MA in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (Full-Time, 12 months)
As China continues to grow and develop, there is increasing interest around the world in the country and its language. As a consequence, TCFL – the Teaching of Chinese as a Foreign Language – is a rapidly growing field.
The MA in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (TCFL) offered by SEAS is the first such programme of its kind in the UK. It aims to equip students with a comprehensive theoretical grounding in second language acquisition, Chinese linguistics and TCFL theory and methodology, as well as practical TCFL skills such as course and lesson planning, selection and development of teaching materials, effective language teaching strategies, classroom management, assessment etc.
SEAS has a strong team of staff, with research and teaching expertise in TCFL and Chinese linguistics, and a reputation, in the field of Chinese language teaching and Chinese studies generally, as one of the largest and most distinguished departments of its kind in the world. The School was rated `excellent´ in the most recent government-sponsored survey of teaching quality.
Alongside elective modules taken in the School of English Language, Literature and Linguistics, students are required to follow two core essay-based modules – `Understanding Chinese language from the perspective of universal grammar´ and `Second language acquisition in TCFL´ – to provide the fundamental linguistic knowledge necessary for teaching Chinese, as well as two core class-based modules – `Classroom observation in TCFL´ and `Teaching practice in TCFL´ – which will provide more practical experience of teaching in an English-language context.
The latter two modules run in conjunction with SEAS´s own intensive undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses, the University´s Confucius Institute (which runs Chinese language courses for both children and adults of all abilities), as well as local primary and secondary schools with an established or growing commitment to Chinese. This enables students to observe and teach according to their own particular research and/or career interests.
Please note that this programme is an academic degree that aims to support existing teachers of the Chinese language or prepare new teachers and researchers interested in TCFL. It is not intended to replace the PGCE, the UK general teaching qualification.
Diploma (9 months) and Certificate (4 months) options are also available for this programme – please contact us for further details.
Content of the degree
Core modules
Classroom Observation in TCFL
Teaching Practice in TCFL
Understanding Chinese language from the perspective of universal grammar
Second language acquisition in TCFL
Dissertation
Plus options from
Introduction to linguistics
Research Methods in Applied Linguistics
Using Corpora for Language Research
Linguistic Theory and Language Processing
Language Teaching Methodology
Introduction to Second Language Acquisition
Language Testing
Theory and Practice of Language Teaching
Current Issues in Second Language Acquisition
Discourse and Genre Analysis
Entry Requirements
For all degrees, our first requirement is a good first degree in any subject. This will normally mean a 2.1 from a university in the UK, or an equivalent qualification from an institution overseas. Applicants with other qualifications combined with relevant professional experience may also be eligible (for example, for those with two or more years relevant teaching experience, a 2:2 qualification may be considered).
This degree also requires a high level of language competence in both English and Chinese. Our English language requirements for non-native speakers are IELTS 7.0 (with 6.5 in writing), TOEFL 600 (paper test) or 250 (computer test) or 100 (internet test), or equivalent. Our Chinese language requirements for non-native speakers are a high 2:1 qualification from a Chinese Studies degree (normally 4 years of intensive language study including a year abroad), HSK level 5 (Hanban format) or level 8 (BLCU format), or equivalent.
Previous experience in TCFL is not essential.