Why study this course?

These courses provide the opportunity to integrate the theory and practice of teaching English to speakers of other languages. They are designed to be useful to experienced teachers and those considering a career in English language teaching.

As this is an online course, you will have the flexibility to select modules of interest and of benefit to your future career, as well as interact online with students in St Andrews and around the world.

Students who have an interest in a particular field of TESOL can also choose one of five specialisms to focus on and graduate with a TESOL degree in that specialism.

Highlights

The programme allows for flexible part-time study while working.
Integrate theory and practice – discuss theoretical concepts and frameworks in small groups and in online written forums and apply these through applied assessments.
Interact with a global cohort of students, studying both in St Andrews and online, through module learning activities.
There is no ‘live’ teaching so you can study in your own time, to suit your own lifestyle and commitments.
Attend an optional two-week summer school in St Andrews focusing on dissertation preparation, and providing the opportunity to experience living and studying in St Andrews.
Conduct original research supported by experts within the Institute.
Join experienced practitioners and scholars in the English language teaching community, with opportunities to be involved in ongoing professional development events and the annual English for Academic Purposes (EAP) conference.

While the programme does not include an assessed teaching placement or practicum, it supports students in exploring how theory can be applied to real-word situations, through:

practical learning and assessment tasks
materials development activities

TESOL specialisms

This specialism is aimed at educational practitioners with a particular interest in assessment and evaluation. It opens up possibilities to work in a wide variety of academic settings, either writing assessment material or training those who write and deliver assessment and evaluation.

Assessment is increasingly becoming part of teaching pedagogy:
- mastery and active learning approaches use assessment tasks as learning tasks
- low-stakes testing is structuring engagement in online learning
- increasingly, credential-oriented societies require teachers to make creative use of testing to support learning
A specialism in assessment and evaluation will support you to understand the development of the current testing culture in education, including reflecting on where educators can work with or need to resist current developments.

There is also a highly practical value to the specialism: assessment is often done poorly, in a hurry, and with little awareness of consequences. Being able to develop tests, create supporting materials, and train examiners are therefore prized skills for educational practitioners.
The EAP specialism gives students the opportunity to integrate the theory and practice of teaching English to speakers of other languages, with a particular focus on teaching academic English. It opens up possibilities to work as an EAP tutor, course designer or assessment specialist.

EAP is a growing discipline, and English is considered the lingua franca of academia. There is a strong need for evidence-based training and development in the practical teaching skills needed for this diverse and dynamic field.

You will be able to develop knowledge and skills in academic discourses, materials design and assessment of EAP.
The EMI specialism is aimed at teachers with a particular interest in English medium instruction. This is an aspect of education in English that is growing rapidly, offering various roles for English as a foreign language (EFL) and English for academic purposes (EAP) teachers.

It opens up possibilities to work in any level of education, covering EFL and EAP, as well as teacher development and management. It is also beneficial to educators in any subject who work, or plan to work, with students who are users of English as an additional language.

As a relatively new field of study, EMI can develop in many ways, giving opportunities for creativity and innovation, from primary to tertiary level study.
This specialism is aimed at teachers with a particular interest in teaching young learners. It opens up possibilities to work in a variety of preschool, elementary and secondary level educational settings as a teacher or policy specialist.

This degree aims to help you take account of cognitive development in approaches and methods in the context of teaching children or teenagers (from 4 to 18 years). Taking this specialism will provide you with a qualification that clearly highlights your knowledge and understanding of the needs and strengths of these age groups. This is advantageous as future employers can see immediately that you are more likely to be qualified for teaching in schools at any level.

You will be able to produce a portfolio of lessons for contexts which you can select yourself, giving room for creativity and a focus on your preferred age group.
This specialism gives students the opportunity to integrate the theory and practice of teaching with a particular focus on technology for teaching. Graduates with experience of technology for teaching are in demand in a wide variety of educational settings to enhance technology-led provision.

This specialism is aimed at students who want to develop the pedagogical knowledge that underpins the application of technology in language classrooms. This is a transdisciplinary course drawing on sources from a variety of fields like education, psychology, sociology, design, ludology, linguistics, and philosophy.

You will develop technical skills in a range of applications, such as data-driven and game-based learning. You will also develop project management skills, using techniques from agile design and design thinking.

Choose your level

You can achieve MSc, PGDip or PGCert qualifications, or simply study a single module of your choice.

Study where and when you want

These programmes can be studied online or in person in St Andrews, and you can also choose between January or September start dates.

Receive support

The University’s Student Services team can help students with additional needs resulting from disabilities, long-term medical conditions or learning disabilities. More information can be found on the students with disabilities web page.

Modules

The number of taught modules you will take depends on whether you are studying for the MSc, PGDip or PGCert:

Students on the MSc and PGDip will take five compulsory modules plus three optional modules. If you decide to take TESOL with a specialism, you must take one of your optional modules in that specialism.
Students on the PGCert will take four modules of their choice. If you decide to take a PGCert with a specialism, you must take the module of your specialism plus three more modules.

You will study each module for five weeks.

In each module, you interact online in a weekly written discussion forum with other postgraduate students in St Andrews and around the world, providing the opportunity to learn from peers living and working in a wide variety of contexts.

Course information may change. Module information and course content, teaching and assessment may change each year and after you have accepted your offer to study at the University of St Andrews. We display the most up-to-date information possible, but this could be from a previous academic year. For the latest module information, see the module catalogue.

The following modules are compulsory for those on the MSc and PGDip programmes. If you are studying for the PGCert, you can choose any four modules from this list or from the optional module list (if you are taking the PGCert with a specialism, one of your modules must be related to the specialism).
- Action Research and Reflection for Education Practitioners: provides a learning experience in which students can reflect on concepts and theories they have studied in the past and connect them with individual educational contexts. The module explores the combined value of reflection and action research, providing a means for educational practitioners to understand their educational contexts and to plan responses to challenges in these contexts.
- Education and Researching: focuses on different research methodologies and critically evaluates quantitative, qualitative and mixed method approaches, helping students to understand the features of a rigorous research question in education, as well as consider how to design, pilot and reflect on the effectiveness of different data collection instruments. Students will be taught, and given the opportunity to practise, different approaches to data analysis. The module will also include guidance and discussion on the different ethical considerations when conducting education-based research, as well as the important stages in writing up the dissertation.
- Language Teaching Methodology: explores the theories that inform teaching practice and analyses the implications these have in terms of ways of learning, material used, the teacher role and the learning spaces. This is essential for all those seeking to understand teaching environments more clearly and for those who have a chance to influence teaching environments.
- Linguistics for Language Teachers: equips you with the skills required to describe and analyse language. It does not assume prior knowledge of Linguistics and seeks to introduce you to selected fundamental concepts, relevant to English language teaching. You acquire appropriate terminology and techniques in the analysis and description of grammatical terms and structures.
- Second Language Acquisition: How do we learn languages? Does it make any difference what age we start at? Why do some learners seem to do better than others? Answers to these questions, and many more would be very useful to inform language teachers, and to guide learners. This module explores theories of second language acquisition to gain some understanding of what learners actually do, how learners differ, and the strategies they can use. This knowledge and understanding is evaluated in order to apply theory to practice.
Those on the MSc and PGDip programmes will choose three modules from the following list. If you are studying for the PGCert, you can choose any four modules from this list or from the compulsory module list.

If you are taking TESOL with a specialism, one of these modules must be related to the specialism.
- Assessment and Evaluation in Education: This module aims to provide students with a detailed understanding of the key concepts and theories behind different methods of assessment and evaluation in teaching and learning. It will help you to examine the rationale for different types of assessments and assessment designs. You will make links to learning on other modules and examine the theory underpinning test construction and marking, in particular test validity and the role of criteria in assessment..
- English Medium Instruction: In recent years there has been a rapid increase in the teaching of academic subjects through English in countries where the majority of the population do not use English as a first language. This module explores this global trend from the standpoint of content and language teachers, as well as students. It considers the wide variety of English medium instruction contexts, evaluating theory in the fields of teaching and learning, language acquisition and intercultural communication in an attempt to address some of the practical challenges involved.
- English for Academic Purposes: preparing and supporting students who come to study for undergraduate or postgraduate degrees through the medium of English is one of the most challenging but rewarding jobs in the field of language teaching. To do this well, an EAP teacher needs to understand the higher education context; the key principles underpinning learning in a university; text and discourse in the communities of the different disciplines, theories and practice of assessment; and the most effective methods and materials to motivate students and help them into a discourse community.
- Teaching Young Learners: explores theories of child development and learning which are fundamental to the understanding of child second language acquisition, namely children aged 4 to 7, 8 to 11, and 12 to 18. Child psychology has to be taken into account in the development of teaching materials, teaching styles and classroom management. There is also a practical element to the module, in the form of tasks requiring you to create lesson plans and materials to share with your peers, to apply theory to practice.
- Technology for Teaching: introduces you to the principal theories, concepts and practices of technology in education. You will be able to critically consider the role and purpose of various modes of technology in education in a wide range of settings to identify and conceptualise problems within your own professional contexts.
Only those on the MSc programme are required to submit a 15,000-word dissertation.

For the dissertation, you will choose a topic of interest to you and to your future career. You will read related literature and conduct independent research on your topic.

Student dissertations will be supervised by IELLI staff members. Supervisors will provide guidance throughout the research process, helping you to formulate a suitable research hypothesis. They will offer advice on relevant literature and how to plan your time effectively.
You will take a variety of taught modules over the length of the programme, which are delivered through a mixture of:
- recorded lectures
- online chatrooms
- podcasts
- guided writing
- webinars
- intensive feedback sessions on your work
Assessment

In each five-week module, you will integrate theory and practice by discussing and critiquing theoretical concepts and frameworks, and then apply them through a range of practical assessments. All assessment is by coursework and there are no exams. Assessments will include:
- a variety of different types of written assignments
- presentations
- development of teaching plans
- written group work with students resident in other parts of the world
Read more on curriculum development at the University.

What it will lead to

Careers

TESOL graduates are equipped with a range of skills and experiences which allow them to take on a variety of roles. The majority of TESOL students work within education, either as teachers or lecturers, researchers, or policymakers.

Other graduates work in publishing, journalism and management.

We are committed to supporting your career aspirations, whatever stage your career is at. Our Careers Centre can help connect you to our extensive global alumni community for advice and mentoring, as well as offering career coaching, bespoke workshops, employer connections, experiences, and application support.

IELLI can also support you with academic and professional skills development. The University’s Entrepreneurship Centre offers start-up support for those looking to freelance as well as create their own business.

TESOL information sessions

If you are unable to visit St Andrews before you apply, IELLI offers online information sessions to discuss the programmes.

Postgraduate online visiting days

We hold postgraduate online visiting days throughout the year to offer prospective postgraduate students a chance to experience the University's unique atmosphere and the quality of the teaching on offer.

Why St Andrews?

Staff in IELLI have a wealth of teaching and leadership experience in TESOL, in a range of locations globally. They are active in using their international networks and experience to support and advise students on future career development.

Current teaching staff have taught, or held educational leadership roles, in Australia, Bulgaria, China, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA and Vietnam.

Awards

Members of IELLI staff and previous students have been awarded various awards and prizes reflecting the quality of teaching offered.

Video transcript

Heading on screen: How did we optimise distance learning?

Dr Lesley Thirkell, Deputy Director and Director of Postgraduate Studies, International Education and Lifelong Learning Institute (IELLI) at the University of St Andrews: When we were planning the distance learning masters programmes there was various challenges to do with online learning that we had to consider.

So, first of all, the technology needs to be appealing but simple because, for example, not all the students have access to the same quality of broadband that we are fortunate to have in St Andrews.

And also, not all of the students are particularly skilled in technology, and that’s not a requirement to study.

So we’ve gone with the technology that’s supported by the University, which is used by all our students in St Andrews and is generally pretty user friendly.

Heading on screen: How is the course structured to help distance learners?

Dr Lesley Thirkell: We made the modules what we describe as short and fat, so the modules are all five weeks long. They are more intensive: typically a module studied at the University of St Andrews is ten or eleven weeks long.

For a distance learning student, in particular, keeping that momentum going over a ten or eleven week period can be quite challenging when life gets in the way.

So all our modules, be it studied on campus or by distance learning, are five weeks long.

So that means you’ve got this short burst of energy and enthusiasm and then you’ve got a week’s break until you start the next five week block.

Heading on screen: How will I access support from teachers and classmates?

Dr Lesley Thirkell: One of the most common challenges with studying by distance learning is that it’s quite easy to feel a little bit isolated and lonely and we were very keen to avoid that.

So our on-campus students and our distance learning students study the same module at the same time and they have a shared online forum which both cohorts use, with weekly tasks and chat rooms.

The intention is that the distance learning students then feel more of an integral part of what’s going on in St Andrews.

Victoria Faken, Librarian and Masters student at St Andrews, MSc TESOL via Distance Learning: Comparing the St Andrews distance learning experience to the other experiences I’ve had, I’ve found it to be much more personalised.

The support that you get from the Institute is fantastic and obviously the academic side of things is really excellent.

They teach you as a person rather than just somebody on that course with a registration number.

You're much more than just a statistic, I think, when you come to St Andrews.

I've been benefitted from having that experience.

The services are there: we’ve got things like online chat; we’ve got asking questions by email that are answered really quickly; we’ve got access to inter-library loans on a digital level to as well as the print side of things; and we’ve got access to articles.

What our students say

Our postgraduate programmes attract high calibre students from around the world, both those new to teaching and those who have taught for many years.

Many of our students publish papers, give well-received conference presentations, win prizes for their teaching or take on professional roles. They do so while on their programmes and after they have completed their studies with St Andrews. Some choose to continue their studies at PhD level, pursuing their interests in a wide range of TESOL and education-related fields.

See testimonials from TESOL students.

Entry requirements

Typically, you should have one of the following:

A 2.1 Honours degree or 3.3 out of 4.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) in any discipline. Applications are welcomed from all education systems. If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the Academic English pre-sessional courses.
Significant professional or other relevant experience alongside evidence of prior alternative learning (such as professional qualifications or certifications).

For more information about our academic entrance requirements in relation to the education system you studied in, email iellipostgrad@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Recognition of prior learning

Some students may be eligible for recognition of prior learning (RPL) based on their previous studies, such as DELTA. IELLI considers applications for RPL on a case-by-case basis in line with the University's recognition of prior learning policy. To confirm the exact amount of credit you could be awarded, please forward your relevant transcript to rplearning@st-andrews.ac.uk. Decisions about possible RPL must be finalised before you begin your studies with us.

English language requirements

You will need to be proficient in the English language. Information about English language entry requirements for these programmes is available on the postgraduate English language requirements page.

Applicants who have not met the English language entry requirements at the point of application may be made offers that are conditional on these requirements being met before enrolment. Offer-holders may then use the University’s international entry requirements to meet the English language requirements.

The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the personal statement, and supporting documents.

Application requirements

CV that includes your personal details with a history of your education and employment (paid or voluntary) to date
personal statement, see personal statement guidance for TESOL courses
one original signed reference (professional or academic)
academic transcripts and degree certificates
evidence of English language proficiency (required if English is not your first language). If you have not yet taken an English language test, you can submit it at a later date. Any offer of a place would then be conditional on attaining evidence of your English language competence.

For more guidance, see supporting documents and references for postgraduate taught programmes.

Application deadline

Tuesday 1 September 2026.

Applicants should apply as early as possible to be eligible for certain scholarships and for international visa purposes.

Fees and funding

MSc: £12,630
PGDip: £8,420
PGCert: £4,210
Single module: £1,155

Information on our tuition fees can be found on the postgraduate fees and funding page.

Scholarships and funding

MSc online tuition fee discount

IELLI offers a £2,000 tuition fee discount to students studying the MSc online who have approximately 2 years of relevant work experience. Applications open soon.

The University of St Andrews offers a number of scholarships and support packages to students each year.

15% Recent Graduate Discount

If you have graduated from the University within the last three academic years, you may be eligible for a 15% discount on postgraduate taught tuition fees. Terms and conditions apply.

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language TESOL (MSc, PGDip, PGCert, modular) - online September 2026

Starts

Duration

School

Fees

Why study this course?

Highlights

TESOL specialisms

Choose your level

Study where and when you want

Receive support

Modules

Assessment

What it will lead to

Careers

TESOL information sessions

Postgraduate online visiting days

Why St Andrews?

Awards

What our students say

Entry requirements

Recognition of prior learning

English language requirements

Application requirements

Application deadline

Fees and funding

Scholarships and funding

MSc online tuition fee discount

15% Recent Graduate Discount

Contact us

Start your journey

Legal notices

Curriculum development

Tuition fees

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language TESOL (MSc, PGDip, PGCert, modular) - online September 2026

Starts

Duration

School

Fees

Why study this course?

Highlights

TESOL specialisms

Assessment and Evaluation

English for Academic Purposes (EAP)

English Medium Instruction (EMI)

Teaching Young Learners

Technology for Teaching

Choose your level

Study where and when you want

Receive support

Modules

Compulsory (for MSc and PGDip)

Optional

Dissertation (MSc only)

Teaching and assessment

Assessment

What it will lead to

Careers

TESOL information sessions

Postgraduate online visiting days

Why St Andrews?

Awards

What our students say

Entry requirements

Recognition of prior learning

English language requirements

Application requirements

Application deadline

Fees and funding

Scholarships and funding

MSc online tuition fee discount

15% Recent Graduate Discount

Contact us

Start your journey

Legal notices

Curriculum development

Tuition fees