The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Department of English and Communication
MA in English Studies for the Professions (MAESP)
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
MA
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2026
TUITION FEES
HKD 6,900 / per credit
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Main round deadline: 15 Jan 2026. All applications need to be submitted online
Key Summary
About: The Department of English and Communication (est. 1988) offers the MA in English Studies for the Professions (MAESP), focused on applied English, professional communication, English language teaching, linguistics and intercultural communication. Awards are a Postgraduate Diploma (19 credits) and an MA (31 credits) with two specialisms: English Language Teaching (ELT) and English for Professional Communication; specialisms and professional recognition are subject to Education Bureau approval.
Duration: full-time 1 year; part-time 2 years.
Career Outcomes: Graduates work internationally in education, ELT, curriculum design, materials development, language assessment, corporate communications and intercultural consultancy.
Key careers: English teacher; curriculum developer; communications officer.
Department of English and Communication
Established in 1988, the Department of English is a leader in applied English language studies. Our internationally-recognised academic staff will help you acquire the high levels of English skills needed to succeed professionally, and provide a comprehensive and critical understanding of English communication in multicultural professional contexts. Our department was retitled to Department of English and Communication in September 2021 to reflect our status as an interdisciplinary department composed of linguistics and communication experts from around the world.
Our team of experts has a wide range of research interests in language and professional communication; media and communication; language teaching and learning; linguistics, English language and systemic functional linguistics; and intercultural communication. Our postgraduate students go on to work in a number of exciting and international contexts around the world.
Meeting the needs of professionals
The specialism in English Language Teaching (ELT) is mainly intended for serving and future English language teachers who wish to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to design and deliver engaging and effective English-language courses for general and specific purposes.
The specialism in English for the Professional Communication (EPC)* is for professionals of all disciplines who wish to upgrade their ability in English and need to demonstrate a high level of communicative competence in English in their professional workplace.
* subject to approval
Professional recognition (subject to EDB's approval)
- New and serving English language teachers who have successfully completed the MAESP (ELT) programme are regarded by the Education Bureau (EDB) as having a degree with a relevant language major.
- The MAESP (ELT) programme meets the EDB’s Subject Knowledge Requirement (SKR).
- All two specialisms meet the Language Proficiency Requirement (LPR) provided that on graduation students meet the training requirement for language teachers.
Awards
- Postgraduate Diploma in English Studies for the Professions (19 credits): students should complete the 3 Core Subjects (7 credits), 3 subjects from the lists of specialism-specific Core Subjects (9 credits), and any 1 subject from the lists of Elective Subjects (3 credits).
- Master of Arts in English Studies for the Professions (English Language Teaching/English for Professional Communication) (31 credits): Students need to complete 3 Core Subjects (7 credits);3 specialism-specific Core Subjects (9 credits); and 15 credits of Electives in either coursework mode or coursework & research mode. The coursework mode includes 5 Electives, of which at least 2 should be specialism-specific electives. The coursework & research mode includes the Research Project (6 credits) plus the associated Research Methods subject (3 credits), and 2 Electives (6 credits, including at least 1 specialism-specific elective).
Duration
- Full-time mode: 1 year (2 semesters and 1 summer term)
- Part-time mode: 2 years (4 semesters and 1-2 summer terms)
Curriculum
The MAESP requires completing 30 credits of subjects. Alternatively, students may elect to complete an MA dissertation, which is worth 6 credits of the total 30.
Core subjects (12 credits)
- Introduction to the Sound System of English
- Discourse Analysis
- English Semantics and Lexis
- Analytical Perspectives in English Grammar
Specialism-related core subjects (9 credits for ELA, 6 credits for ELS, ELT and EP*)
- English Language Arts: Second Language Learning, Language Development and Use, English Literature and Language Arts
- English Language Studies: Language Development and Use, English Literature and Language Arts
- English Language Teaching: Second Language Learning, Second Language Teaching
- English for the Professions: Practical Communication Strategies I, Practical Communication Strategies II
Specialism-specific electives (9 credits for ELA, 12 credits for ELS, ELT and EP*)
- English Language Arts: Popular Culture and English, Oral Language Arts, Second Language Teaching, Drama for Language Learning, Critical Language and Cultural Studies, Research Design and Methods
- English Language Studies: Pragmatic Disorders, Communication, Multimodality and Semiotic Studies, Popular Culture and English, The Sociology of Language: Social and Economic Perspectives, Intercultural Communication in Business, Research Design and Methods
- English Language Teaching: Syllabus Planning and Materials Design, Testing and Assessment, Drama for Language Learning, Oral Language Arts, Critical Language and Cultural Studies, Popular Culture and English, Research Design and Methods
- English for the Professions: Pragmatic Disorders, Intercultural Communication in Business, Communication, Multimodality and Semiotic Studies, The Sociology of Language: Social and Economic Perspectives, Critical Language and Cultural Studies, Research Design and Methods
* Each core and elective subject is worth 3 credits, apart from the Research Project (6 credits), which involves conducting an independent piece of research and writing a 10,000-word dissertation.
Programme aims
The MA in English Studies for the Professions (MAESP) programme aims to provide students with a comprehensive and critical understanding of the theory and practice of English in educational and professional contexts. The knowledge and skills students acquired in the programme enable them to become innovative and reflective professionals in a range of institutional settings.