Master of Applied Linguistics
MAAL Degree Structure
The MAAL degree consists of 48 credit points made up of 8 units (courses or subjects) of 6 credit points each. The degree can be completed over 1 year full-time, or 2 – 4 years part-time. A full-time study load consists of approximately 40 hours per week of academic work. Many students who are in employment find that part-time study better meets their needs.
Students need to take all four core units (listed below), and choose any four (4) of the listed units (total 8 units).
The official requirements are:
(a) Candidates must pass units to the value of 48 credit points at 500-level or above. (500 is the unit code which designates a postgraduate-level unit).
(b) Candidates must include all core units.
(c) Candidates may not enrol in any unit or units where the candidate has undertaken equivalent subject matter in a previous award.
(d) With permission from the Degree Coordinator, a candidate may substitute listed units in place of core units, up to the value of 12 credit points.
(e) With permission from the Degree Coordinator, a candidate may substitute other units at 500-level for elective units, up to the value of 12 credit points. It may also be possible, with permission, to include advanced-level units in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Indonesian and Japanese. Not all language units may be offered online. See individual disciplines for prerequisites and other information.
Core units:
LING550 The Design of Language
LING551 Issues in Applied Linguistics
LING552 Intercultural Communication
Listed units (elective):
LING561 Research Methods in Second Language Acquisition
LING562 Second Language Acquisition
LING563 Bilingualism, Education and Society
LING564 First Language and Literacy Acquisition
LING565 Phonetics and Phonology
LING566 Australia’s Indigenous Languages
LING571 Sociolinguistics and Language Ecology
LING572 Multilingual Approaches to TESOL
EDLA523 Second Language Acquisition: Applications
Advanced Standing
Candidates may be granted advanced standing to a maximum of 24 credit points on the basis of units passed either at UNE or elsewhere provided that:
a) those units have reasonable correspondence to MAAL units; and
b) those units have not been counted towards the same degree which qualifies the candidate for MAAL admission. Students normally apply for advanced standing before commencement of the program.
Period of candidature
Candidates must satisfy the requirements of the program in not less than two trimesters and not more than eight trimesters (four years).