.

What Our Students Say

Discover what life is like at Bishop Grosseteste University from our students.

Support

Studying at BGU is a student-centred experience. Staff and students work together in a friendly and supportive atmosphere as part of an intimate campus community. You will know every member of staff personally and feel confident approaching them for help and advice, and staff members will recognise you, not just by sight, but as an individual with unique talents and interests.

We will be there to support you, personally and academically, from induction to graduation.

At BGU we have so much support available for our students, the type of support that has won us awards recently in the What Uni Student Choice Awards 2023, such as the Chaplaincy team, the Student Advice team, CELT, BGFutures and representatives at the Students’ Union.

Fees & Funding

A lot of student finance information is available from numerous sources, but it is sometimes confusing and contradictory. That’s why at BGU we try to give you all the information and support we can to help to throughout the process. Our Student Advice team are experts in helping you sort out the funding arrangements for your studies, offering a range of services to guide you through all aspects of student finance step by step.

Click here to find information about fees, loans and support which will help to make the whole process a little easier to understand. For all applicants, there are full instructions at UCAS to make it as easy as possible for you to fill in your online application, plus help text where appropriate. Full details of all tuition fees can be found here.

For all applicants, there are full instructions here to make it as easy as possible for you to fill in your online application, plus help text where appropriate.

Hear from our students

There is no better way to learn what life is like at BGU then from our students.

The course has been really great. There is a difference between education in the UK versus education in India, but the course is designed so that international students can be comfortable with it

Perpetina
MA Education with TESOL (2023 Graduate)

Although I have been teaching EFL for 20 years, this course has enriched my professional development by allowing me to study various teaching theories and methods, giving me a greater understanding of language acquisition and how I can implement these into my work effectively.

Jenny
MA Education with TESOL (2023 Graduate)