Master's In What?

[ajannick]

Hi,

I'm in the process of researching distance learning programs from UK, US and Australian universities for an on-line Masters.

I work in a government university and enjoy my job. My question is whether to study for a TESOL, education, linguistics or general English Masters course. Which one of these in your opinion will be of more use to a government university teacher in Isan? I was leaning towards the MA-TESOL from Sunderland University.

Many Thanks.

Nick.

[Xangsamhua]

Hi,

I'm in the process of researching distance learning programs from UK, US and Australian universities for an on-line Masters.

I work in a government university and enjoy my job. My question is whether to study for a TESOL, education, linguistics or general English Masters course. Which one of these in your opinion will be of more use to a government university teacher in Isan? I was leaning towards the MA-TESOL from Sunderland University.

Many Thanks.

Nick.

You can do the TESOL strand for your MEd at some universities. Otherwise an M TESOL or M App Ling should be equally acceptable anywhere. A Master's in Linguistics doesn't necessarily cover the teaching of language. I don't know how a Master's in English Literature would be regarded by universities here. For the schools sector, anything with the word "Education" in it is the most easily accepted, but one would hope that university people understand that "Applied Linguistics" is about language teaching.

If you are a UK citizen, wouldn't it be cheaper to do a course from a British university than an Australian or US one (unless you have dual nationality)? If you are looking to the antipodes, don't forget that NZ has some good TESOL programs too.

[aussiestyle1983]

posted in error

Edited February 5, 2008 by aussiestyle1983

[aussiestyle1983]

University of Wollongong (UOW) offers masters degrees in Education (MEd TESOL) via correspondance or online. They had the highest rated education faculty in Australia not too long ago. Their fees aren't that high as well and the entire course can be completed via distance. Anyway, check it out, as far are Australian universities offering distance programs in education are concerned, UOW has a good reputation and aren't as expensive as others.

http://coursefinder.uow.edu.au/coursefinde...AreaDetail.aspx

[KhaoNiaw]

From what I've seen, it won't necessarily make much difference which degree you choose, though at university level an MA in TESOL or App. Lingusitics should prove more valuable.

The only thing you might find at some universities is that an App. Ling. degree might help if you want to teach in a university English department teaching students majoring in English, rather than the more general English courses or ESP-type courses aimed at students taking degrees in other subjects and faculties.

[garro]

I am doing my Post Graduate Certificate of Education with University of South Queensland by distance learning.

They seem to have a good reputation.

It is four modules for the PGCE, six fot the Post Graduate Diploma and eight for the Master degree in Education.

I might go on to complete the diploma and will see if it is finacially viable to do the Masters at a later date.

[ukplodder]

If your looking at open and distance courses and your a UK citizen the Open University does an MA Education (Applied Linguistics) where you get the major through a course in TESOL

http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?Q01F01

that knocks over most skittles on your list and its cheap for an MA

[aussiestyle1983]

If your looking at open and distance courses and your a UK citizen the Open University does an MA Education (Applied Linguistics) where you get the major through a course in TESOL

http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?Q01F01

that knocks over most skittles on your list and its cheap for an MA

Doesn't the UK open uni accept international students?

Even if the fees for Intl students are higher which is always the case, a degree from OU would most likely always work out cheaper anyway.

Just a query, when you graduate from the UK open uni system, who actually issues the degree? I mean, it the Open Uni there made up of a number of different Uni's that offer degrees and the OU just acts as admin (like in Oz), or, is the Open Uni the actual Uni that will be listed on your transcript?

[Ijustwannateach]

^It's the OU on the transcript.

I'd recommend education. I can see a lot of schools in various places in the world refusing to let you work as a general teacher with a Master's in TEFL, but very few TEFL programs refusing a Master's in Education.

"S"

[aussiestyle1983]

^It's the OU on the transcript.

"S"

I get it now. The UK Open Uni is an actual Uni, whereas the Open Universities (plural) in Australia is just the admin group that handels all the paperwork, enrollments and payments for the distance education degrees that 10 or so Australian universities offer. I first thought it was a similar system in the UK, I had no idea the open uni was one actual uni itself. I guess that is why if you study through open universities australia you will actually graduate with a degree from whatever uni offers that degree, whereas if you study through the UK open uni you actually graduate from the open uni itself. Interesting. Knowing that Thai's will be scrutinising my transcript one day makes me glad that my degree will actually come from Macquarie, Griffith, or Monash university (soon I will have to decide as I'm running out of electives) and will not say open uni on it, given that most people would be aware that open uni degrees could be considered online degrees (keeping in mind how most Thais like to think they're better and compare people in the sense that their degree is better than yours) .

[Ijustwannateach]

^Actually, in Britain the OU is very well-respected and most persons from that country (and Europe at large) will tell you so (at least that's what my friends from the UK say when discussions of online degrees and the OU come up).

[ukplodder]

Its a good point aussiestyle makes. As Steven says the OU is well thought of within the UK (I can't speak for the rest of Europe) but inside Asia its questionable. I looked at the Australian system to do a distance masters and there isn't a lot in the difference in cost terms and you do qualify from an "actual" uni.

Thais...appearance...hhmm

[aussiestyle1983]

I agree with the above two posts. Yes, the reputation of the UK OU is excellent, it's most likely ranked higher that quite a few of the other uni's in the UK. But like I mentioned above, Thai's will judge you on everything. And when you got your degree from The Open University it might raise some questions because lets face it, they will look for any excuse to give you a hard time, and when they seed the words "Open University" who knows what might be happening in their brains. I would just not like to be in a situation after putting years of hard work into getting a degree and then to be knocked back again because of the Thai mentallity.

The degrees offered by the Australian OU are the exact same degrees offered by distance that are listed on the uni's website itself. On some of the actual uni's websites it actually says to enrol and graduate with this degree from us you have to register through open universities australia. OUA was basically established so the lazy pricks who work in the admin at the uni's would no longer have the deal with the distance students admin issues, OUA is like admin. Anyway, while nothing is certain there in LOS, I wouldn't want to risk spending so much time getting a degree from an excellent institution that is ranked well higher than the leading thai uni's to get slapped in the face by a jealous somchai.

[mbkudu]

Any degree is only as good as the brain that it's attached to. George W. Bush is a good example.

[aussiestyle1983]

George Walker is a good example, the most powerful (idiot) man in the world! Just goes to show how stupid all the yanks were that voted for him, I wonder if they had degrees too?

I'd rather use Bill Gates as an example and say that is degree is not needed at all

[PeaceBlondie]

Just a gentle reminder to stay on topic. Excellent discussion, otherwise.