Master of Education (Tamil Language)

Master (Coursework)

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Programme Type

Full-time, Part-time

NIE Graduate Programmes

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The Master of Education programme is primarily designed for educators working in Singapore schools and the Ministry of Education. University graduates with a background in education and wishing to advance your knowledge and skills in education are also welcome to apply. 

The programme offers the degree in 16 areas of specialisation. These specialisations allow you to choose the area that best fits your interest as well as your career path, whether that path is towards the Master Teacher track, Specialist track or a general desire to update your knowledge and skills.

The Master of Education (Tamil Language) equips Tamil language education professionals with wide and in-depth knowledge of and perspectives on the practical as well as theoretical issues of Tamil language education, thus enabling you to meet the challenges of an advanced stage of your career.

Curious to know what our faculty and students think about our programmes? Click here to find out!

The Master of Education (Tamil Language) focuses on the needs of teachers and other professionals working in Tamil language education. It familiarises you with the latest issues and thinking in Tamil language education as well as curriculum design and publication of learning materials.

  • A good Bachelor’s degree from a recognised university, or a relevant NTU FlexiMasters with good grades;

  • A teaching qualification such as the Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the National Institute of Education, Singapore
    OR
    at least ONE year of relevant working experience in education.

See detailed requirements for competency in English Language here.

There are generally two intakes for this programme (January and August). You are advised to visit the website and look out for NIE’s announcements in May/June and November/December to confirm if the programme will be open for application at any particular intake.

Applicants who are currently working with sponsors, donors or financial institutions to fund their studies, are encouraged to submit their applications early to NIE so as not to miss out on our application period.

Applications are to be made online. Click here to sign up for an ISAAC (Integrated Student and Academic Administration System) account to apply with us. For those with an existing account, login to apply.

More information on required documents for application can be found here.

The coursework for this specialisation comprises 1 core course, 4 required specialisation courses, 1 open elective course plus either:

  • a dissertation or
  • two additional courses (one open elective course and MED 902 Integrative Project)

MED 902 Integrative Project is open only for applicants pursuing the degree totally by coursework.

Important note for matriculated students: 

Please refer to the ISAAC system for the programme structure relevant to your intake during Course Registration or consult A/P Seetha Lakshmi, your programme leader if you need clarifications.

Note: Programme structure is subject to changes

The degree of Master of Education is generally offered on a part-time basis although full-time studies are also available for some specialisations. The candidature periods are as follows:

Full-time

Minimum

1 year

Maximum

2 years

Part-time

Minimum

2 years

Maximum

4 years

The following is the detailed list of courses students have to complete:

Core Course

  • MED 900 Educational Inquiry

Educational Inquiry is taught in English. All required specialisation courses are taught in the language of the specialisation.


Required Specialisation Courses

  • MTL 901 Tamil Curriculum, Materials including IT: Selection and Evaluation
  • MTL 902 Tamil Literature in Education
  • MTL 903 Tamil Language in Education
  • MTL 904 Functional Tamil Syntax

Open Elective Courses

Other than the core and specialisation courses, you may select open elective courses offered across all NIE Master's Degree programmes. The offer of electives is reviewed regularly to reflect developments in education and the respective fields. You are advised to take note of the prerequisites (if any) before registering.

  • MTL 905 An Introduction to Tamil History and Culture of Tamil
  • MTL 906 Assessment for Tamil Language
  • MTL 907 History of Singapore Tamil Education and Tamil Literature
  • MTL 908 An Introduction to Sociolinguistics and Bilingualism for Tamil

Optional Specialisation Courses are offered subject to demand and availability of faculty expertise. Hence, not all specialisation courses are available for selection to every intake.

 

Course Descriptors

MED900 Educational Inquiry (4 AUs)
This course introduces participants to the fundamental processes involved in conducting research such as formulating research questions, writing a review of the literature by synthesizing empirical studies, understanding various methodological approaches, collecting and interpreting research data. Participants in this course will have opportunities to develop the skills, knowledge and strategies needed to read, interpret, and evaluate the quality of research reports. In addition, participants will gain a critical understanding of quantitative, qualitative, and combined research approaches.

MED901 Academic Writing for Postgraduate Students (4 AUs)
This course will guide postgraduate students in studying the discourse and linguistic conventions of academic writing in their own discipline so that they can better manage the writing of their thesis/research paper. In addition to studying the discourse practices of academic writing, students will also examine the thinking processes underlying the production of those practices.

MED902 Integrative Project (2 AUs)
This capstone course requires participants to identify an education issue which forms the focus of inquiry, locate and read the most relevant literature to generate suggested potential solution to address the problem. The solution should show evidence that they are able to take the available information and restructure it in an appropriate way to deal with the issue.

MTL901 Tamil Curriculum, Materials including IT: Selection and Evaluation (4 AUs)
This module will focus on Curriculum Creation, Development with the evidence of educational and psychological theories in Learning and Literacy development. The course will include current methods of Selection of goals of a Tamil Language Curriculum, related materials; evaluation of IT related materials and assessment. This module also includes evidence based research studies, Teaching and Learning theories, learning strategies and development of Language Skills based on Holistic Second Language Curriculum for Singapore.

MTL902 Tamil Literature in Education (4 AUs)
The course aims to provide a comprehensive coverage to develop various theories and theoretical approaches through the study of Tamil literature. Introduction and history and components of new poems and drama in Tamil Language. An in-depth study of selected topics on Tamil history and culture in Sangam poems, medieval and modern literature will be taught. By studying Singapore Tamil literature, teachers would be able to comprehend the educational, historical and social changes in Tamil culture and its relevance in todays society. For example, teachers would be able to perform a critical analysis on the readings of curriculum literary texts.

MTL903 Tamil Language in Education (4 AUs)
This module aims to strengthen students knowledge on teaching Tamil as a second language in Singapore. The bilingual policy in Singapore will also be covered in the course. The module will elaborate on Language Acquisition, Language Learning theories. Strategies and approaches on teaching Tamil language and developing the four language skills of students effectively will also be elaborated in this module.

MTL904 Functional Tamil Syntax (4 AUs)
This module aims to widen students knowledge on the theories of Functional Tamil syntax. The module will mainly focus on Tamil syntax and its various components. In- depth, students will study Tamil phonology and morphology. Students will analyse the formation and division of words, phrases and its structure, sentence structures and types of sentences, immediate constituent (IC), phonetics and phonemics in Tamil Language. The module will also cover the relationship between words, phrases and sentences using the insight gained. Ultimately, the knowledge gained should be applied in daily life and made relevance to authentic examples such as Short stories, conversational Tamil, radio conversations etc.

MTL905 Introduction to Tamil History & Culture of Tamil (4 AUs)
The module aims to involve teachers in an in-depth study of selected topics in Tamil history and culture such as Ancient Sangam literature. The module will further elaborate on the emergence of ethical literature as well. The topics that will be covered include Traditional Kingdoms, changes in Tamil culture, the effects of social and political changes due to the influence of the various religions, the changes in primary and secondary role of women in Tamil Nadu, the educational equality and the influence of historical and social changes in Tamil culture. The importance and emergence of epic, minor and modern literature will be covered as well. The evolution of Tamil language and grammar through the different periods will be taught. Understand the code mixing of Tamil language through the various periods of time.

MTL906 Assessment for Tamil Language (4 AUs)
This module aims to widen students knowledge on Assessment theories and concepts. In specific, the module will focus on Holistic, Formative and Summative Assessment, its impact. This module will also elaborate on the place of Second Language Assessment in Tamil Language Education in Singapore. The aspects of effective assessment will also be covered in the module. This module will look into the assessment of the various language skills and the emphasis of these skills in teaching and learning. The module will also include the assessment theories introduced newly and the rationales of these suggestions. Uniformity in assessment is also a key concept that will be covered in the module.

MTL907 History of Singapore Tamil Education and Tamil Literature (4 AUs)
The module aims to deepen students understanding on the history and journey of Tamil language teaching and learning in Singapore. The module will focus on the history of Tamil language and Literature teaching over the past 3 centuries. The course will provide an overview of the evolution of Education to deepen students awareness on Tamil education in Singapore. The module aims to ultimately enable students to adopt strategies for 21st century teaching and learning.

MTL908 An Introduction to Sociolinguistics and Bilingualism for Tamil (4 AUs)
This module aims to widen students knowledge on Language acquisition theories and background theories on monolingual, bilingual and multilingual contexts. This module also covers the key concepts of Sociolinguistics and bilingualism policy in Singapore. This module will provide additional understanding on student profiling and learning strategies for effective learning acquisition. Creating content and language development lessons to students. The module elaborate on the importance of Standard Spoken Tamil and its development in Singapore.

For tuition fees, please click here.

For more information about scholarships, please click here. 

For programme-related matters, please consult the programme leader, A/P Seetha Lakshmi for more information.

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