The Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages [MA(TESOL)] programme equips students with a thorough grounding in current research, teaching theory, principles and practices in English language education, applicable in schools, universities and other educational institutions in Asia and beyond. The programme is jointly offered by the Faculty of Education and the Centre for Applied English Studies in the Faculty of Arts, and is designed for university graduates/graduating students. It is targeted primarily, but not exclusively, at teachers of English to speakers of other languages. Students will work with a strong team of highly experienced teachers and researchers in the discipline critically exploring and reflecting on established and cutting-edge issues in the field. Through collaboration with local schools and NGOs, the programme provides students with ample opportunities to gain first-hand experience of language teaching pedagogy and to critically reflect on the relationship between theory and practice.
Entrance Requirements
A candidate shall satisfy both the University Admission Requirements and the Programme Specific Requirements as listed below:
1. comply with the General Regulations and the Regulations for Taught Postgraduate Curricula;
2. hold a Bachelor's degree in English, Linguistics, English Language Education or English Language and Literature of this University or a qualification of equivalent standard from this University or another comparable institution;
3. for qualifications from a university or comparable institution outside Hong Kong, where the language of teaching and/or examination is not English, a candidate is required to meet one of the following language requirements by attaining: (i) a score of 94 or above in the internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)# with a score of 25 or above in the Writing section, (ii) a score of 580 or above in the paper-based TOEFL# with a score of 4.0 or above in the Test of Written English or (iii) a minimum overall band of 7.0 with no sub-test score lower than 6.5 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS)#; and
4. satisfy the examiners in a qualifying examination, if required.
#For admission, only TOEFL or IELTS scores recorded within two years before the date of application are considered.
Download Documents
For additional information, we recommend reviewing the following documents:
The Faculty of Education (the Faculty) was established in The University of Hong Kong in 1984, having previously been a department in the Faculty of Arts and then a School of Education. However, the University has been involved in teacher education since 1917, and to this day it remains a major provider of teacher education in Hong Kong.
The Faculty is forward-looking. It has assumed an important role in educational research and professional training in the region and internationally, and has contributed significantly to education policy and development in Hong Kong. It is a major teacher-education institution and has strong expertise in policy analysis and curriculum development. It became the first institution in Hong Kong to train speech therapists and audiologists for the local community.
The Faculty is committed to building its expertise and has strengthened its capacity by recruiting diverse, highly qualified scholars and students internationally. Our scholars come from many different parts of the world, including North America, Europe, Asia (Central, South, South-East and East, including Hong Kong and Mainland China) and Australasia. The Faculty has more than 100 full-time academic staff, many of whom are very well known internationally. In addition to performing teaching duties, academic staff engage in an extensive range of research and they lead both local and international projects. Many of our colleagues sit on advisory committees contributing to the formulation of policies related to local and international education. With the diverse staff and student body, the Faculty maintains high academic and research standards, and has a reputation as an international centre of excellence.