Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages [MATESOL]

The MATESOL programme offers a wide variety of options for students to choose from and all teaching staff are personable and enthusiastic to answer students’ questions.

As I received my bachelor’s degree in TESOL Education in the USA, my family and friends could not wrap their head around the fact that I would still choose to study a master’s degree in TESOL again. Knowing that I would come back to Asia and further my education, The Education University of Hong Kong would be my top choice which has laid a solid foundation in the field of education. In particular, the MATESOL programme is well-structured in the aspects of morphology, phonology, English language teaching methods, pedagogical grammar, and research components.

The MATESOL programme offers a wide variety of options for students to choose from and all teaching staff are personable and enthusiastic to answer students’ questions. The programme also provides micro-teaching practices where students can practise and apply their subject knowledge. Additionally, MATESOL has internship and job opportunities provided for practicum experiences in local Hong Kong schools. Because of the job opportunity the programme has provided, I am now an English teacher at a local primary school. I highly recommend the MATESOL programme to students who wish to become quality English language teachers.

The MATESOL programme is worthwhile for both pre- and in-service teachers to advance their pedagogical expertise and prepare them for up-to-date language education.

The MATESOL programme at The Education University of Hong Kong can enhance pre- and in-service teachers’ pedagogical knowledge in English language education. The programme comprises a diverse curriculum covering broad and relevant topics, including morphology, vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and discourse. The knowledgeable academic staff share both classic and cutting-edge pedagogical approaches, which equip educators with evidence-based teaching strategies. Moreover, the pre- and in-service teachers can engage with technologies, such as corpus technologies, mobile apps, and Generative AI, and learn how to integrate these resources into classroom settings for effective language education.

Through my participation in the MATESOL programme, I developed a deep interest in researching how technologies can facilitate language acquisition, which led to me continuing a doctoral study focusing on related topics. The pedagogical knowledge and research skills gained during the programme not only laid a solid foundation for my academic research but also enabled me to successfully apply for a PhD study at The Education University of Hong Kong. Overall, this programme is worthwhile to take for both pre- and in-service teachers to advance their pedagogical expertise and prepare them for up-to-date language education!

I highly recommend the MATESOL programme as it provided me with both the disciplinary knowledge of theories and the skills to transfer that expertise into practice.

I highly recommend the MATESOL programme as it provided me with both the disciplinary knowledge of theories and the skills to transfer that expertise into practice. This was made possible by a team of highly knowledgeable, supportive, and passionate academic staff who took the time to ensure that not only was knowledge acquired, but that we could see how to apply it into different learning and teaching contexts.

The courses offer a wide variety of options for students to choose from and the teaching staff are easily approachable to discuss any items covered in class. The teaching staff also understand that not all students have a background in linguistics and take the time to ensure that everyone has the necessary foundations to succeed in their learning.

As well as a brilliant teaching staff, there is also a wonderful administrative team and fantastic career councillors, all of whom were reliable and quick to offer assistance. It is this combination that makes the MATESOL at EdUHK something truly special and helped me secure a place as an English Language Teacher in a local secondary school upon graduation.

The MATESOL programme in EdUHK appealed to me with its high academic ranking, competent research team and proactive engagement in education.

The MATESOL programme in EdUHK appealed to me with its high academic ranking, competent research team and proactive engagement in education. Despite the fact that my bachelor’s degree is neither Education nor English, this programme equipped me with a systematic understanding of English language theories and pedagogical methods to prepare me to become an English teacher-to-be.

The programme offers flexible degree strands to cater for our different needs and interests. Courses like ‘Pedagogical Grammar’ and ‘English Phonetics & Phonology’ consolidated my knowledge of English subject knowledge. ‘Second Language Research Method’ enabled me to master the basic methods of academic research and to use them to further academic studies. ‘English Language Teaching in Action’ introduced a series of practical and updated teaching methods to be used in classroom teaching. Although the one-year learning process was conducted online due to the epidemic situation, I feel it truly fruitful and rewarding because I have learned how to integrate e-learning tools into my teaching process.

The professors in MATESOL programme have both rich teaching experience and outstanding academic achievements in their respective fields. They can effectively guide us to further study and conduct effective teaching. By studying this programme, I also had opportunities to communicate with classmates from overseas and learn from each other. I believe that my learning experience in MATESOL programme will help me become an excellent English teacher.

I highly recommend it to those wishing to pursue a career as a language teacher or as a future researcher.

Studying under the MATESOL programme at EDUHK has truly been a fruitful experience, and I highly recommend it to those wishing to pursue a career as a language teacher or as a future researcher.

Despite having graduated with a bachelor in a non-English related field, this programme has equipped me not only with essential language theory, but also with effective pedagogical skills and research techniques. I have also gained insights into how to use tools such as various language corpora to either aid in research or to use as an innovative teaching tool.

Although the programme is only a year long, it offers an array of topics and specialisms to choose from, in order to fit your needs and interests. Such courses can range from morphology, second language acquisition, phonetics to carrying out a dissertation. All the courses are taught by dedicated professors who are engaging, supportive and who value their students' academic and professional development.

Throughout my time here, I have had the pleasure to work with classmates from all over the world, partake in research projects and participate in events hosted by the department. Now, at the end of my journey at EDUHK, I feel confident that I have acquired the necessary skillset to enter the workforce as a teacher-to-be and ensure that my students receive a quality English language education.

The lecturers made great efforts and dedication to help us learn as effectively as usual and to withstand the pressure from the situation.

The MATESOL programme gives me a very clear structure of the discipline of English studies. It is not just consolidation of what I have learnt in the past, but also detailed studies of each unit. The whole process was very interesting as the programme was integrated with e-learning which were planned carefully and thoughtfully. Lecturers’ choice of cultural context was shown with rich images or videos which brought the contentalive. I have discovered that there is so much fun involved in learning English words which can be learned from simple to complex, and from understanding the word on its own to in context.

The most exciting moment comes when the city was on lockdown. I had much worries whether or not we can complete the programme, and how the lectures could be conveyed online. With the introduction of zoom, I was energised by our lecturers who broke the isolation and restrictions through lots of experiments and courageous attempts. I understand that the work required much interaction and collaboration with students and technicians. The lecturers made great efforts and dedication to help us learn as effectively as usual and to withstand the pressure from the situation.

After much hard work and completing all the courses, I think that we should all rejoice and celebrate the triumph of our success. I take this opportunity to thank all my lecturers for their concerted efforts and great support , as they have demonstrated and transmitted their physical, mental and spiritual strengths to us in the teaching process.

Choosing MATESOL not only strengthens my academic knowledge in the professional teaching field, but also enhances my foundation in academic research.

Many of my friends and relatives did not understand my decision of choosing to study MATESOL in Hong Kong as I received my bachelor’s degree in the USA majoring in TESOL Education. But I aspired to know the Asian education system works as I wanted to pursue my future teaching career in Asia, which was my primary reason to apply for MATESOL at EdUHK. . Meanwhile, EdUHK is the only university in Hong Kong which is devoted to education, thus becoming my ideal choice to continue my study in English Language Teaching.

Courses offered by MATESOL at EdUHK provided me with solid knowledge in language teaching within a one-year study which covers morphology, phonology and research components in language learning and teaching. Corpus learning benefited me the most in English learning and teaching, which inspired me to conduct corpus-based research in completing my dissertation. Meanwhile, the teaching team of MATESOL is professional and responsible. The lecturers, including my supervisor, always encouraged me to solve difficulties and challenges by providing enough patience, guidance and feedback. By conducting research on corpora, I became more familiar with various search functions on corpora which can be further integrated into my language teaching. Now, I work at a local secondary school in Hong Kong, and I still seek help from corpora about the usage of vocabulary in order to answer the questions from my students. I highly recommend the MATESOL programme to those who wish to become a quality English language teacher!​​​​​​​

A new direction in education: Could language teachers become researchers?

Being an in-service teacher at the same time, MATESOL proved to be an excellent balance between the theory and practice of teaching. My dissertation was supervised by one of the most esteemed faculty members at the University. His supervision, guidance, timely feedback and encouragement have been an integral part of my progressive learning. The dissertation has given me an invaluable insight into the academic side of teaching and linguistics, and I feel more confident that I can produce research of my own in the future. I look forward to utilising the research skills acquired from MATESOL to solve the issues/problems encountered by my students in their classroom learning.

MATESOL provided me a chance to make my dream come true, I am now an English teacher at a primary school.

Being an English teacher has been my dream since I first provided an English tutorial class to a primary student. With a bachelor’s degree which is not related to neither English nor education, MATESOL at EdUHK provided me a chance to make my dream come true. It not only helps level up my English knowledge, such as morphology and phonology, but also equips me with useful English language teaching skills in classroom. It is also a platform for postgraduate students from different countries to exchange their teaching experience and skills. Thanks to MATESOL, I am now an English teacher at a primary school.

I highly recommend MATESOL programme to all aspiring education professionals, regardless of their previous academic backgrounds.

In my humble opinion, choosing to study in EdUHK is one of the best career moves that I have made. The courses offered by the MATESOL programme cover both technical and professional knowledge related to the field of English Education, and opened the minds of aspiring education professionals.

Despite being a business major in my undergraduate study, MATESOL programme has equipped me with the insightful knowledge in Language Research, English Language and Education, within a short period of study. After graduation, it is my great honour to be recruited into the research team of Department of Linguistics and Modern Language Studies as a Research Assistant, continuing my development in language studies.

I highly recommend MATESOL programme to all aspiring education professionals, regardless of their previous academic backgrounds.

Not only have I consolidated my knowledge and skills in English language teaching (ELT), but I have also learned to do research, which I had never imagined before.

Why MATESOL at HKIEd*?
(**HKIEd has been retitled The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) with effect from May 2016. )

Since I was a little girl, I hoped I could become a teacher like my parents. Becoming a teacher has always been my dream. HKIEd is the only university in Hong Kong which focuses on EDUCATION, which makes it ideal for students who wish to pursue a career in teaching. Before I started my studies there, I was convinced that HKIEd would help me to make my dream come true. The outcome shows that I was right.

In my younger student days, I could not help falling in love with English, and I have always been very eager to communicate with others in English. I thought to myself: it would be nice to be able to combine my dream with my interest, and so I decided to become an English teacher when choosing a major program for my undergraduate studies.

Given my undergraduate specialisation and training in English, it is not difficult to guess why I chose MATESOL at HKIEd. In fact, HKIEd has made me a better person. Not only have I consolidated my knowledge and skills in English language teaching (ELT), but I have also learned to do research, which I had never imagined before. This is amazing! One year is too short for me; I really wish I could stay longer! MATESOL at HKIEd allows every student to choose a specialisation and there are four strands or specialisations to choose from. What you need to do is to define your own interest, set your goal by making a choice, and work hard. I am sure that, like me, you will learn a lot after two semesters’ coursework. The professors there are all professional, caring and approachable. They are happy to share ideas and knowledge with students. Under their guidance, you can clearly feel that you are moving ahead steadily.

Thanks to MATESOL at HKIEd, after graduation, I now work as an instructor of English at the International Education Department of Huang He Science and Technology College – a great starting point for a career in ELT.

Thank you, HKIEd, for making my dream come true!