Key details

Start date(s)
September 2027
Study Mode
Full-time (1 year)
Part-time (2 years)
Location
Horsforth Campus
School
Computing and Creative Industries

Do you want to become an English language teacher and teach in the UK and around the world? Are you fascinated by language and keen to use it to solve practical problems in the world and the workplace?  

Teaching English well is a skill that needs to be acquired, as it goes beyond the skillset of ‘native speakers’, requiring a strong understanding of the linguistic system, knowledge of how language is acquired and of different teaching methods, as well as an awareness of language use and associated ideologies. By fostering a critical awareness of these matters, this degree will equip you with the toolkit you’ll require as effective, inspiring and socially aware professionals within teaching and other professional and language-related sectors.

The Student Contract

About this course

From teaching, to business, marketing, campaigns and lexicography, knowledge about English is essential. Language is fundamental to human nature and society, and English is playing an increasingly important role in a globalised world. 

This unique course will equip you with the linguistic knowledge, critical awareness and language skills necessary for building or enhancing a career in a number of TESOL and language-related fields, including teaching English as a second or foreign language, interpretation, counselling and social work as well as in health settings and third sector roles.

For those wishing to specialise in teaching, the degree serves as ideal preparation for further training to become a teacher. It combines learning about TESOL and language acquisition with insights into English in business, marketing, and campaigns, providing a strong foundation in English for Specific Purposes. Additionally, this degree enhances your linguistic knowledge, giving you a competitive edge in the workplace more generally.

Undertaking a professional work placement or a CELTA will be a springboard to your future career. You will be supported to source a placement in a school, with a charity, or in a role where a focus on language is relevant. Alternatively, you may choose to complete a CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) with an authorised CELTA Centre (this option involves an additional cost and is subject to being accepted onto their course).

Why study with us

  • Study a specialist degree focused on language, teaching, workplace applications and social justice. 
  • Gain an understanding of aspects and methods of second language acquisition and English language teaching. 
  • Develop the knowledge, critical thinking, research and practical skills to pursue a career or doctoral study in English language teaching.
  • Learn how knowledge about the practical use of language gives you a competitive edge in a range of sectors, from teaching to marketing and campaigns. 
  • Prepare for employment/career progression by completing a professional work placement or a CELTA to gain relevant sector experience. 
Group of students studying in dining hall.

Course modules

You will study a variety of modules across your programme of study. The module details given below are subject to change and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

Core modules

These are the core modules you'll study on this degree. View the course structure tables for more information.

English Language and Research

This module will develop your academic skills. You will study the foundations of English grammar, register, pragmatics, phonological transcription and transcription and analysis of spoken discourse, thereby developing your awareness of English(es).

You will be introduced to a range of methods in data collection and consideration of any ethical and legal issues in collecting and presenting data. Furthermore, you will familiarise yourself with qualitative and quantitative data analysis.

Second Language Acquisition and Use

On this module, you'll develop your knowledge of how second/additional languages (henceforth L2) are acquired and used. You will advance your understanding of the main theoretical approaches to research in this field and gain insights into key factors shaping second language acquisition, such as cognitive, psychological and social aspects. You'll also develop your awareness of issues arising from L2 use, encouraging a critical stance on societal discourses and ideologies of L2 varieties and their speakers.

English Language Teaching: Theory, Method and Application

This module will develop your theoretical and practical understanding of how English is taught to and learnt by speakers of other languages. You'll develop an awareness of how TESOL is organised and situated in the UK and abroad, encouraging a critical view of which English(es) and whose English is being taught (or not).

You'll gain knowledge of key theories and approaches to teaching grammar, vocabulary and the four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). You'll be introduced to practical matters of teaching, such as methods, lesson design and material development, as well as technology and resources management, and be encouraged to apply your knowledge in formative lesson activities and in an assessed micro-teaching session.

Applied Linguistics: Language, Employment and Social Justice

You will consider a range of professions in which linguistic knowledge and research are used. Emphasising the problems addressed by linguists as well as the discourses involved in specific disciplines, the module will cover areas such as translation, lexicography, forensic linguistics, business and health communication, and language pathology. The importance of language in supporting social justice will be emphasised.

As part of the module, you'll either undertake a professional work placement or study for a CELTA qualification (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, which is offered externally) – preparatory guidance and support throughout for both options will be given.

Dissertation

You will design, carry out and report on a research project of your choice within the field of TESOL or Applied Linguistics. Under the guidance and supervision of an assigned member of staff, you will formulate a research proposal, obtain ethical approval for your topic and research methods from the Research Ethics and Integrity Committee, carry out the approved research and report on it in the form of a dissertation that adheres to academic conventions in the field and is supported by a body of previous scholarly work on the topic.

Course structure tables

September - Full-time
Year Term Module Credits Contact hours
1 Term 1 English Language and Research 30 48 hours
Second Language Acquisition and Use 30 48 hours
Term 2 English Language Teaching: Theory, Method and Application 30 48 hours
Term 2 and 3 Applied Linguistics: Language, Employment and Social Justice 30 36 hours plus 150 hours of placement or CELTA
Dissertation 60 17 hours plus independent study
September - Part-time
Year Term Module Credits Contact hours
1 Term 1 English Language and Research 30 48 hours
Term 2 English Language Teaching: Theory, Method and Application 30 48 hours
2 Term 1 Second Language Acquisition and Use 30 48 hours
Term 2 and 3 Applied Linguistics: Language, Employment and Social Justice 30 36 hours plus 150 hours of placement or CELTA
Dissertation 60 17 hours plus independent study

Learning and teaching

The Student Contract

A range of different forms of assessment will be used across the programme to ensure that all skills specified in the programme learning outcomes are developed and assessed appropriately, and that students have a broad range of opportunities to showcase these skills.

Assessment tasks may include (but are not limited to): coursework (such as essays, data analyses and case studies), presentation and micro-teaching, creation of a podcast, video or other digital artefact, and a dissertation. 

Learning and teaching

At Leeds Trinity we aim to provide an excellent student experience and give you the tools and support to help you achieve your academic, personal and professional potential.

Our Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy delivers excellence by providing the framework for:

  • high quality teaching
  • an engaging and inclusive approach to learning, assessment and achievement
  • a clear structure through which you progress in your academic studies, your personal development and towards professional-level employment or further study.

We have a strong reputation for developing student employability, supporting your development towards graduate employment, with relevant skills embedded throughout your programme of study.

We endeavour to develop curiosity, confidence, courage, ambition and aspiration in all students through the key themes in our Learning and Teaching Strategy:

  • Student Involvement and Engagement
  • Inclusion
  • Integrated Programme and Assessment Experience
  • Digital Literacy and Skills
  • Employability and Enterprise

To help you achieve your potential we emphasise learning as a collaborative process, with a range of student-led and real-world activities. This approach ensures that you fully engage in shaping your own learning, developing your critical thinking and reflective skills so that you can identify your own strengths and weaknesses, and use the extensive learning support system we offer to shape your own development.

We believe the secret to great learning and teaching is simple: it is about creating an inclusive learning experience that allows all students to thrive through:

  • Personalised support
  • Expert lecturers
  • Strong connections with employers
  • An international outlook
  • Understanding how to use tools and technology to support learning and development

Entry requirements

Leeds Trinity University is committed to recruiting students with talent and potential and who we feel will benefit greatly from their academic and non-academic experiences here. We treat every application on its own merits; we value highly the experience you illustrate in your personal statement.

The following information is designed to give you a general overview of the qualifications we accept. If you are taking qualifications that are not included below, please contact our Admissions Office who will be happy to advise you.

  • An undergraduate degree (2:2 or above) in a related subject, such as subjects in Humanities or Social Science including Linguistics, Languages, or relevant professional experience in Education or Translation.
  • Applicants who do not hold a 2:2 undergraduate degree may be considered and would be asked to complete an assessed piece of written work and an informal interview.

For more information on meeting English language requirements and academic requirements by country, visit our International Applicants page.

Please contact us for personalised advice on 0113 283 7123 or at admissions@leedstrinity.ac.uk

Fees and finance

Funding

UK Home Students:

For information about our tuition fees, please visit our Student Fees and Finance pages.

If you studied your undergraduate degree at Leeds Trinity University and achieved a 2:2 or above, you may be eligible for a discount of up to 30% on the cost of your tuition fees. 

International Students, including EU Students:

Visit our web page for international students.

Leeds Trinity Alumni Discount

All Leeds Trinity graduates are eligible for a 30% tuition fee discount* on this postgraduate course. You will need to achieve a 2:2 or above in a Leeds Trinity undergraduate degree course to qualify for the Alumni Scholarship.

*Note the alumni discount is only available for postgraduate courses undertaken at Leeds Trinity University campuses.

How to apply

If you need advice on your application, please contact our admissions team on 0113 283 7123 (Monday to Thursday, 9.00am to 5.00pm, or Friday 9.00am to 4.00pm) or admissions@leedstrinity.ac.uk

Home applicants - How to apply

Applicants who require a Student Route Visa

If you require a Student Route Visa in order to study in the UK for a September 2027 entry, then you must apply to us by Monday 7th June 2027.

Part-time study is not available for international students on a Student Route Visa.

For additional information, including academic requirements by country, visit our country and region page.

International applicants - How to apply

What happens next?

Our admissions team will acknowledge receipt of your application by email.

Where applications are submitted but references are still in progress, admissions will wait for the reference(s) to be received and then will process it, and forward it to the relevant Programme Leader within five days of receipt of the reference(s).

The Programme Leader will make a decision based on your application. You may be asked to provide a reference to demonstrate your academic and non-academic experiences, or you may be invited to attend an interview. If you are successful and are made an offer, the conditions will be outlined in your offer letter. 

Applications will be acknowledged within five working days. Applicants will be contacted within 15 working days with a request for additional information, an invitation to an informal interview or an application decision.

Made an offer?

You should accept or decline your offer by emailing admissions@leedstrinity.ac.uk.

If you accept, you'll need to prove you satisfy the conditions outlined in your offer letter.

You may be asked to present the relevant supporting documentation in person to the student information point on campus - if originals are not needed, you’ll be contacted and given details of how to provide the supporting documentation.

Meet the team

Linda Walz SFHEA.

Linda Walz SFHEA

Linda Walz SFHEA

Programme Leader for MA TESOL

Overview

Growing up in multilingual Switzerland with its diglossia of Swiss German and Standard German, Linda has been fascinated by language from an early age and is fortunate to follow this passion in her professional life. She began her career as a teacher of English and German in Swiss secondary education, before moving to Yorkshire to complete a PhD in Linguistics at the University of Leeds. 

Linda’s research interests are language, identity and social interaction. Her doctoral research explored ‘expat blogs’ about transnational relocation, focusing on how moving abroad impacts on people’s sense of identity. More recently, she has been studying the language of misogyny in morning TV shows, how people use social media to sanction problematic conduct, as well as exploring students’ motivation and expectations of studying abroad. 

Linda is the Programme Leader for MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL),  and she also teaches on the BA English and Creative Writing programme. Her modules include the study of second language acquisition, English language teaching, language and identity, as well as multilingualism. 

In her spare time, Linda enjoys language learning and finding out more about how different languages work.

Qualifications

  • PhD in Linguistics, University of Leeds
  • BA and MA in English and German Philology, University of Basel, Switzerland
  • Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
  • Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England
  • Qualified Teacher of English and German in Switzerland 

Speciality Areas

Second Language Acquisition, English Language Teaching, Language and Identity, Language, Gender and Sexuality, Sociolinguistics and Pragmatics, Multilingualism, Dissertation.

Current Research

Accountability of public conduct on social media 

The language of misogyny in morning television shows 

Interpreters’ experiences of UK asylum claims based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) 

Student expectations of study abroad 

Identifying good practices through the investigation of authentic recordings of viva voce examinations.

Publications

Walz, L., Joyce, J. B. & Flint, N. (2024). “Facebook’s about to know, Karen”: Mobilising social media to sanction public conduct. Internet Pragmatics, 7(1), 137-160. https://doi.org/10.1075/ip.00104.wal 

Ridley, A., Humă, B. & Walz, L. (2024). Porridge and misogyny: Rationalising inconspicuous misogyny in morning television shows. Feminism & Psychology, 34(2), 228-250. https://doi.org/10.1177/09593535231197526  

Walz, L., Haines Lyon, C., Bright, G., Walton, J. & Reid, K. (2023). Unlocking education through relationship building: Identity and agency in English educational institutions during Covid-19. British Educational Research Journal, 49(4), 711-730. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3865 

Joyce, J. B. & Walz, L. (2022). Picking fights with politicians: Categories, partitioning and the achievement of antagonism. Pragmatics, 32(4), 562-587. https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.21028.joy  

Walz, L. & Fitzgerald, R. (2020). A stranger in a foreign land: Identity transition in blogs about transnational relocation. Discourse, Context & Media, 36, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcm.2020.100413   

Walz, L. (2020). ‘You wanted to know about expat life’: Authenticating identity in blogs about transnational relocation. Text & Talk, 40(3), 377-397. https://doi.org/10.1515/text-2020-2060 

Book chapter: 

Walz, L. (2021). “It’s time to shift this blog a bit”: Categorial negotiation as a local and cumulative accomplishment. In J. Meredith, D. Giles & W. Stommel (Eds.), Analysing digital interaction (pp. 65-86). Palgrave

Podcast Credits

Guest on “Betwixt the Sheets” episode on “The surprising history of ‘Karens’”: 

https://play.acast.com/s/betwixt-the-sheets/the-surprising-history-of-karens 

Email
Rod Hermeston.

Rod Hermeston

Rod Hermeston

Lecturer in Linguistics

Overview

Rod Hermeston originally comes from Newcastle in Tyneside. He has a wide range of linguistic interests, which started with the study of identity in his own dialect, known as ‘Geordie’. 

He completed a PhD at the University of Leeds in 2009 on the topic of Linguistic Identity in Nineteenth-Century Tyneside Dialect Songs. The first research article he had published (with great pride) was about the song The Blaydon Races, the unofficial ‘national anthem’ for Tyneside. Rod has taught at various universities in the north of England and joined Leeds Trinity University in 2019, where he is now a Senior Lecturer in Linguistics. He teaches on the MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), leading the modules English Language and Research, and Applied Linguistics: Language, Employment and Social Justice. He also teaches on the BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing degree, giving classes in creative writing, and has also led modules in Stylistics, along with Language, Society and Media, while also offering classes in medieval literature.  

Rod has a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults and has also previously taught English for Academic Purposes. 

Since completing his doctorate, Rod’s research interests have shifted to disability, and he is currently developing a new research area, disability stylistics. This considers how literary and media representations of disabled people through language shape beliefs about disabled people. He also researches the lived experience of people with diagnosed communication difficulties. This represents a return to the field of disability for Rod, who worked as a disability journalist in his early career.

Qualifications

  • PhD Linguistic Identity in Nineteenth-Century Tyneside Dialect Songs, University of Leeds
  • Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA), Kirklees College
  • MA in English Literature, University of Leeds
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism Studies, University of Strathclyde
  • BA (Hons.) English, University of Leeds

Current Research

  • Disability stylistics, the representation of disabled people through language in literature and the media
  • The lived experience of people with communication difficulties
  • Language and identity

Publications

Hermeston, R. & Rutter, B. (2026). Voices from the margins: The value of a blog for people with communication difficulties. In K. Kondo, S. Vilar-Lluch, M. Tsimpiri, T. Zhou, & A. Musolff (Eds.). Discourses of Inclusive and Exclusionary Health Communication: Healthcare, Language, and Inclusivity, Volume 1 (pp. 153-166). Taylor & Francis. 

Hermeston, R. (2025). The role of metaphor and indexicality in the reinforcement of social meanings of disability. In J. Setter, S. Dovchin, & V. Ramjattan (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Language and Prejudice (pp. 168-192). Oxford University Press.  

Hermeston, R. (2022). Disability stylistics: an illustration based on Pew in Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Language & Literature, 3(2), 173-194. DOI: 10.1177/09639470221122101 

Rutter B. & Hermeston R. (2019). The space between words: on the description of Parkinson’s disease in Jonathan Franzen’s 'The Corrections'. Medical Humanities, 47(1), 56-60. DOI: 10.1136/medhum-2018-011536

Hermeston, R. (2017). Towards a critical stylistics of disability. Journal of Language and Discrimination, 1(1), 34-60. 

Hermeston, R. (2014). Indexing Bob Cranky: social meaning and the voices of pitmen and keelmen in early nineteenth-century Tyneside dialect song. Victoriographies, 3(2), 156-80. DOI: 10.3366/vic.2014.0168

Hermeston, R. (2011). ‘The Blaydon Races’: Lads and lasses, song tradition, and the evolution of an anthem. Language & Literature, 20(4), 269-82. DOI: 10.1177/0963947011398281

Other

Hermeston, R. (2020). Metaphor and indexicality in 'The Pitman's Pay': the ambivalence of dialect. In P. Honeybone & W. Maguire (Eds.), Dialect Writing and the North of England (pp. 168-187). Edinburgh University Press.

Hermeston, R. (2017). Tensions, transformations and local identity: the evolving meanings of nineteenth-century Tyneside dialect songs. In J. Goodridge & B. Keegan (Eds.), A History of British Working Class Literature (pp. 281-295). Cambridge University Press.

Hermeston, R. (2017). Language, differentiation and convergence: the shifting ideologies of Tyneside dialect song in the nineteenth century. In J. Hodson (Ed.), Dialect and Literature in the Long Nineteenth Century (pp. 127-145). Routledge.

Email