Department of English Language

Are you thinking of embarking on an EFL/ESL teaching career, or are you an experienced teacher of English as a foreign or second language eager to upgrade their qualification? Our MA in English Language Pedagogy will enable you to develop and update your theoretical background and practical teaching skills. The programme includes a substantial Teaching Practice component, which allows participants to integrate their theoretical knowledge and skills in practice.

Why study for an MA in English Language Pedagogy at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest?

Our Department of English Language Pedagogy offers an outstanding teaching and research environment. In the most recent national assessment of tertiary education our Faculty of Humanities was ranked among the highest and has been for the last few years.

Our students are taught, supported and supervised by a staff, that boasts a wide range of international training and teaching experience. The Faculty of Humanities has a long tradition of training English language teachers, and in 1990 we started an innovative and internationally acclaimed English language pedagogy programme[1]. We also run our own training programme for school-based mentors, who support our trainee teachers during their practicum[2]. This means that we provide an active and stimulating environment for your studies. We have a strong professional group culture and a reputation for keeping in touch with our students’ needs.

Our facilities

The campus is easily accessible by bus, tram or underground. We have a separate English library, classrooms equipped with interactive white boards and a student computer centre. All these are located in the very heart of Budapest, one of the liveliest and most beautiful European cities. The fact that there are five other universities in the vicinity adds to the exciting student atmosphere. As for practice opportunities, the Faculty has its own language school and we have trained mentors in several language schools around the city.

Our staff operate an 'open door' policy so we are available to discuss any concerns with you throughout the year.

Curriculum

Our Masters course is a highly experiential programme during which you explore your subject in depth, reaching a high level of specialist knowledge and skill. The programme lasts for two semesters, starting in September, and consists of taught modules during the autumn and spring terms, and normally a research-based dissertation or other project-based work submitted any time up to two years after you have earned all your credits on the taught courses. Our Masters course is regarded as a ‘second-cycle’ qualification under the Bologna Declaration and consists of 60 ECTS credits, 55 of which are allocated to the taught courses and 5 to your dissertation.

Semester One:

English language teaching methodology lecture series
The foundations of language acquisition
Methodology of teaching the systems of the language
Methodology of developing the learners’ communication skills
Professional language development for teachers
Language awareness
Classroom studies
An array of elective seminars in the field of English language pedagogy including topics such as drama techniques, creativity and humour in English language teaching.

Semester Two:

Testing and evaluation OR Individual differences in language learning
Teaching young learners OR Teaching business English
Materials design
Developing intercultural competence
ICT in the English classroom
Professional writing for teachers
Teaching practice
Teaching practice support seminar

Dissertation:

Your dissertation will typically describe a research project carried out in your own professional context based on a review of the relevant literature. It must be submitted within two years after you have earned the 55 credits on the taught courses. The foundations for writing the thesis will be laid by our Classroom Studies and Professional Writing courses. The thesis will be supported by one of our colleagues electronically and will be assessed both by your support teacher and another colleague from the Department.

Final assessment

The final grade in your diploma will be the average of the grades you received for your Teaching Practice and for your Dissertation. (The Hungarian education system uses a five-grade scale where grade 5 means excellent.)

Career destinations

Career prospects for our graduates vary depending on their ambition but entrants to our MA English Language Pedagogy courses typically come with the specific intention of entering the ELT/TESOL profession. The specialist knowledge you gain enables you to take senior or specialist roles (e.g. in CALL, ESP, teaching young learners or testing), not only in the classroom but also in educational advice and management, programme evaluation, syllabus design and teacher education.

Research study opportunities

If you wish to take your research interest even further, within our University we run a Language Pedagogy PhD programme under the leadership of Professor Peter Medgyes, where we offer teaching and research supervision in language acquisition, language learning and language teaching; culture and communication; psycholinguistics; language disorders and sociolinguistics.

Eligibility

Our applicants should hold a BA degree or equivalent.

If English is not your first language, then we require a C1 certificate (Advanced Level). Suitable certificates include IELTS 6.5 with minimum 6 in writing or TOEFL iBT88, or a range of other language exams accredited by the Hungarian Language Exam Accreditation Board. For more information go to http://www.nyak.hu/doc/akk_vizsgarendszer-eng.asp.

Course Fee

The course costs 4000 Euros including tuition, exams and thesis supervision.

[1] Medgyes, P., & Malderez, A. (Eds.) (1996). Changing perspectives in teacher education. Oxford: Heinemann

[2] Bodóczky, C. and Malderez, A. (1999) Mentor Courses, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, winner of the Ben Warren Prize.

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