Ofqual, the exams regulator of the UK government, has confirmed that Cambridge ESOL’s Delta qualification for teachers is at the same level as a Master’s degree or a professional diploma in the European Union. This is a result of Delta being placed at level 7 of the UK government’s Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF), making it the only English language teaching diploma currently included at this level.

Welcoming this new recognition, Cambridge ESOL’s Chief Executive Dr Mike Milanovic says: “Teachers holding this qualification demonstrate a very high level of expertise indeed and we’re delighted by this acknowledgment from Ofqual. This reflects the quality standards associated with the Delta qualification which is great news for teachers and the millions of students around the world learning English.”

N.B. The DELTA on its own does not constitute an MA qualification but is considered to be at the same level, which makes holders eligible for exemptions, credits, and fast track options in a variety of UK based universities.  

The following UK institutions offer credits or exemptions to DELTA holders, for the courses listed. We make every attempt to keep this information up to date – however, applicants should always check with the institution, as they do change their requirements, and these may differ for individual applicants.

Please use Google to verify the information below and do leave a comment if you have information about other universities not included here – we have added total number of credits where this was available and easy to find from the university website.

Institution	Courses with credits/exemptions	Further information	Total Credits
Aston University	MSc in Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages (TESOL) MSc in Teaching English for Specific Purposes (TESP)· MSc in Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) MSc in Educational Management in TESOL (EMT)	Exemption from the Methodology module plus 20 credits toward an additional module	4 modules
Bath, University of	MA ELT	Fast track available: exemption of two core units (from total of 5).	5 core units
Bath Spa University	MA/Teach TESOL	Exemption from first semester equal to 60 credits	180 credits
Birkbeck, University of London	MA TESOL MA Language Teaching	30 credits
Bristol, University of	MSc in TESOL	40 credits.
Bedfordshire, University of	Applied Linguistics MA (TEFL)	Exemption from assessed teaching practice (30 points)
Canterbury Christ Church	MA TESOL	Exemption from first two modules (40 credits).	5 modules
University of Derby	Education MA	DELTA holders offered up to 60 credits upon consultation
East London, University of	MA English Language Teaching (ELT)	Exemption from one 30-credit module
Edinburgh, University of	MEd TESOL	Students may request accreditation for prior learning for the core course in TESOL Methodology.2 core modules	6 core modules
Exeter University	Med TESOL	DELTA holders offered up to 60 credits	Link to info
Institute of Education, University of London	MA Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (campus-based)	Exemption from one 30-credit optional module.	180 credits
King’s College London	MA in ELT & Applied Linguistics (part-time programme only)	Fast track option – exemption from one core module (Principles and Practice in ELT) and one option – 30 credits in total.	180 credits
Leeds Beckett University	MA English Language Teaching	60 credit exemption	Direct entry to semester 2
Leicester, University of	MA TESOL & Applied Linguistics (campus-based and distance learning versions)	30 credit exemption	6 modules
Northumbria University	MA in Applied Linguistics forTESOL·       MA TESOL	Exemptions of up to 3 modules, or 60 credits, equivalent  to 1/3 of the MA	180 credits
Nottingham, University of	MA ELT distance	Exemption of two core modules running from May to end of year (January start recommended)	40 points/credits
Open University, The	Masters degree in Education (Applied Linguistics)	60 credits
Oxford Brookes University	MA in Education	One module only worth 20 credits	180 credits
Portsmouth, University of	·       MA Applied Linguistics and TESOL (both on site & distance modes)	30 credits at M-level.	180 credits
Reading, University of	·       MA in English Language Teaching	Language Curriculum Design (10 credits) and one of: Written Language (20 credits), Spoken Language (20 credits), Language Testing Principles (20 credits). This equals a total credit transfer of 30 credits towards this 180-credit degree.	180 credits
Sheffield, University of	MA Applied Linguistics	Exemption from 15-credit core module on Language Teaching Methodology.	8 core modules
Sheffield Hallam	MA TESOL	60 credits to DELTA holders (i.e. they are exempt from the Postgraduate Certificate, which forms the first part of the MA).	180 credits
York St John University	MA English Language Teaching	Exemption from 30-credit core module on Practical English Language Teaching
Warwick University	MA ELT	Exemption of 60 credits from an 180 credit course	Link to info

 

About the Author

Marisa Constantinides, Dip.RSA, M.A. App Ling

A teacher, teacher educator and materials writer, Marisa Constantinides is the head of CELT Athens, a teacher education centre established in 1993, She is responsible for the design and training on all courses including Cambridge CELTA and DELTA, face-2-face and online. Marisa has a strong presence in Social Networks, moderates #ELTchat, a weekly discussion on Twitter (recently nominated for an ELTons award in Innovation in Teaching Resources). Marisa maintains a number of blogs (TEFL Matters, #ELTchat, Teaching & Learning Languages, the DELTA course blog, the CELTA course blog). She has published materials for young learners as well as for B2 and C2 level classes.

 Subscribe to my RSS Feed

If you liked this post, you can subscribe in as RSS Reader. To subscribe to my personal blog RSS feed of this blog, click here!

Study with me