Course details

Summary

Take your career to the next level

With Massey’s Master of Applied Linguistics, you’ll help make second-language teaching work in a multilingual world.

What is it Like?

The Master of Applied Linguistics provides professionals in all areas of second-language teaching, including Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), with a qualification that meets their specific combination of professional and research needs. This combination is increasingly important in both domestic and international settings.

Get real-world skills

You’ll use theories, methods and problem-based approaches that address real-world language issues. The Master of Applied Linguistics focuses on second-language acquisition and language use in an increasingly globalised and digitally mediated world.

Explore areas such as contextually relevant teaching of languages, reflective practices to enhance teaching and learning, and the sociocultural demands of language learning and teaching.

Draw on Massey’s research strengths

Massey’s research strengths include:

• Heritage language learning
• Mother tongue maintenance
• Online second-language communities
• Distance/online language learning
• Sociocultural adjustment of international students and their teachers to their presence in New Zealand universities
• Language learning and emotion
• Bi/multilingualism
• Oral proficiency

Research opportunities

Master’s study includes a research component. On the Master of Applied Linguistics you’ll complete a research report (60 credits) or thesis (120 credits). Recent areas of student research include:

• Investigating needs of non-income earning students in community English classes
• The development of teacher identity among student teachers in Thailand
• Navigating cultural conflict and dissonance in the immigrant ESL classroom
• The role of motivational beliefs in self-regulated learning for Kanji acquisition
• Vocational tertiary students’ imagined experiences of learning English with native speakers in an Indonesian rural setting
• Perceptions of Bhutanese students, parents and teachers of their learning progress in a New Zealand secondary school
• A case study of teacher beliefs and student attitudes on L1 use in multilingual classrooms

Careers

With a Master of Applied Linguistics you’ll be prepared for careers in language teaching, research and practice in national and international multilingual contexts. You’ll be supporting those who operate in multilingual contexts, such as migrants and former refugees, and international students in New Zealand. Our graduates are employed as educators, consultants and practitioners.

Master of Applied Linguistics structure

Students must complete Part One (60 credits or 120 credits depending on the pathway selected) in order to progress to Part Two.

At least a B grade average is required in the Part One courses (120 credits) for progression to Part Two - Coursework Pathway

At least a B+ grade average is required in the first 60 credits of courses completed in Part One for progression to Part Two - Research Pathway

Students who successfully complete Part One but do not meet the minimum grade average for progression will exit with a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Linguistics.

Entry criteria

Students require

• A Bachelor degree with at least a B grade average across the 200-300 level courses AND
• At least one full-time year of relevant teaching experience (or equivalent)

OR

• A Postgraduate Diploma in Second Language Teaching

OR

• A Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Linguistics

Note: Students admitted following completion of a Postgraduate Diploma in Second Language Teaching or a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Linguistics may be granted direct entry to Part Two. At least a B+ grade average is required for entry to the Research Pathway; at least a B grade average is required for entry to the Coursework Pathway.

English language requirements:

• IELTS score of 6.5 (no band less than 6.0)
• TOEFL iBT score of 90 overall (min 20 in Writing)
• PTE Academic score of 58 Overall (min 50 in communicative skills)
• Cambridge English score of 180