Lancaster has a world-wide reputation for excellence in language testing. Staff members Tineke Brunfaut, Luke Harding, Judit Kormos, Andrea Révész, and Charles Alderson have led and contributed to numerous language testing projects, including national test development projects in many countries and international test development and evaluation projects in English and other languages.

Former Lancaster Language Testing students are now leading test development and research projects in many parts of the world, in Ministries of Education and Defence, curriculum development centres, and universities and other institutions of higher learning, designing and evaluating tests of general language ability and languages for specific purposes.

Our web-based MA in Language Testing is designed so that you do not have to leave your workplace to pursue your studies in Lancaster. It offers you the opportunity for part-time distance learning and for basing your coursework and dissertation on issues and problems in your own educational context.

We are very pleased to announce that one of our MA in Language Testing students received the 2010 IELTS Caroline Clapham MA Dissertation Award. The dissertations of two other MA in Language Testing students, Gerard Seinhorst and Miguel Fernandez, were also recognised as having very high quality. See the full news story.

Aims

This programme meets the needs of language teaching and testing professionals who have responsibilities for testing and evaluation at institutional, regional or national level. It provides you with a solid grounding in language testing design, construction and evaluation, and in research design, so that the testing and evaluation policies you create within your own contexts conform to international standards for validity and reliability.

Structure

There is a 3-day orientation seminar in Lancaster at the beginning of the programme so that you can become familiar with the requirements of the programme and of web-based learning and so that you can meet your tutors and fellow students. In 2013, the seminar will be held in Lancaster from 9th to 11th of January. Participants should plan to arrive in Lancaster on January 8th and will be free to leave on January 11th after 5.30pm. The programme is entirely web-based thereafter.

There are five modules, taken in this order:

• Language Test Construction and Evaluation
• Background to Applied Linguistics for Language Testing
• Issues in Language Testing
• Research Issues in Applied Linguistics
• Statistics for Language Testing

Each module is to be completed within a 10-week period. Four of the modules will be assessed by a 5,000 word assignment. The fifth module will be assessed by a 2,500 word assignment and three 500 word assignments. Assignments will be tailored to be of relevance to your own testing context. The final component of the course will be a dissertation of 15,000 words. All modules and the dissertation component will be fully supported by members of the Lancaster teaching staff, through supervised web-based group discussions and individual academic supervision.

Key Facts

Director of Studies: Tineke Brunfaut

Programme length: part-time (24 months, January start)

Audience: language teaching and testing professionals who have responsibilities for testing and evaluation at institutional, regional or national level

Entry requirements:

• Academic: upper-second class degree or higher, in a relevant specialism
• Experience: Applicants must normally have three years of teaching experience and hold a post with responsibility for language test design, construction and evaluation
• English language level (for applicants whose native language is not English): IELTS 6.5 (with at least 6.0 in Reading and Writing) / paperbased TOEFL 580 / CBT 237 / iBT 93 / PTE-Academic 62 / or equivalent

Assessment: 5 x 5,000-word essay or equivalent (100 credits) + 15,000-word dissertation (80 credits)

Enquiries: Elaine Heron

Application Deadline: The next course to run will be cohort 7, January 2013 to December 2014. Our deadline for applications is 1st November 2012.

Frequently Asked Questions

 

1. What are the aims of the course?

This MA is being introduced to meet the needs of language teaching professionals who have responsibilities for testing and evaluation at institutional, regional or national level, but who find it difficult to leave their place of work to undertake a full-time MA in Lancaster. The MA is fully web-based, but there is a short residential in Lancaster at the start of the programme so that participants can get to know each other, the staff and Lancaster University and, especially, so that they can become acquainted with the course and its means of communication.

 

2. What is the content of the course?

The programme consists of 5 modules and a dissertation. The modules are:

• Language Test Construction and Evaluation (January - March Year 1)
• Background to Applied Linguistics for Language Testing (April - June Year 1)
• Issues in Language Testing (October - December Year 1)
• Research Issues in Applied Linguistics (January - March Year 2)
• Statistics for Language Testing (April- June Year 2)

The dissertation will be written in the period between July and December Year 2 and will be 15,000 - 20,000 words long. Students will be supervised via computer-mediated communication. The fourth module (Research Issues in Applied Linguistics) will also provide guidance on choosing research questions, methodology etc.

 

3. How is the course taught?

The taught modules consist of a number of units (generally 8 to 10) that simulate the lecture + seminar/workshop format that is found in face-to-face teaching in our department. The participants work on one module per academic term, over the course of five terms. The modules are designed for postgraduate, post-experience participants, and include content which is of relevance to their own professional sphere of operation. Input material introduces appropriate themes, approaches and theories and these are supplemented by tasks representing authentic challenges in language testing and seeking to develop particular aspects of the participants' competence.

Each unit of a module generally occupies one week, a typical timetable for a module is as follows:

Unit	Unit Title	Start Date
Unit 1	Evaluating and Revising Test Items	16 January 2012
Unit 2	Test Specifications	23 January 2012
Unit 3	Item Analysis	30 January 2012
Unit 4	Descriptive Statistics	6 February 2012
Unit 5	Reliability	13 February 2012
	READING WEEK	20 February 2012
Unit 6	Assessing Writing	27 February 2012
Unit 7	Assessing Speaking	05 March 2012
Unit 8	Assessing Reading	12 March 2012
Unit 9	Assessing Listening	19 March 2012

Students need to be prepared to spend between 5 to 10 hours per week on course readings and tasks. Where possible, they should also plan to be available online during our regular ten week term times

Participants carry out tasks individually or in small groups, communicating with one another and their tutor by means of module-specific discussion sites. There is a balance between independent learning opportunities and group endeavours, as participants need to develop both self-sufficiency and the ability to learn from their peers.

These activities are complemented by guided dissertation work, where participants design and carry out their own project whilst benefiting from regular opportunities to receive input and feedback. They begin their dissertation work during the fourth module, which is dedicated to research issues and techniques, and they continue for six months after the completion of their fifth module. It is during this process that applicants can test their own aptitude and disposition for doctoral research, if this is of interest.

 

4. How is the course assessed?

Each module is assessed via a written assignment (20 credits each), which is tailored to complement participants' job demands. Four of the modules will be assessed by a 5,000 word assignment. The fifth module will be assessed by a 2,500 word assignment and three 500 word assignments.

The dissertation is 15,000 - 20,000 words in length (80 credits) and students are supervised via computer-mediated communication.

 

5. Who are the course tutors?

The tutors on the course are Tineke Brunfaut, Luke Harding, Judit Kormos, Andrea Révész.

 

6. When does the course begin and how long does it last?

The programme starts in January of Year 1 and runs over 2 years, ending in December of Year 2.

 

7. What are the fees?

For confirmation of the current tution fees please see the University documentation on fees, look under either 'Home/EU students' or 'Overseas students', and then under 'Part-time students'.

The MA in Language Testing is a two-year part-time programme, please note that the fee for the second year will be slightly higher, since fees are increased on an annual basis.

 

8. When are fees payable?

Lancaster University will normally send an invoice for the first half of the programme once it has started, in January, and an invoice for the second half of the course at the beginning of the second year.  However, if it is more convenient for funders, the University can send out invoices as soon as the student has confirmed that they are accepting the offer to study on the MA and have completed the registration process. Invoices are usually sent out by post but they can be faxed as well if this is preferred. You will need to provide the address to which the invoice should be sent, the fax number, and the reference number.

 

9. Can fees be paid in installments?

Yes, it is possible to pay in 2 equal installments each year.

 

10.What are the language requirements?

Our official requirement for IELTS is an Overall Band Score of 6.5, with a 6 in writing.

The university also accepts TOEFL scores: 237 minimum score on the computer-based test, 580 minimum on the paper-based test. On the new internet-based TOEFL we would accept an overall score of 93. Please see the TOEFL.org pages for more information.

In addition, the University also accepts scores on the Pearson Test of English Academic: 62 minimum score. For more information see the Pearson PTE Academic pages.

If applicants have taken any of these exams in the last two years we can accept their test scores; otherwise we ask that they take the exam again. If, however, they have done their undergraduate studies in Britain, the US or another English-medium educational system and have successfully completed their degree they don't need to submit a test score.

 

11. Is there any residential requirement?

The programme will start with an on-campus Orientation Seminar. The purpose of the seminar is to acquaint all of the participants with the goals and content of the programme and, importantly, with the procedures for accessing the web-based materials.

In 2013, the seminar will be held in Lancaster from 9th to 11th of January. Participants should plan to arrive in Lancaster on January 8th and will be free to leave on January 11th after 5.30pm. There is no additional cost for the Orientation Seminar but participants will have to make their own arrangements for transportation to Lancaster and will need a modest allowance for accommodation and meals. Accommodation can be booked on campus for approximately £35/night. We will post details and booking information in November, prior to the start of the course.

 

12. How do I apply?

The next course to run will be cohort 7, January 2013 to December 2014. Our deadline for applications is 1st November 2012.

If you are interested in applying please go to the following website www.postgraduate.lancs.ac.uk and follow the instructions. If you have any queries please contact our Faculty PG Admissions team:

Postgraduate Admissions
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Lancaster University
LANCASTER
LA1 4YL

Telephone: +44 (0)1524 510880
Fax: +44 (0)1524 510857
Email:  fass-pg-admissions@lancaster.ac.uk

For more details about how to apply please see our General Application Advice.

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