Academic English programmes

These programmes are suitable for students who wish to start their degree study in September 2013 in the schools of Built Environment, Engineering & Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical & Computer Science, Petroleum Engineering and Textiles & Design.

These programmes are suitable for students who wish to start their degree study in September 2013 in the School of Management & Languages only.

* Other secure English language tests (eg TOEFL, Pearson) are also acceptable: find out more about our 'Equivalent test scores' section below.

*** This programme is designed for those who have already met their English entrance requirements for their chosen degree. Certain undergraduate and postgraduate programmes may accept students with IELTS 6.0 overall; you should check with your academic department before applying.

These programmes are suitable for students who wish to start their degree study in September 2014 in the schools of Built Environment, Engineering & Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical & Computer Science, Petroleum Engineering and Textiles & Design.

These programmes are suitable for students who wish to start their degree study in September 2014 in the School of Management & Languages only.

* Other secure English language tests (eg TOEFL, Pearson) are also acceptable: find out more about our 'Equivalent test scores' section below.

*** This programme is designed for those who have already met their English entrance requirements for their chosen degree. Certain undergraduate and postgraduate programmes may accept students with IELTS 6.0 overall; you should check with your academic department before applying.

We offer a flexible range of Academic English Programmes for international students who intend to study on undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at Heriot-Watt University. Students can enrol for 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 12 weeks or two semesters, depending on English level and starting point (see programmes and fees).

Upon the successful completion of any one of our programmes, you will have developed sufficient English language skills to:

• cope with authentic, spoken English in lectures and seminars
• take relevant notes from listening and reading material and use these in essays and seminar presentations
• understand English grammar at sentence, paragraph and text level
• understand academic texts
• write in an appropriate academic style to describe, explain and persuade your audience
• use a wide range of academic vocabulary
• use IT to research academic subjects
• solve problems and think critically as required for university study

Once you have successfully completed the programme, we will not ask you to take IELTS or other external English examination again.

Closing dates for pre-sessional applications

Publication of Results

It is expected that results will be made available to students and schools on Tuesday 27th August 2013. This will be confirmed closer to the start date of the Pre-sessional programme.

Students on visitor visas who need to return home after the Pre-sessional programme has ended should notify their schools that they may have difficulty in making the start date of their degree.

Acceptable for entry onto English programmes:

TOEFL ibt

Pearson PTE Academic

Cambridge

* PET – Preliminary English Test

** FCE – First Certificate in English

*** CAE – Certificate in Advanced English

The course will help you to

• settle into your new environment and find your way around
• learn how to use the library to find study resources you need
• understand the purpose of lectures and what you can learn from them
• appreciate the importance of group collaboration and learning from peers
• integrate ideas from books and articles into your assignments and projects
• understand how academic writing is different from other styles such as journalism
• understand the conventions of different text types such as essays, reports and projects
• structure your writing in paragraphs and whole texts so it is easy for your lecturers to read

You will have 20 hours of classes each week together with a programme of cultural visits.

Graduate attributes which you will begin to acquire on this course include

• a sense of ‘research-mindedness’ enabling a wider more analytical perspective on practice
• the ability to identify problems, formulate research questions and interpret complex data to seek answers
• the ability to derive meaning from complexity and make informed judgments on the basis of evidence
• an openness to learning and positive orientation to new opportunities, ideas and ways of thinking a tolerance for ambiguity and unfamiliarity.

You will continue to develop these attributes within and beyond your university programme.

Course-information

There is no formal assessment for this course because the condition for acceptance onto this pre-sessional programme was that you met the language entry requirements for your degree programme. However, during the course you will work on assessment tasks and receive feedback on your study competence and your writing from your tutor.