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Overview
Learn how to teach English as a global language with this MA TESOL (with Professional Experience) degree. You'll explore core teaching methodologies, language acquisition theories, and practical techniques for delivering effective English language instruction across diverse learning environments.
Alongside academic study, you’ll complete a professional placement, gaining valuable hands-on experience in a real-world teaching or educational setting. This unique combination equips you with the skills, confidence and workplace insight needed to succeed as an English language teacher in both local and international contexts.
With English continuing to serve as a global lingua franca, your expertise will be in demand across schools, universities, businesses and language institutions worldwide. Whether you're just starting out or seeking to advance your career, this course offers a strong foundation in both theory and practice.
You can tailor your studies to fit your schedule, with options for full-time, part-time, or distance learning. Full-time on-campus students can further enhance their experience through an additional professional year, helping you graduate with a competitive edge in the global TESOL job market.
From classrooms at home to educational centres around the world, this course will prepare you to make a meaningful impact through English language education.
Prefer to study without a work placement?
You can also study for this MA TESOL in just one year without spending time building professional experience.
Looking to explore linguistic theories and uses of language in teaching and beyond?
You may be interested in our MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL.
Or, prefer to focus on a broader study of language, including its use in social, professional and legal contexts?
You can also choose to study our MA in Applied Linguistics.
This is a new course and we're finalising the detailed information for this page.
Contact information
Contact AdmissionsEntry requirements
September 2025 / January 2026 start
- A 2:2 honours degree or equivalent.
Please get in touch if you're not sure if your undergraduate subject is relevant to this degree.
Equivalent professional experience and/or qualifications will also be considered, such as previous study, employment, voluntary work and training courses, including courses and qualifications you didn't complete. Learn more about our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
If you're applying as an international student with a non-UK degree, you’ll need to show you meet the UK entry requirements listed above.
To find out if your non-UK degree or other qualification is accepted, please visit our page for your country and view the UK equivalent of your qualification.
- Some teaching experience is desirable, but not an expectation.
- English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.5.
You do not need an IELTS or equivalent certification if:
- you have a UK degree
- you have a degree from a majority English speaking country (not taught by Distance Learning)
- you are a national of a majority English speaking country
Degrees taught solely in English from non-majority English speaking countries will be considered on a case by case basis. Find out more about our English language requirements.
If you do not meet the English language requirements yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.
Course costs and funding
Tuition fees (September 2025 / January 2026 start)
- Full time: £10,900 (plus £1,900 for the work-based module/placement
- Full time: £10,900 (plus £1,900 for the work-based module/placement
- Full-time: £17,900 (plus £2,875 for the work-based module/placement)
Modules
Full-time with Professional Experience
Core modules
Through practical tasks like lesson planning, material use, and micro-teaching, you’ll build essential skills for designing and delivering effective English lessons.
You’ll learn to plan lessons, design targeted activities, scaffold tasks, and guide structured writing, while building confidence through interactive sessions and small-group micro-teaching.
Optional modules
Through critical analysis and reflection, you’ll discover how key psychological concepts and theories relate to real-world language learning and teaching environments, including your own contexts.
You’ll learn about factors such as teacher and learner beliefs, emotions and identities that influence language learning and teaching. You’ll then use these insights to address issues and challenges informed by psychological theory and research.
You’ll explore leading theories and models explaining successful language learning, considering how individual differences intersect with social, cultural and linguistic environments.
You’ll reflect on your own unique language journey to help you rethink teaching practices. Gain tools to evaluate multilingual language policies and program design grounded in evidence-based best practices for dual language, ELL and foreign language education contexts.
You’ll cover the history and geography of English in the world, variation across Englishes, English as an international lingua franca, translanguaging, the pedagogy of English as an international language, linguistic imperialism, language and ideology, language and identity, and language and de-colonisation.
By building your language expertise, you'll gain critical evaluation skills and blend theoretical insights into practical knowledge.
You'll develop practical tech skills, create and evaluate teaching materials, and explore how corpus methods can support linguistic research—gaining both analytical insight and transferable skills for a range of language-focused careers.
You'll consider both what we know about how people learn languages and the practical considerations determined by the context in which the classroom teaching happens.
You'll learn about planning activities, lessons and courses for a variety of situations, as well as strategies for motivating learners.
You'll develop a proposal, choose appropriate methods, and carry out in-depth research, building your skills in critical inquiry and independent study.
Core module
With support from our Placement and Careers teams, you’ll be responsible for securing your own professional experience opportunity - whether it's an internship or work placement.
You'll develop professional connections and employability skills while preparing for life after your degree.
Changes to course content
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.
Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry. If a module doesn't run, we'll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.
How to apply
Unlike undergraduate applications, which go through UCAS, applications for this Master's course are made directly to us.
There's no deadline for applications to this course. We accept applications right up until the start date in September, as long as there are places available. If you wait until September to apply, you may find that the course is full.
If you're applying as an international student, remember that you'll need to leave plenty of time to get your visa organised.
You can find more advice about applying in our Master's application checklist. International students and current students and recent graduates of the University of Portsmouth also have some different application options, which are detailed below.
Extra information for international students
If you're an international student, you can apply directly to us using the same application form as UK students.
You could also get an agent to help with your application. Check your country page for details of agents in your region. To find out what to include in your application, head to the how to apply page of our international students section.
If you don’t meet the English language requirements for this course yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.
Ready to apply?
After you apply
Once we receive your application, we may ask you for further information. We will then either make you an offer or suggest alternatives if your application is unsuccessful.
You'll usually get a decision within 10 working days, so you shouldn't have to wait too long. Some courses have an interview stage – we'll let you know if you need to prepare for one.
Learn more about how we assess your application.
Admissions terms and conditions
When you accept an offer to study at the University of Portsmouth, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.
Finalising this course
All our courses go through a rigorous approval process to make sure they’re of the highest quality. This includes a review by a panel of experts, made up of academic staff and an external academic or professional with specialist knowledge.
This course is in the final stages of this process and is open for applications. If any details of the course or its approval status change after you apply, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and will be here to discuss your options with you.