Throughout the course you will hone your theoretical and analytical abilities, examining research into language teaching and learning and its implications for educators. At the same time, you will have the opportunity to practise in the classroom and be encouraged to critically reflect upon your own technique and approach.

Our assessment methods are designed to enable you to develop a range of real-life skills, including writing lesson plans and rationales, carrying out microteaching to peers, and leading seminar discussions. You will also develop as an independent learner and acquire advanced research skills, with the chance to complete a dissertation exploring an area of personal or professional interest.

The English Language Teaching MA is a degree for those interested in becoming an English Language teacher. If you are a non-native English speaker and you would like to improve your English language skills, our dedicated Centre for English Language Learning (CELL) offers a range of courses.

Key features

• You can exit the course with a Postgraduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate or an Institutional Credit award depending on the credits you have successfully achieved.
• Study with an international cohort and benefit from cultural diversity in the classroom to enhance your understanding of English language teaching and learning worldwide.
• Boost your employability by gaining a theoretical awareness of issues and trends in English Language teaching, combined with the skills to teach English Language at the highest level.
• Our teaching team has a wide range of experience teaching in both the UK and abroad, as well as research expertise, ensuring that current trends inform the curriculum.
• Our graduates go on to successful careers as tutors, heads of study and university lecturers, both in the UK and overseas.
• Apply what you have learnt in class to real-world teaching by taking part in activities such as classroom observation at DMU’s Centre for English Language Learning and voluntary work opportunities in the local community.
• Join a community that fosters independent learners and encourages ongoing self-improvement through critical reflection on personal teaching practice. Students who demonstrate a high degree of teaching competence have the opportunity to be employed by the Centre for English Language Learning at DMU.

Structure and assessment

Course modules

Block 1: Teaching Receptive and Productive Skills

This module is designed to develop students�?understanding of the relevant theories and practices of teaching receptive and productive English language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. It will introduce students to some key research areas in teaching and learning the four skills, based on which students will learn how to write lesson plans for teaching these language skills in terms of teaching objectives, learning outcomes, and classroom activities.

This module helps students to analyse existing learning resources and acquire skills to develop and critically evaluate their own authentic teaching materials. These skills are directly applicable to their future classroom teaching. 

Students will produce two lesson plans, including authentic teaching materials and designed exercises, and an essay providing the rationale for the lesson plans addressing how they are designed based on relevant language teaching and learning theories. 

Block 2: Trends and Issues in English Language Teaching

This module introduces the main trends and issues in the communicative ELT classroom today. In particular, the module addresses the strengths and weaknesses of various teaching methods, together with topics such as teaching vocabulary, learner strategies, and using technology in the language classroom. As well as studying the theoretical knowledge, students also have opportunities to practise teaching in terms of writing lesson plans, conducting classroom instructions, eliciting student feedback, and using available equipment to enhance the learning environment. Students will gain the knowledge and skills needed to deliver successful lessons, and demonstrate critical and reflective thinking about their own and other’s teaching. 

Students will prepare a lesson plan for a 15-minute lesson and deliver this lesson to their peers. Students will also produce a reflective journal in which they will critically evaluate the learning teaching theories and methods covered throughout the block, their experiences of teaching practice in class, and a rationale for, and evaluation of, their 15-minutes lesson.

Block 3: Language Processing and Assessment

This module consists of two parts which are related to language learning and teaching. The first part will introduce students to psycholinguistic knowledge of how language is processed in the brain, in terms of language comprehension and language production in oral and written forms. This theoretical basis will help students understand the cognitive processes that language learners go through when they are learning a second language. Building upon this knowledge of language processing, the second part of this module will shift to language assessment. Specifically, students will learn the key concepts of reliability and validity in language testing, and how these concepts are incorporated in language assessment by taking account of learners�?cognitive faculties. Knowledge of language processing and language assessment has a direct application to English language teaching and learning.

Students will give a 15-minute presentation discussing a chosen topic in psycholinguistics and designing and carrying out one or two activities afterwards on language learning among classmates. Students will also write an essay that applies a relevant psycholinguistic theory to English language assessment.

Block 4: Research Methods

The aim of this module is to gradually build up students�?research knowledge related to the ELT context. It starts with how to write a literature review by guiding students to synthesize, compare and evaluate different information sources in their reading. This is crucial for students to apply such knowledge to other areas in English language teaching/learning which they are interested in. Furthermore, the Research Methods module will enable students to understand the pros and cons of different research methods, and how they can be used individually or in combination to match the unique nature of the research. In addition, students will have opportunities to practise data collection among classmates and conduct some basic data analysis, both qualitatively and quantitatively. To help understand the learnt research knowledge, students will work in groups to develop and present their own research ideas. At the end of this module, students are required to produce a research proposal and apply for ethics approval which enables them to collect data for their dissertation. 

Assessment is via a literature review (essay) and a research proposal.

Blocks 5 and 6: Dissertation

This module requires students to carry out and write a dissertation on a mini-scale independent research project based on their research proposal developed at the end of the Research Methods module. The topic should be related to English language teaching or learning, and may be developed from one of the taught modules; or may be linked to issues touched upon only peripherally in class.

Throughout the dissertation, students will need to apply what they have learnt in Research Methods to their own research context, especially problem solving and time-management. In their writing, students are expected to engage critically with both existing literature and their own study and anchor their research design and data analysis in a relevant theoretical framework. Students should also show their ability to interpret their findings within a wider context.

Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will

Emphasis is placed on gaining an advanced and applied understanding of the key aspects of international business, enabling you to critically evaluate and adapt to a wide range of Business and Management issues within a global context.

Key features

• An early career MBA, ideal for recent graduates or those with no managerial experience.
• A key focus of the course is on enhancing transferable skills, as well as helping you to articulate your abilities and achievements in a way to grab employers�?attention when applying for jobs.
• You will have the opportunity to participate in exclusive business talks and events, enabling you to build a network of industry contacts.
• Take advantage of access to the Innovation Centre and its free informative events, business surgeries and networking sessions for all entrepreneurial students interested in innovation or wanting to start their own business.
• Benefit from Education 2030, where a simplified �?a href="//www.dmu.ac.uk/empowering-university/block-teaching/index.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">block learning�?timetable means you will study one subject at a time and have more time to engage with your learning, receive faster feedback and enjoy a better study-life balance.

Structure and assessment

Course modules:

Block 1: Leadership and Business Sustainability

This module is designed to be as interactive and participatory, since Leadership and Business Sustainability is a contested, dynamic, and rapidly changing field of theory and practice, thus requiring much debate, discussion, and analysis. The module exposes students to the principal issues facing organisations in the 21st century in respect of leading, managing and developing talent. It further develops student’s knowledge and managerial skills, considered to be necessary for existing and aspiring managers to nurture talent effectively. Attention is paid to key features of the internal and external operating environments which shape leadership practice and talent management strategies in organisations.

This module explores how businesses contribute to the realisation of a more sustainable, responsible and equitable world and what does aspirations of sustainable development mean for business in practice.

It will also address important questions within the subject matter and will enable students to develop a theoretically informed and practically relevant understanding of business sustainability whiles highlighting some of the key debates in the sustainability field such as the drivers of corporate responsibility, the extent of responsibility, the governance, implementation and reporting of sustainable development goals.

The module addresses both the academic literature on Leadership and Business Sustainability and explores their applications and managerial impact through the use of case studies and contemporary examples from industry.

Block 2: Advance Strategic Management

In an increasingly dynamic environment, it is imperative to adopt a holistic view of what constitutes strategy and its relevance to different organisational contexts. This module is developed to provide insight, through engagement in a blend of contemporary, theoretical thinking and application, in the field of strategic management. The central underpinning of the module is the exploration of the strategic management process, with students proactively encouraged to apply and rethink strategic concepts and frameworks in planning and decision-making.

The learning materials and teaching methods are specifically designed to expose students to key theoretical approaches and at the same time to critically challenge existing norms within industry. This module considers the scope and definition of a project, its significance as an instrument of change and the roles and responsibilities of the people within it, whilst recognising organisational issues and exploring a range of project management tools to execute and evaluate the project throughout its many phases.

Block 3: Cross-Cultural Management and Marketing

This module introduces the principal challenges facing international organisations in the 21st century with respect to intercultural issues. It offers an in-depth insight into cultural dimensions within the workplace, drawing on and critically evaluating the work of Hofstede, Minkov and Trompenaars. It will guide learners through the demands and complexities of intercultural interactions, negotiations and conflicts in organisations, using scenarios and case studies from multinational business organisations.

Learners will examine key elements of marketing theories, strategies, and their application in diverse international marketing contexts. Whilst marketing theories have much in common with marketing goods and services in a domestic market, many additional factors and considerations need to be considered. In addition, businesses face barriers to market entry, not all of which might be immediately obvious. Rapid advancement and continued expansion of electronic media and communication businesses can take advantage of the services when designing contemporary marketing strategies. This module aims to enhance the learner’s analytical and problem-solving skills and develop their critical awareness of cultural dimensions and practices to be applied to real world scenarios.

Block 4: Business Finance and Enterprise Development

One of the objectives of this module is to develop decision-making ability based on business finance theory. It will introduce cardinal business and personal finance concepts, time value of money, financial markets and institutions, risk and return, capital structure, elements of investments and small business finance. It further examines the theoretical concepts and models of finance and how they can be applied to realistic situations. The module places a strong emphasis on analytical and numerical skills. Presentation and discussion skills are also essential for learners to explain their positions or arguments to each other and try to argue for the implementation of their recommendations.

In a fast-changing and highly competitive world, businesses no matter what size, need creative, enterprising, and entrepreneurial people to help drive those businesses forward. This module helps develop these key attributes through hands-on experience of enterprise in practice by using and sharing the knowledge of learners and skills to identify and create solutions to real challenges.

The module demonstrates that being enterprising and entrepreneurial is about taking calculated risks, creating change, making a difference and having a positive impact across society and communities, whether in business as an employee, self-employed, a social enterprise or family business. To that end, it provides learners with a practical understanding of enterprise formation across various stages of business development and how to apply that practical knowledge to industry, a business, as a freelancer, whilst recognising them as employability skills.

Block 5 & 6: One of the following:

Research Methods & Entrepreneurship Project

Every business or organisation starts as an idea / entrepreneurial venture, and in this modern era of technological advancement and drive for sustainability; there has never been as much opportunity than right now to start your own venture.

In this module, students will undertake an intensive business planning process, that will culminate in delivering a viable business plan which will be the foundations for them to be able to start their own freelance or business career.

The business planning process will include developing an innovative business idea, that is backed by market research to solidify the opportunity and students will be able to develop an in-depth marketing strategy, operations plan and financial budgets, as part of the business planning process they will be required to develop and strengthen the value proposition. Students will be supported by a supervisor who is a specialist in business start-up and business development throughout this module; however, it is the responsibility of the student to drive their project forward and obtain their business goals. 

Research Methods & Consulting Project (simulator)

This module provides students with the opportunity to integrate elements of their programme of study into a practical consulting project involving a live case that has been set by the organisation.

The students can choose to work on a real-world project which is highlighted by an organization, a department within an existing organization, or a future organization (commercial, charity, governmental).

The focus of the projects is frequently related to innovation either by improving and/or changing existing processes, business and/or service models, structures, products, or services or by developing new business and/or service models, products, or services. Students may also self-source a project, subject to approval by the module team.

At the end of the project, the student is expected to have developed an in-depth understanding of how the theoretical knowledge gained during your course can be applied to support decision making in the real world, deal with uncertainty when it comes to making decisions, and establish solid grounds for your decision-making capabilities underpinned by rigorous principles of academic research.