In the professional fields of English teaching, and in other job markets beyond teaching, there is a growing demand for specialists in both language teaching and experts in its use. In teaching, the growing need for English creates a continuous demand at all educational levels, not only in primary, secondary and higher education, but also (and above all) in non-formal education, where English is oriented to very specific purposes. In this sense, the master's degree aims to train versatile professionals who master fundamental aspects of the language in all its aspects—formal, communicative, historical, stylistic and social. The training of versatile researchers and professionals with a high level of autonomy will provide a fundamental qualification for a job market that demands professionals capable of continually adapting to the changing needs of demand. This is the reason why the master's degree aims to promote independent study, the ability to make independent decisions, and the development of strategies that adapt to the needs of each of the professional contexts in which the graduate student will find himself.
The demand for professionals in teaching English for specific purposes in highly specialized areas is particularly interesting. Likewise, the new trend in public education to adopt bilingual teaching programs is creating a strong demand for training in English for professionals who are already working, as well as training in bilingual teaching for students who are in training. From consultations with various public and private institutions, the bilingual internship module has already emerged in two centers, one public and one private. These internships represent a total of 10 credits, and are carried out through agreements signed by the University-Business Foundation and the centers in question. In the future development of the master's degree, it is planned to sign more agreements and to gradually outline the emphasis on bilingual teaching both through practical work and through courses on theory and research in linguistics applied to the teaching of English, covering such fundamental topics as the role of affect in teaching and learning, the use of psycholinguistics as a theoretical and instrumental discipline when planning programmes and practical teaching, or the relationships between gender and language, and gender and learning inside and outside the classroom.
In addition to the field of teaching, there is also a demand for people who are familiar with the different aspects of English-speaking culture. The master's degree aims to provide linguistic training that goes hand in hand with its unavoidable sociocultural aspects. Beyond a purely formal approach, the emphasis on applied linguistics, pragmatics, and sociolinguistics is intended to underline the relevance of this subject with respect to the social, political, and cultural demands and values of the Anglo-Saxon world. This pragmatic and sociocultural aspect becomes essential given that some of the professions to which our graduates may potentially dedicate themselves are related to the practical use of English in a wide variety of contexts (translation, interlinguistic/intercultural mediation, publishing and media industry, tourism industry, public administrations—national and international—creative writing and artistic and literary criticism, heritage and cultural management). Courses dedicated to English-language literature provide a deep knowledge of the registers, synchronic and diachronic, as well as the social and cultural values that English-language literature has articulated for centuries. A deep knowledge of Anglo-American culture through its literary and cultural tradition provides a general and profound vision of current assumptions, values, and discourses in all their variety and in the diversity of functions and uses to which the production of texts in English or their use in professional fields can be applied.
Finally, for those students who wish to expand this knowledge and dedicate themselves to research and university teaching, the master's degree is an excellent introduction to this type of activity, both in the field of literature and applied linguistics, giving access to a doctorate with a quality mention. In this doctorate, students will be able to further their use of the research tools they have acquired during the master's degree, applying them to the preparation of a doctoral thesis to deepen their specialization and undertake a research career in the field of English studies.