Language Testing (by Distance Learning)

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Lancaster has a world-wide reputation for excellence in language testing. Staff members Tineke Brunfaut, Luke Harding, Judit Kormos, Andrea Révész, Dianne Wall 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 student received 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

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 2012, the seminar will be held in Lancaster from 11th to 13th of January. Participants should plan to arrive in Lancaster on January 10th and will be free to leave on January 14th. 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.

Entry RequirementsA good second class honours degree, or its equivalent. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 CAE score: (read more) Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) is part of the Cambridge English suite and is targeted at a high level (IETLS 6.5-8.0). It is an international English language exam set at the right level for academic and professional success. Developed by Cambridge English Language Assessment - part of the University of Cambridge - it helps you stand out from the crowd as a high achiever. 75 (Grade B) TOEFL iBT® test: 93 IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa. The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.

We offer a range of scholarships awarded directly through our faculties and departments. The majority of these scholarships offer support towards fees, although some may also contribute towards living costs.Competition for these scholarships is mainly based around academic performance and the number of scholarships and studentships offered varies from year to year.

* BAFTA Scholarship Programme
* IELTS scholarship 2014 - Thailand
* IELTS 25th Anniversary Scholarship 2014 - Malaysia
* British Association for Irish Studies Postgraduate Bursaries
* IELTS Scholarships award 2014
* The Dover Fund
* Scotland's Saltire Scholarships
* Altajir Trust Scholarships
* Canada Memorial Foundation Scholarships
* Italian Cultural Association Scholarships
* Muriel Taylor Cello Scholarship
* Stuart Hollander Scholarship
* Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Scholarships
* The George Drexler Foundation Grants
* Stationers' Foundation Postgraduate Bursary Scheme
* Society for Theatre Research
* Queen Elizabeth Craft Scholarships
* Commonwealth Scholarships
* Charles Wallace India Trust
* AHRC Block Grant Partnerships

Accreditation

Lancaster University is the highest placed UK university in the Times Higher Education 100 Under 50 ranking of the worlds best young universities.

Ranked 10th, a climb of 4 places, Lancaster is the highest ranked of only 14 UK universities to be listed.

Lancaster Universitys Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark E. Smith welcomed the success: This is a great result for us as we celebrate Lancasters 50th anniversary . Lancaster is a dynamic, young and forward looking university which has seen incredible success in just 50 years.

Other UK universities in the table include Warwick (12th), the University of Essex (22nd), Brunel University (29th) and the University of Bath (joint 34th).

Phil Baty, editor of Times Higher Education Rankings, said: The academy's traditional, ancient elite should be warned many of the exciting young universities on this forward-looking list do not see their youth as a disadvantage in the global knowledge economy. While they may not have had centuries to accumulate wealth and cannot draw on generations of alumni and rich traditions of scholarship to drive their reputations, they are free from the burdens of history: free to be more agile, lean, flexible and risk-taking, giving them an advantage in a rapidly changing global marketplace; free to offer innovative teaching and focus their research on niche, high-impact areas.

Lancaster University is also the leading university in the North West according to The Complete University Guide 2015.

Lancaster is ranked 11th in the ranking of 123 UK universities, ahead of all other universities in the North West.