The University of Portsmouth in collaboration with the British Council is proud to offer this scholarship opportunity to students from India to study on our MA Applied Linguistics and TESOL course. Below you will find details about the course you are applying for, entry requirements, details of the scholarship funded by the British Council, the application process and the deadline to apply and the eligibility criteria for the scholarship. Please read on for more information.

Please watch this informational webinar for detailed information about the course and the scholarship process.

MA Applied Linguistics in TESOL (2 years, Distance Learning)

This course allows you to develop your abilities as a teacher of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). As a TESOL (or ELT, EFL, or EAP) practitioner you can advance your skills and become an expert in your field. 

On this course, you'll apply contemporary TESOL theory to the classroom. Guided by our expert teaching team, you can apply your learning to the context of teaching you currently work in or aspire to, whether that's in the private or state sector, teaching adults, primary, secondary or higher education.

You'll use a global perspective to critique your own approaches to teaching, conduct your own research into teaching techniques, and explore lesson planning and course design.

When you graduate, you'll have a deeper understanding of TESOL and how best to get results as an expert practitioner. You'll be ready to pursue roles in areas such as educational management or leadership, curriculum development, editing, publishing or advertising, in the UK or overseas.

Modules

• Dissertation Project (60 credits)

• Second Language Acquisition (30 credits)

• Using Language Corpora for Teaching and Research (30 credits)

• Professional Portfolio (30 credits)

• Theory and Practice of TESOL (30 credits)

Course entry requirements

• A second-class honours degree or equivalent.

• Initial teacher training and a minimum of three months full-time, relevant, teaching experience.

• English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 (or equivalent) with no component score below 6.5.

The Scholarship opportunity

We are pleased to offer scholarships to 7 applicants supported by funding from the British Council. The scholarship includes:

• The cost of tuition for 2-years Postgraduate study (Distance Learning)

• A fully funded 2-week Continuing Professional Development residential programme in Portsmouth at the end of your first year, including return flights and UK airport transfers (accommodation fees are not included)

• A stipend for expenses

• IELTS exam fees reimbursed for successful candidates

• Visa, insurance and NHS charges

Scholar eligibility criteria

To be eligible for the British Council Scholarships for English language teachers in India, you must: 

• Be a passport holder and permanent resident of India

• Have an undergraduate degree that will enable you to gain entry onto one of the pre-selected postgraduate programmes at a UK university

• Demonstrate the case for financial support / socio-economic need through a written statement

• Not be in receipt of financial support or funding towards your study programme in the UK from any other source

• Have not previously studied at degree level or higher in the UK or lived recently in the UK (i.e. in the last three years)

• Meet the English language requirement of the UK HEI

• Be motivated and academically able to follow and benefit from a UK postgraduate taught course

• Be working in or directly with the government education sector in your country, with a focus on English language teaching

• Be active in the field with a proven interest in the proposed subject area of English language teaching with a focus on multilingualism or bi-lingual teaching practices

• Be willing to demonstrate future contribution to the field of English language teaching in your country through the benefits achieved after graduating from UK higher education

• Agree to be a part of British Council’s global alumni network, maintain contact with the British Council and act as an ambassador for the UK and engage with activities as part of a Scholarships for English Language Teachers alumnus during and after their studies in the UK

• Demonstrate a plan and a passion to engage with the wider community working in English language teaching from your home country through a written statement

• Agree to your personal data being shared with the British Council as a condition of applying for the scholarship

You are not eligible for the British Council Scholarship for English language teachers if you: 

• Hold dual British citizenship

• Are an employee, a former employee, or relative* of an employee of His Majesty’s Government (including British Embassies/High Commissions; the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; Department for International Trade; the Ministry of Defence; and the Home Office)

• Are an employee, a former employee, or relative* of an employee of the British Council

• Are currently in receipt of financial support or funding towards your study programme in the UK from any other source

• Have previously studied in the UK with funding from a UK Government-funded scholarship or a UK institutional scholarship/financial bursary.

*Relatives are defined as parents or step-parents, siblings or step-siblings, children or step-children, spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner (where the couple have been in a relationship akin to marriage or civil partnership for at least two years). 

The application process

1.  Watch the information webinar for details about the scholarship opportunity.

2.  Complete the application form by clicking on the box below. Complete all required questions in the form and ensure you upload the following documentation before you complete the form:

   •  A copy of your passport

   •  A copy of your degree certificate

   •  A copy of your English language certificate. The certificates we accept are listed here

   •  A completed personal statement using the template provided below.

3. Please submit by the deadline of 23:55 (UK time) on 9th May 2025

4. Once the deadline has passed, all applications will go through a rigorous points-based shortlisting process.

5. The top 7 applicants will then be decided and notified of their successful application by email and asked to formally apply through the University's student admissions system, where their application will be prioritised for processing. Additional checks may be undertaken during this process as per University of Portsmouth Admissions Guidelines.

6.  All applicants will receive feedback on their application.

Please submit your application no later than 23:55 (UK time) on 9th May 2025.

Applications received after this time will not be considered.