MA in Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching
London, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 up to 2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
09 Mar 2025*
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 30,000 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* first application deadline
** International students | UK students: £13,500 per year
Introduction
The Applied Linguistics & English Language Teaching MA is a Master’s programme devised specifically for experienced language teachers who wish to engage with current research and theory in language education and linguistics from the perspective of pedagogy, policy and practice in the ELT profession and beyond.
The course offers you an excellent opportunity to further your career in ELT and develop expertise in specialist fields such as Language Assessment, Digital technologies in ELT, EAP, and Materials Development, as well as the opportunity to study relevant theoretical subjects, including Multilingualism, Migration & Diversity, Language and Power.
Key benefits
- Opportunities to expand your knowledge of current theoretical and practical aspects of language teaching.
- Excellent tutorial support and extensive programme-specific training in research methods and academic writing.
- Opportunities to exchange ideas with other experienced language teaching professionals from many diverse backgrounds.
- Opportunities to develop professional expertise relevant to your career development in areas such as EAP, Materials Development, Language Testing and Assessment, Pragmatics and Teacher Education.
Course essentials
The Applied Linguistics & English Language Teaching MA course offers you opportunities to explore current research and specialist areas such as teacher education, materials development, teaching English for academic purposes, management, and evaluation in ELT and intercultural studies.
You will study required modules covering language teaching methodology and curriculum design, linguistic analysis for language teaching, issues in second language development and language in use (sociolinguistics, and aspects of second language learning) as well as research methods. We also place emphasis on the notion of informed teaching. To do so we examine the value for teachers to mediate between theory and practice in constructing personal pedagogies. If you are studying full-time, you will complete the 180-195 credit course in one year, from September to September. If you are studying part-time, your course will take two years to complete. If you have the Cambridge Delta or Trinity Diploma in ELT, you may be eligible for the ‘fast- track’ version of the course which will give you an exemption from Principles & Practices in Second/ Foreign Language Teaching.
The fast-track option can only be studied part-time. As students on this pathway are exempt from a module, they will not take any taught modules in one of the terms (normally Term 1 of Year 2). They may, however, be working on their dissertation during this time.
Admissions
Curriculum
Structure
Required modules
Courses are divided into modules. You will take modules totalling 180-195 credits.
You are required to take the following modules:
- Linguistic Analysis for Language Teaching (30 credits)
- Principles and Practices in Second/Foreign Language Teaching (30 credits) [fast track students exempt from this module]
- Second/Additional Language Acquisition (15 credits)
- Research Methods & Dissertation in Applied Linguistics/Language Learning & Teaching (60 credits)
- Sociolinguistics (15 credits)
Please note, fast track students are exempt from the 'Principles and Practices in the Second/Foreign Language Teaching Curriculum' module
Optional modules
You will take an additional 30-45 credits from a range of optional modules that may typically include modules from the list below, and may include a maximum of 30 credits from language/linguistics-related modules from other programmes at King’s College London, at the discretion of the Programme Director:
- English for Academic Purposes (15 credits)
- Language Assessment (15 credits)
- Materials Development in English Language Teaching (15 credits)
- Teacher Education (15 credits)
- Digital ELT (15 credits)
- Multilingualism, Migration & Diversity (15 credits)
If you are following the two-year part-time course, you will usually take the modules in the following order:
Year one:
- Linguistic Analysis for Language Teaching (30 credits) and
- Sociolinguistics (15 credits)
Or
- Second/Additional Language Acquisition (15 credits) and
- Principles and Practice in Second/Foreign Language Teaching (30 credits) (fast track students exempt)
Part-time students divide their optional credits equally across the two years
Year two:
- Second/Additional Language Acquisition (15 credits) and
- Principles & Practices in Second/Foreign Language Teaching (30 credits) (fast track students exempt)
Or
- Linguistic Analysis for Language Teaching (30 credits) and
- Sociolinguistics (15 credits)
Whichever of these you did not take in Year 1
- Part-time students divide their optional credits equally across the two years
- Research Methods & Dissertation in Applied Linguistics/Language Learning & Teaching (60 credits)
If you are taking the part-time, fast-track course, you will usually take the modules in the following order:
Year one:
- Linguistic Analysis for Language Teaching (30 credits) and
- Sociolinguistics (15 credits)
Or
Second/Additional Language Acquisition (15 credits)
Fast-track students divide their 30 optional credits equally across the two years
Year two:
- Second/Additional Language Acquisition (15 credits)
Or
- Linguistic Analysis for Language Teaching (30 credits) and
- Sociolinguistics (15 credits).
Whichever you did not take in year 1.
Whichever of these you did not take in Year 1
- Fast-track students divide their optional credits equally across the two years
- Research Methods & Dissertation in Applied Linguistics/Language Learning and Teaching (60 credits)
Fast-track students have an exemption from the Principles & Practices in Second/foreign language Teaching module.
King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, the modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.
Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place for all students who elect to study this module.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Many of our graduates from the Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching MA course choose to remain in higher education and go on to follow MPhil/PhD pathways. Many of our graduates also go on to pursue careers in many related fields, including publishing, language planning and policy, educational management and teacher education.