Languages and TESOL

Globalisation, ease of travel and technological advances bring the world closer to everyone. Studying Languages opens up a world of opportunity for you. Languages at Stirling include French and Spanish. Studying Languages is not just about learning how to speak, read and write the language but also immersing yourself in the culture through film, history, politics, art and music. At Stirling, you'll study Spanish with Latin American Studies. You'll also get the chance to spend time studying abroad.

TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Our Masters courses at Stirling provide advanced training and professional qualification in TESOL. Our courses are suitable for people already teaching English as a foreign or second language, and people who are new to TESOL and looking for a career change or professional development. We have on-campus and online courses available. Dr Adnan Yilmaz, TESOL Programme Director, talks about studying TESOL at Stirling.

Our language courses are highly rated. We're ranked 2nd in Scotland and top 10 in the UK for Iberian languages, and 3rd in Scotland and top 15 in the UK for French (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025). We're also members of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI).

Languages and TESOL courses

Courses labelled are available for online study only.

Undergraduate courses
CourseStart date
BA (Hons) English StudiesJanuary 2025, September 2025, January 2026
BA (Hons) European Languages and Society with International ManagementSeptember 2025
BA (Hons) FrenchJanuary 2025, September 2025, January 2026
BA (Hons) Spanish and Latin American StudiesJanuary 2025, September 2025, January 2026
Modern Languages degrees combined with other subjects
Postgraduate courses
CourseStart date
MSc Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)September 2025
MSc Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) (Online)September 2025
PhD TESOL ResearchSeptember 2025

Scholarships

We offer a variety of scholarship and funding options to help you finance your studies at the University of Stirling.

Undergraduate scholarships

See more undergraduate scholarships

Postgraduate scholarships

See more postgraduate scholarships

Why study TESOL at the University of Stirling?

Graduate careers in Languages and TESOL

Graduates can use language skills in almost any career. Multilingual candidates are highly sought after by employers, so a language degree will unlock a world of opportunities.

Recent language graduates at Stirling have gone on to work in publishing, journalism, television, advertising, translation, interpreting, commerce, civil service, law and teaching.

Our students in TESOL can start teaching as soon as they graduate, with the knowledge, skills and confidence to work both at home and overseas in:

  • nurseries
  • primary schools
  • senior high schools
  • colleges and universities
  • teacher training and examining
  • translating and interpreting

Some graduates have found positions with the British Council or private language schools.

Our MSc TESOL international graduates are also well prepared to sit all three modules of the in-demand University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations TKT.

Languages and TESOL research

Literature and languages research at Stirling opens up many new possibilities for students and researchers in numerous related areas, including Religion and Translation. 100% of our research environment in English Language and Literature is classed as world leading or internationally excellent (REF 2021).

TESOL is part of our Education research group.

Postgraduate research opportunities

Study for a PhD in French and you’ll benefit from our international partnerships and broad and deep specialisms in Francophone Studies, especially Africa and Canada/Quebec, as well as metropolitan France. In Spanish postgraduate research you’ll benefit from our international partnerships and broad expertise in film and visual cultures, literary writing and theory, postcolonial studies and more. See all our PhD and MPhil opportunities in literature and languages including French and Spanish.