After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• produce complex written and oral expression in English
• have deep knowledge of the literatures, cultures, and histories of the major English-speaking countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, Ireland, and the Commonwealth countries

Graduates of this degree programme are qualified to teach English as a second language at secondary schools and adult-oriented language tuition providers. They are prepared for work in a wide range of public institutions, including local and national government offices, the media, international organizations. and NGOs, and in the private sector, where high-level English-language skills and communicative and analytical skills are required. They are also prepared to enter doctoral-level degree programmes in linguistics, English-language literature, and language teaching, continuing on to an academic career.

In order to be allowed to sit for the Master’s final state examination (UZAJ9999), a student must earn at least 120 credits while fulfilling the following requirements:

Pass five pedagogical-psychological courses (20 credits) at the Faculty of Arts (UZB001-UZB005).

Pass the following courses in English language teaching methodology, theory, and practice at the Department of English and American Studies: UZAJ2011, UZAJ2022, UZAJ2023, UZAJ2034, UZAJ2035, UZAJ2037 and UZAJ2048 (21 credits total).

Pass an exam in English language teaching and theory (UZAJ2036) at the end of the third semester (2 credits).

Pass – no later than the end of the third semester of studies – the written and oral exams in the English Language (AJ21110 and AJ21120, respectively) or have recognized an accepted certificate in accordance with the criteria specified on the Department web site.

Pass the university-wide requirement for an additional foreign language (4 credits).

Pass Master’s Thesis Seminars I and II (AJ29800 and AJ29801, 20 credits total) and submit the Master’s diploma thesis (AJ29850).

The remainder of requirements and credits necessary to complete this degree are based on the track the student has chosen.

For students choosing the English Language Teaching track:

Pass four courses within the selected track and finish them with exams (20 credits).

Gain 20 more credits from any courses offered at the Department of English and American Studies.

Gain 13 more credits from any courses offered at Masaryk University.

For students choosing either the Linguistics or Literary and Cultural Studies track:

Pass Cultural and Literary Theory I and II (AJ20001 and AJ20002) and finish them with exams (12 credits).

Pass Historical Development of English (AJ20003) and finish it with an exam (6 credits).

Pass four courses within the selected track and finish them with exams (20 credits).

Gain 15 more credits from any courses offered at the Department of English and American Studies.

The process of writing a Master’s diploma thesis lasts at least two semesters: in the first semester, students prepare for writing and submit assignments in the electronic Thesis Seminar I (AJ29800), in the second semester, they consult with their adviser, write the thesis, gain credits for that in Thesis Seminar II (AJ29801), and hand in the thesis (AJ29850).

Practical training accompanied by supervision and followed by feedback is an obligatory part of the curriculum for this field. The total amount of hours taught includes 12 ninety-minute lessons of teaching and 12 hours of feedback (both individual and group feedback) in the Internal Teaching Practice course and 10 hours in the External. Practical training starts in the third semester and is preceded by courses such as Language Acquisition, Aspects of Language for Teachers, Syllabus, Lesson and Course Design, and Practical Methodology 1, which prepare trainees for their training. The first type of training is Internal Teaching Practice, which is supervised by the trainers and in which the trainees teach university students of various levels. The second type of training is External Teaching Practice, for which the trainees go to observe and teach in secondary school classrooms and work under the supervision of mentors.

The Master’s State Examination has three parts: 1) defence of the Master’s diploma thesis (there is no defence for the Master’s non-diploma thesis); 2) oral examination of five books in the student’s chosen track; and 3) exam in the methodology of teaching the English language

After successfully completing the studies, the graduates can enter doctoral degree study programmes in philology.