Postgraduate study

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) MSc, PgDip (ICL), PgCert (ICL), PgDip

Awards: MSc, PgDip (ICL), PgCert (ICL), PgDip

Study modes: Part-time Intermittent Study, Full-time

Funding opportunities

The year of the MSc TESOL programme at the University of Edinburgh was a very unforgettable experience and had a significant impact on my whole life. The curriculum was a combination of theory and practice. The programme required high standards of academic skills, which enhanced my ability to think and write critically. At the same time, the micro-teaching enabled me to apply theory to practice. The practical experience I gained here further developed my skills as a better teacher in the future. The teachers were very professional and supportive. I enjoyed the MSc TESOL programme very much.

Huiying Wang MSc TESOL 2021-22
Huiying Wang                MSc TESOL 2021-22

Suitable for both experienced teachers and newcomers to the field, this Master's degree is designed for students who plan to teach English as a second, foreign or additional language (ESL, EFL, EAL) in the UK or internationally. It is also suitable for students who plan to work or do research in the contexts of:

  • teacher education
  • teacher training
  • management
  • course design
  • materials development
  • policy design
  • language analysis and/or assessment

The programme combines theory and practice to equip you with cutting edge teaching skills to teach English to speakers of other languages. It will lead you into an exploration of evidence-based research at the frontiers of language learning, methodology and curriculum design. It will investigate learning centred ‘learnscapes’, enabling you not only to practise but to contribute to knowledge in these areas.

You will learn to:

  • design, implement and evaluate substantial research or development tasks
  • adapt your planning and teaching approaches to the 21st century demands of rapidly changing teaching and learning contexts and circumstances

You will graduate with expanded minds and hearts; with professional knowledge, understanding and enhanced confidence in your ability to teach the English language across widely differing contexts.

This programme can be studied full-time or part-time.

To graduate with a Masters (MSc) degree, you will complete five compulsory courses and two option courses, plus a dissertation.

The Diploma (PgDip) and Certificate (PgCert) comprise similar combinations of compulsory and optional courses.

Teaching mainly consists of lectures, which include interactive input sessions, followed by workshops, consisting of smaller discussion groups, where you will benefit from being the centre of the activity and receiving individual attention.

Compulsory courses:

  • Language and the Learner
  • Second Language Teaching Curriculum
  • TESOL Methodology
  • Sources of Knowledge: Understanding and analysing research literature
  • Conceptualising Research: Foundations, Assumptions and Praxis

Option courses are subject to change each year but may include:

  • Bilingual Education
  • Critical Literacies and Critical Pedagogies in L1 and L2 Contexts
  • Evaluation and Design of TESOL Materials
  • Intercultural Language Learner Identity
  • Investigating Individual Learner Differences
  • Language Testing
  • Language Awareness for Second Language Teachers
  • Online Language Learning
  • Second Language Teacher Education
  • Teaching Languages to Young Learners
  • Teaching Texts Across Borders
  • Text, Discourse and Language Teaching

(Not all options run every year.)

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
MScTeaching English to Speakers of Other LanguagesUp to 6 YearsPart-time Intermittent StudyProgramme structure 2022/23
MScTeaching English to Speakers of Other Languages1 YearFull-timeProgramme structure 2022/23
PgDip (ICL)Teaching English to Speakers of Other LanguagesUp to 4 YearsPart-time Intermittent StudyProgramme structure 2022/23
PgCert (ICL)Teaching English to Speakers of Other LanguagesUp to 2 YearsPart-time Intermittent StudyProgramme structure 2022/23
PgDipTeaching English to Speakers of Other Languages9 MonthsFull-timeProgramme structure 2022/23

With a strong foundation in teaching and research, our students are employed worldwide in all areas of the English language teaching profession.

Examples roles include:

  • training other TESOL teachers
  • management of TESOL education
  • teaching English at primary, secondary or tertiary level
  • 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 and conduct on-campus recruitment interviews with shortlisted candidates for TESOL-related posts.

The MSc is a good introduction to an advanced research degree. You will also develop a range of highly transferable communication and professional skills which can be applied to roles in any field.

These entry requirements are for the 2023/24 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2024/25 academic year will be published on 2 October 2023.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a relevant discipline. Previous teaching experience is not required.

Alternatively, you may be considered on the basis of employment or relevant experience; please contact us to check.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

If you have received a Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (DELTA) from a Cambridge English Teaching Qualification centre within the last 5 years, you may apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and exemption from the following two core modules in semester 1:

  • TESOL Methodology

  • Second Language Teaching Curriculum

The fees for the MSc TESOL will be reduced accordingly.

Applications for RPL must include a copy of your diploma and should be sent to College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Postgraduate Admissions Office via email: cahss.pgadmissions@ed.ac.uk

Students from China

This degree is Band C.

If applicants are studying in a Chinese university on our priority list, they must have a minimum overall average of 80% for courses and at least 80% on the dissertation. For applicants at any recognised university not on our priority list, they must have an average of 85% for courses and 80% on the dissertation.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

English language requirements

You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

  • IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
  • C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
  • PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 62 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than three and a half years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

Application fee

None.

Deposit

You will need to pay this deposit within 28 days of receiving your offer of admission (either unconditional or conditional) for the MSc programme.

  • £1,500 (this contributes towards your tuition fees)

Additional programme costs

You may incur additional costs for fieldwork, if taking Environmental Education option courses.

Living costs

You will be responsible for covering living costs for the duration of your studies.

Tuition fees

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
MScTeaching English to Speakers of Other LanguagesUp to 6 YearsPart-time Intermittent StudyTuition fees
MScTeaching English to Speakers of Other Languages1 YearFull-timeTuition fees
PgDip (ICL)Teaching English to Speakers of Other LanguagesUp to 4 YearsPart-time Intermittent StudyTuition fees
PgCert (ICL)Teaching English to Speakers of Other LanguagesUp to 2 YearsPart-time Intermittent StudyTuition fees
PgDipTeaching English to Speakers of Other Languages9 MonthsFull-timeTuition fees

Moray House Country Scholarship

Moray House School of Education and Sport is pleased to offer five £10,000 scholarships to study a Master’s degree programme commencing in September 2023. These will be based on merit and available to applicants from eligible countries.

Moray House Access Scholarship

Moray House School of Education and Sport is pleased to offer a scholarship covering tuition fees and living costs for one student. The scholarship is for UK nationals domiciled in the UK, from backgrounds or groups which are underrepresented in our School.

(Revised 1 February 2023 to add funding opportunities)

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

  • your programme
  • the duration of your studies
  • your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

  • Programme Director, Dr Isobel Kai-Hui Wang
  • Phone: +44 (0)131 651 6232
  • Contact: tesol@ed.ac.uk
  • Moray House School of Education and Sport
  • Old Moray House
  • Holyrood Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 8AQ
Programme start date Application deadline
11 September 2023 11 May 2023

Due to high demand, the school operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through a competitive process.

Deadlines for applicants applying to study in 2023/24:

Selection deadlines

Round Application Deadline Places awarded by
1 18 October 2022 20 December 2022
2 17 January 2023 29 March 2023
3 11 May 2023 29 June 2023

Final UK only selection deadline

This final selection round is open to UK applicants only (applicants must have UK fee status). International applicants will not be considered for this round.

Round Application Deadline Places awarded by
4 11 July 2023 07 August 2023

You must submit one reference with your application.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

Further information

  • Programme Director, Dr Isobel Kai-Hui Wang
  • Phone: +44 (0)131 651 6232
  • Contact: tesol@ed.ac.uk
  • Moray House School of Education and Sport
  • Old Moray House
  • Holyrood Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 8AQ