Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages - TESOL (MSc)

Suitable for both experienced teachers and newcomers to the field, this Masters degree is designed for students who plan to teach English as a second, foreign or additional language in the UK or internationally. It is also ideal for those who plan to work or do research in the contexts of teacher education, management, course design, materials development, language analysis and/or assessment.

You will learn to design, implement and evaluate substantial research or development tasks, and adapt your planning and teaching approaches to changing contexts and circumstances. You will graduate with greater professional knowledge and enhanced confidence in your ability to teach the English language to any student. 

What you will study

Masters degrees at the University of Edinburgh comprise 180 credits.

The first 120 credits are made up of taught courses. Students who achieve an average mark of 50% or more on these courses can progress to the final 60-credit dissertation component of the programme. Once students complete all 180 credits, they are awarded the  MSc.   

Research and current developments in theory and practice surrounding language teaching and learning inform all our courses. Insights from our own research and publications lead our teaching. 

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Visit the University’s Degree Finder for detailed entry requirements, fees, international grade equivalency, language requirements and to apply.

Teaching mainly consists of lectures. These include interactive input sessions followed by smaller discussion group workshops. This system allows you to benefit from being the centre of the activity and gives you a chance to receive individual attention. 

You will need to read extensively to prepare for lectures and workshops. You will also receive assignments that require you to show that you can critically evaluate concepts and literature and apply theory to practice. 

Other forms of assessment include presentations, lesson plans and reflective diaries. 


Once you complete your programme courses, you will produce an independently researched, 12,000-word dissertation. You may choose any TESOL-related topic that interests you and is relevant to your teaching. 

Examples of previous dissertation topics include: 

  • Adapting an Egyptian primary school EFL (English as a Foreign Language) coursebook by adding authentic texts and communicative exercises 
  • How to apply intercultural pragmatics in Business English speaking classes in a Polish private school 
  • Investigating grammatical and structural errors in argumentative writing of 2nd year Chinese English major students 
  • Learner corpora in contrast: The use of delexicalized verbs by learners at different proficiency levels 
  • Students’ reaction to feedback in an online TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) teacher training course. 

You will be well-supported throughout the dissertation process by a designated staff member. Dissertation supervision occurs in groups and one-to-one tutorials. One of the benefits of our large department is the wide range of staff skills to draw upon, so supervisors are more likely to be specialists in your area of research. 

We also offer five programme tutorial lectures in the spring semester to help students navigate each step of the dissertation. There is also a year-long Dissertation Support Strand lecture series that focuses on research design.   

Each year the programme team submits one outstanding dissertation to the British Council for the ELT Masters Dissertation Award. Previous students who have entered the national competition include one winner (Thomas Jameson) and three finalists (Natalia Blackman, James Scholl, Richard Wilson). 


Support for your studies

You will have access to a range of support services if you need them throughout your degree.

We will assign you to a Student Advisor in your first few weeks at Edinburgh. This should be the first person to contact if you need help. They can guide you to other University service teams depending on what support you need.

Support for your studies

Support from your programme

There are weekly or bi-weekly programme tutorial sessions to support you academically and help you with any programme issues. 

We offer additional lectures and workshops related to specific learning needs, such as critical reading, understanding assessment and intercultural communication. 

Our staff are very involved in the professional development of our students, who regularly nominate them for Edinburgh University Students’ Association (EUSA) awards.    

Combining theory and practice

Being a member of our academic community provides you with the chance to visit schools in Scotland. There, you can access real classrooms and gain insights into teaching and learning in a new educational environment. 

We encourage our students to join university groups and associations, such as the Edinburgh University Language Education Society. We also encourage them to join international academic communities such as the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) and the British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL). 

Edinburgh University Language and Education Society

International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language

British Association for Applied Linguistics

Careers

With their strong knowledge base in teaching and research, our graduates work worldwide in all areas of the English language teaching profession.

Example roles include:

  • training other TESOL teachers
  • managing TESOL education
  • teaching English at primary, secondary or tertiary levels
  • teaching English in specialised fields (for example, Business English)
  • designing TESOL curricula, materials and policies

Representatives from international teacher recruitment agencies visit our campus every year to talk to our students. They also conduct on-campus interviews with students shortlisted for TESOL-related posts.

Some of our students also stay with us to pursue research degrees in the areas of TESOL, Language Education and Applied Linguistics.

Photograph of MSc TESOL Graduate, James-Scholl

I am now working as a teacher and materials writer in Mongolia... Even though I had a lot of teaching experience before I took the MSc TESOL, the course was hugely beneficial to me because it connected the practical experience I'd had with language-teaching theory and enabled me to understand my profession comprehensively. As such, I am now able to carry out academic research and take on senior roles in the TESOL sector with confidence.

James Scholl TESOL graduate

The University of Edinburgh's Careers Service supports all current students (and graduates for up to 2 years) to develop their potential and achieve satisfying and rewarding futures.

Join in and make use of:

  • individual appointments
  • group sessions
  • wider campus-based activity
  • online services and resources

We also deliver a diverse programme of face-to-face and online events throughout the academic year.

Visit the Careers Service website


Our students

Our vibrant academic community is made up of top-class students with strong undergraduate degrees who come from many different parts of the world.

In the most recent cohort, students came from China, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, UK and Vietnam. As a result, our TESOL student community is diverse and vibrant, ensuring all students have a full and varied learning experience.

George Elletson

'It develops you as a teacher and allows you to encounter the latest research on teaching the English language. Moreover, there are so many students from all over the world, allowing you to build great friendships.'

Chong Wang

'This course taught me how to think independently, form my own unique perspective, challenge authority, build critical thinking, and develop self-learning skills.'

Makiko Nukaga

Makiko Nakaga

'Don’t be scared, be prepared, and just jump into your new adventure!'

Fees and funding

Annual tuition fees are listed on the Postgraduate Study Programme Fees pages related to your desired exit level and duration of study.


Applicants to this programme, receiving an offer of admission, either conditional or unconditional, will be asked to pay a deposit of £1,500 within 28 days of the offer to secure their place on the MSc Teaching English to Speaker of Other Languages (TESOL).

Please note: If the deposit has not been received by the deadline, the application will be withdrawn without further notice. It is therefore essential that applicants have funding for their deposit in place before applying. The deposit will be offset against the tuition fee payable at the time of matriculation.

The payment details below should only be used to pay your fee deposit. The University’s Income Section will contact you near the time of the start of Semester 1 regarding the payment of the balance of your tuition fees.

Deposit Policy Guidelines

To pay your deposit please see below:

Making payment by credit/debit cards (all major cards accepted).

Please contact us if you are unable to make a payment using card: PGAOdeposits@ed.ac.uk.


Scholarship opportunities are subject to change each year. We are pleased to offer a number of School-specific scholarships, but students are encouraged to seek out opportunities from the University and external funding bodies.

More information about available scholarships and funding can be found on our Scholarships and Studentships page.

Scholarships and studentships


Contact us

Questions about the programme

For programme-specific enquiries, contact the Programme Director.

Isobel Kai-Hui Wang

Programme Director

  • Moray House School of Education and Sport

Contact details

Our staff team have taught and studied all over the world, bringing to their teaching, a wide variety of experiences of research and practice in different second language teaching and learning contexts. They are also widely involved in research, presenting regularly at international conferences, with published research in leading journals.

Dr Isobel Kai-Hui Wang, Programme Director

Dr Farah Akbar

Dr Maryam Almohammad

Dr Darío Luis Banegas

Dr Florence Bonacina-Pugh

Dr Ania Byerly

Dr Madeleine Campbell

Dr Sal Consoli

Professor Do Coyle

Janet de Vigne

Dr Jite Eferakorho

Dr Roxani Faltzi 

Dr Kenneth Fordyce

Dr Charlotte Kemp

Dr Penny Karanasiou

Dr Claudia Rosenhan

Dr Michele Saraiva Carilo

Dr Csaba Szabo

Dr Vander Viana

Dr Chia-Ying (Annie) Yang

Dr Samaneh Zandian

We are also members of different research groups across the UK and the rest of the world. Within the University, we collaborate as a team in our Language, Interculturality and Literacies Research Group.

Language, Interculturality and Literacies Research Group


Questions about your application or how to apply

For enquiries about your application or how to apply, contact the Postgraduate Admissions office.

Postgraduate Admissions Office (Education)

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS)

Contact details

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