Entry requirementsEntry Requirements 2:1 honours degree or equivalent in English or a cognate subject. Other relevant qualifications and/or experience may be considered. Students with English as a second language are required to have an IELTS score of 6.5 minimum (or a recognised equivalent English language qualification).
Academic titleModern English Language MA
Course descriptionIntroduction
level of competence. There is an emphasis on the practical analysis of language in use, including spoken and written language, and literary and non-literary texts. The course covers a range of topics reflecting staff expertise, for example conversation analysis, stylistics, critical discourse analysis, pragmatics and bilingualism.
Course Structure
Modules:
Description of English
Interaction in English
Stylistics and Critical Discourse Analysis
Language Development and Diversity
Dissertation
Full-time students take the four taught modules across Terms 1 and 2 and spend the third term and the summer period writing a dissertation. Part-time students taking the course over two years study Description of English and two other modules in Year 1, and a fourth taught module plus the dissertation module in Year 2.
The course is also available in web-based distance-learning mode. Please note that the web-based version is only available as a part-time option.
Teaching and Assessment
Teaching is by lecture, seminar and workshop activities. All teaching is supported by opportunities for individual feedback and consultation with staff. Students are encouraged to participate in classes by a variety of teaching methods, including group and pair work and by the use of presentations.
Assessment methods include essays, projects and dissertations. All work is moderated and subject to second marking and external examining. Teaching quality in English was highly commended in an externally assessed subject review carried out in 2005.
Career Opportunities
This course is ideally suited to education professionals wishing to further their knowledge of language/linguistics, or for those wishing to develop their knowledge before going on to train as a teacher of English. The MA also provides a firm foundation for doctoral research in language and linguistics. Other careers open to graduates of the course include PR, marketing, management and any career requiring high level communication skills.