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Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) (MA)

Find out more about our Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Master's degree at Warwick

P-X9PR full-time or part-time, or P-X9PS part-time

MA

1 year full-time;
2-4 years part-time

28 September 2026

Applied Linguistics

University of Warwick

The University of Warwick's TESOL programme is designed with course features that will appeal to those who want to advance their career in the field of English Language Teaching. This MA's structure allows Warwick to capture new, cutting-edge developments and showcase staff expertise in a growing range of specialist areas.

The MA TESOL programme will help you develop an in-depth understanding of the links between research, theory and professional practice in the area of teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

The programme has been designed for English language teachers with varying levels of professional experience, from teachers who have less than two years’ experience to those who have taught for many years. Potential students include teachers, teacher trainers, materials or curriculum developers, and other professionals who work in the area of second/foreign language education, either in the state sector or in private language institutes at primary, secondary or tertiary levels.

Skills from this degree

For this degree, skills that will be developed include:

• Research skills (e.g. qualitative/quantitative research design and methods; action research, etc.)
• Professional development skills (e.g. teaching, observing, mentoring, reflective practice)
• Language teaching materials and lesson plan design skills (e.g. materials for young learners, adults, English for Specific Purposes etc.)
• Language analysis skills (e.g. conversation analysis; discourse analysis)

Modules are taught by a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. Importance is placed on research-led teaching and developing students’ understanding of research principles and methods, as well as the ability to reflect on the relationship between theory, research and practice.

In Term Three, you will work closely with a dissertation supervisor to complete your own research project. The dissertation draws on the academic and professional knowledge and interests you have developed in Terms One and Two, and is closely linked to work you have done in the research methods module.

Class size will vary depending on type of module (core or optional) and teaching session (lecture or seminar), ranging from around 10 students (for some optional modules) to around 100+ students (for core module lectures).

There are 10 weeks in each term. For both Terms One and Two, you will usually have 8 weeks of teaching contact with the remainder of each term dedicated to module-related reading, assignment work and optional tutorials.

Assessment on the programme is by coursework and final dissertation - there are no formal examinations. The following are example types of coursework you might submit for assessment on the MA:

• Written assignment (e.g. a 2,000-word assignment which includes an appropriately referenced literature review)
• Teaching materials/lesson plans with rationale
• Blog writing (e.g. blogging about useful ICT tools for ELT)
• Language analysis

Reading lists

If you would like to view reading lists for current or previous cohorts of students, most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library on the Talis Aspire platformLink opens in a new window. 

You can search for reading lists by module title, code or convenor. Please see the modules tab of this page or the module catalogue. 

Please note that some reading lists may have restricted access or be unavailable at certain times of year due to not yet being published. If you cannot access the reading list for a particular module, please check again later or contact the module’s host department.

Your timetable

Your personalised timetable will be complete when you are registered for all modules, compulsory and optional, and you have been allocated to your lectures, seminars and other small group classes. Your compulsory modules will be registered for you, and you will be able to choose your optional modules when you join us.

2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent).

• Band A
• IELTS overall score of 6.5, (with 6.5 in writing).

Please also see information on alternative Accepted English language Tests.

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

Plus both Pathway 1 and Pathway 2 students take the following core modules

Page updates

We have revised the information on this page since publication. See the edits we have made and content history.