Master of Arts (TESOL) (Professional)

The Master of Arts (TESOL) (Professional) is a two-year coursework degree for people who want to teach English to speakers of other languages, in Australia or overseas. You study how language works, how people learn a second language, and how to plan lessons that actually help students. Core study usually covers second language acquisition, grammar and phonology for teachers, syllabus and materials design, assessment, and classroom practice. You also look at the social side of language, how culture, identity and power shape what happens in an English classroom.

This is an Australian master's degree, so it sits at AQF level 9 and normally runs one to two years full time. At King's Own Institute the structure is two years, delivered across trimesters. You enrol in units of study, each worth a set number of credit points, and you need to pass the required credit points to graduate. Most master's programmes of this length include a capstone unit or a small research project in the final stage, where you investigate a question in TESOL and write it up. TESOL is a practical field, so expect a professional placement or supervised teaching component as part of the degree. You go into a real classroom, teach, and get feedback from an experienced teacher. That placement is often what employers ask about first.

Skills you build include lesson planning, materials writing, classroom management, assessing learner progress, and adapting your teaching to different ages and levels. You also learn to read research and use it to make decisions about your own teaching. The degree suits three groups: teachers who already have a qualification and want to specialise in English language teaching, graduates from other fields who want to move into TESOL, and people already teaching English who want a formal Australian qualification. If you plan to teach in Australian schools, check the registration requirements with the relevant state or territory authority, because a TESOL master's on its own may not lead to school registration.

English proficiency matters here. International applicants need to show evidence, and for coursework postgraduate study the common standard is IELTS Academic 6.0 to 6.5 overall, though teaching, nursing, medicine, law and social work ask for 7.0 to 7.5. TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the institute's own English programmes are accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa itself, so you may need to meet two different requirements. While you study, your visa lets you work up to 48 hours per fortnight during term. After you finish, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may give you time to work in Australia. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register. Confirm current fees, entry requirements, unit lists and placement arrangements on the official page before you apply.

• English language teacher in Australian private language colleges (ELICOS) and community programmes
• EAL/D teacher or classroom support in Australian schools, subject to state or territory registration
• TESOL teacher in overseas schools, universities and language centres
• Curriculum or materials developer for language teaching publishers and online providers
• Language assessor or examiner for English proficiency tests
• Academic English lecturer or tutor in pathway and foundation programmes
• Adult literacy and migrant English teacher in community and settlement services
• Education officer or trainer in government, aid and international development organisations