English and Academic Preparation - Pre-Collegiate (Coursera)

Offered by Rice University,
English and Academic Preparation - Pre-Collegiate (Coursera)

The English and Academic Preparation - Pre-Collegiate course is for students with a (minimum) high-intermediate level of English. It is designed to help international students develop the academic skills necessary for success in undergraduate studies at an American university while strengthening their English proficiency. Ideally, prospective students have completed or are near completion of a high school diploma in their country and would like to come to the United States to study for a bachelor’s degree.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

The total length of time required to complete the course is approximately 4 weeks. Students should expect to spend about 5-7 hours per week working with the materials and assignments.
The course is made up of 4 modules:
• Listening, Speaking, and Critical Thinking
• Writer’s Workshop
• Reading and Note-taking
• Capstone Project
Each module consists of video lessons, opportunities for practicing English and academic skills, interactive discussion boards with classmates, and graded activities. All courses are asynchronous, which means that the lessons and their activities can be completed at any time of day or night, provided that all course assignments are completed by the final day of class.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Listening, Speaking and Critical Thinking
In this module, we will learn some skills necessary for listening to and speaking about academic topics at the undergraduate level.

WEEK 2
Writer's Workshop
In this module, we will learn some skills necessary for academic writing at the undergraduate level.

WEEK 3
Reading and Note Taking
In this module, we will learn some skills necessary for reading and taking notes about academic texts and at the undergraduate level.

WEEK 4
Capstone
The Pre-Collegiate capstone project is the final module of the English and Academic Preparation Program. In this module, you will not learn new information as you did in the previous modules, but rather apply the knowledge and skills you learned from the other modules in this academic certificate in order to complete a series of four tasks. The word "capstone" was historically used to signify the completion of a building. The capstone was considered the most important and last stone placed on a newly constructed building. In keeping with this tradition, your successful capstone project signifies you have completed the certificate program and earned a crowning achievement.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Grammar and Punctuation (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine

Grammar and Punctuation (Coursera)

Course 1: Grammar and Punctuation. Do you need to review English grammar? Have you forgotten the grammar you once studied? If so, this course is perfect for you. The first course in this specialization is a refresher on some tools needed for good writing. It will help prepare you for the other courses. You will need about 10 hours to complete this first course. Writing is a skill and to learn a skill well, you need to practice. In this course, you will watch short video lectures and then practice and discuss what you have learned. Make sure you take good notes and use the peer discussions to ask questions. Then you'll be able to remember the rules you learn in this course when you start writing essays in the next course.

Jun 1st 2026
4 Weeks
Build Your Professional ePortfolio in English (Coursera) Coursera
Georgia Institute of Technology

Build Your Professional ePortfolio in English (Coursera)

Roughly half of the world’s population is already online and so setting yourself apart from the crowd is more important than ever before. One of the best ways to do that is by creating your own ePortfolio. An ePortfolio is a site that showcases or shows your background, your resume, and samples of your work. In this course, you will learn step by step how to build the site and you’ll learn the grammar, vocabulary and writing skills needed to create it. You will learn how to apply information from your ePortfolio to other online tools like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube in order to network with others so that you get a job or connect with other professionals.

Jun 1st 2026
4 Weeks
Lesson | Organize Your Pitch (Coursera) Coursera
Georgia Institute of Technology

Lesson | Organize Your Pitch (Coursera)

This lesson is part of a full course, Speak English Professionally: In Person, Online & On the Phone. Take this lesson to get a short tutorial on the learning objectives covered. To dive deeper into this topic, take the full course. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to produce a well organized outline for a pitch/presentation.

Jun 1st 2026
1 Week
English for Effective Business Speaking (Coursera) Coursera
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST

English for Effective Business Speaking (Coursera)

This course aims to improve your Business English speaking skills by developing your use of vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, spoken communication skills within a Business context, and your ability to deliver professional business speeches for specific purposes. Skills learned in this course will be used in the cross-cultural communications course and help prepare you to deliver the professional business presentation in the Capstone project.

Jun 1st 2026
5-12 Weeks
English for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

English for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Coursera)

Welcome to English for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, a course created by the University of Pennsylvania, and funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of English Language Programs. This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are interested in improving their English skills in the sciences. In this course, you will explore some of the most innovative areas of scientific study, while expanding your vocabulary and the language skills needed to share scientific information within your community.

Jun 1st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Mindware: Critical Thinking for the Information Age (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Mindware: Critical Thinking for the Information Age (Coursera)

Most professions these days require more than general intelligence. They require in addition the ability to collect, analyze and think about data. Personal life is enriched when these same skills are applied to problems in everyday life involving judgment and choice. This course presents basic concepts from statistics, probability, scientific methodology, cognitive psychology and cost-benefit theory and shows how they can be applied to everything from picking one product over another to critiquing media accounts of scientific research. Concepts are defined briefly and breezily and then applied to many examples drawn from business, the media and everyday life.

Jun 1st 2026
4 Weeks
Lesson | Video Conferencing: Face to Face but Online  Share (Coursera) Coursera
Georgia Institute of Technology

Lesson | Video Conferencing: Face to Face but Online Share (Coursera)

This lesson is part of a full course, Speak English Professionally: In Person, Online & On the Phone. Take this lesson to get a short tutorial on the learning objectives covered. To dive deeper into this topic, take the full course. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to review video conferencing scenarios.

Jun 1st 2026
1 Week
Techniques for Teaching Adjectives and Adjective Clauses (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine

Techniques for Teaching Adjectives and Adjective Clauses (Coursera)

This is the second course in the Teach English: Intermediate Grammar specialization. In this course, you will learn how to effectively teach adjectives, adjective phrases, and adjective clauses to your students. You will learn what makes this grammar difficult for students and how to make it easier for them. You will also learn a variety of activities and methods for teaching this content in a fun and interesting way.

Jun 1st 2026
4 Weeks
Tricky English Grammar (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine

Tricky English Grammar (Coursera)

English is a difficult language to learn because of its many obscure grammatical rules, which are fairly easy to mess up--even for native speakers. While it’s easy for non-native speakers to get overwhelmed by confusing grammar rules, in this course, we'll provide you with tips that will help you understand the rules more easily and give you lots of practice with the tricky grammar of everyday English.

Jun 1st 2026
4 Weeks
Science Literacy (Coursera) Coursera
University of Alberta

Science Literacy (Coursera)

Fake news or good science? In a world where we have access to unlimited information, it is hard to sift through the echo chamber of opinions fueled by emotions and personal biases, rather than scientific evidence. Science Literacy will teach you about the process of science, how to think critically, how to differentiate science from pseudoscience, how indigenous wisdom can inform science, how to understand and design a scientific study, and how to critically evaluate scientific communication in the media.

Jun 1st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Business English: Making Presentations (Coursera) Coursera
University of Washington

Business English: Making Presentations (Coursera)

This course teaches you language and techniques that will help you make effective presentations in English. The final task is to develop a well-organized, persuasive presentation using charts and graphs that sells your city as a venue. The course focuses on students who have an intermediate level of English, with a minimum of two years of formal language study.

Jun 1st 2026
4 Weeks
Oral Communication for Engineering Leaders (Coursera) Coursera
Rice University

Oral Communication for Engineering Leaders (Coursera)

Taught by Rice University communication faculty from the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership (RCEL). This course covers core topics in oral communication: Communication strategy, content, data visualization, and delivery. You’ll learn key principles in: Creating a communication strategy; Developing a clear message and organizing persuasive content; Creating strong visual support; Presenting data effectively; Presenting professionally and confidently; Handling formal presentations, giving pitches, speaking extemporaneously, managing online presentations, and lowering public speaking anxiety.

Jun 1st 2026
5-12 Weeks