The changing face of society and the new needs and situations of foreign/second language learning impact upon language education programmes and on the very idea of what language education is. Language teaching – the field which has as its focal point of reference language education – must be able to understand the new situations so that answers can be found. In order to do this language teachingrequires specialists capable of investigating the issues. This is possible only if they possess and know how to effectively use suitable instruments of enquiry. In Italy the typical academic path followed by the would-be specialists in the field (graduates in foreign languages or Lettere) does not, generally speaking, equip them with the specific knowledge and competence to carry out the required forms of enquiry and therefore it is argued that post-graduate training must include a focus on this area.