Admission Criteria

The minimum general requirement for admission to the post-graduate degree programme is a Bachelor Degree from a recognised university.

More specifically, the following entry requirements apply for the MA in TESOL programme:

Academic requirements

• All applicants for entrance in the MA TESOL programme offered by the Department should have at least a lower second class (2:2) Bachelor degree in English Language/ English Linguistics and/or English Literature from a recognised university.
• Teaching experience is not essential but preferred. Tutoring experience is helpful.
• Applicants with a lower grade or whose degree is on a related discipline will be considered on their own merits.

Other requirements

• Two academic reference letters.
• Personal Statement: A letter highlighting the applicant’s individual competencies and strengths and providing his/her reflections regarding the expectations and value of the programme as well as to his/her personal advancement and career development.

English Language Proficiency

Applicants satisfy the English requirements if their first degree was taught in English. Otherwise, the minimum English-language qualifications for admission are:

• IELTS – 6.5 and above
• Anglia Examinations – Proficiency or Mastery
• Cambridge GCE AS Level English Language – C and above
• Cambridge GCE English A Levels – C and above
• Cambridge IGCSE or GCSE English as a First language – C and above
• Cambridge IGCSE or GCSE English as a Second language – B and above
• IB English A: Literature SL & HL – 4 and above
• IB English Standard Level (SL) – 5 and above
• IB English High Level (HL) – 4 and above
• Michigan Language Assessment (also known as Proficiency of Michigan) – 750 and above
• Password Test – 6.5 and above
• TOEFL (IBT) – 79 and above
• Cambridge Exams (First Certificate) – 176 and above or Pass
• Cambridge Exams (Proficiency Certificate) – 180 and above or Pass

Applicants who do not hold one of the listed qualifications, are required to take UNIC’s NEPTON English Placement Test and achieve a score at the ENGL-100 level, which can substitute for the standardized tests typically required for admission to postgraduate programs. The test is offered free of charge.

The University offers English courses at different levels to assist students in meeting the required standard for admission to a graduate programme.

Course assessment usually comprises of a comprehensive final exam and continuous assessment. Continuous assessment can include amongst others, weekly interactive activities, projects, positive online forum participation etc.

Letter grades are calculated based on the weight of the final exam and the continuous assessment and the actual numerical marks obtained in these two assessment components. Based on the course grades the student’s semester grade point average (GPA) and cumulative point average (CPA) are calculated.

The student must complete 90 ECTS and all programme requirements.

A minimum cumulative grade point average (CPA) of 2.0 is required. Thus, although a ‘D-‘ is a PASS grade, in order to achieve a CPA of 2.0 an average grade of ‘C’ is required.

Upon successful completion of this program, the students should be able to:

1. Critically analyse relevant professional issues affecting current educational practices in the area of English language learning and teaching;
2. Reflect on and evaluate the quality of language teaching and learning;
3. Locate and critically assess the relevance and value of recent research in the area of English language learning and teaching;
4. Design, evaluate, develop and implement lessons and materials in English language teaching;
5. Design and evaluate course curricula in relation to English language teaching and learning;
6. Design, develop and implement research in their chosen area of specialization;
7. Fully and confidently defend their ideas on language teaching and learning both orally and in writing;
8. Synthesise, at a high level, data and ideas from secondary sources for seminar presentations and assignments;
9. Critically assess and reflect upon one’s own practice and development as an English language teacher.

Semester 1

Semester 2

Semester 3