Preparing for Graduate Study in the US: A Course for International Students (FutureLearn)

Find out what to expect from a postgraduate study abroad program in America
On this course, you’ll prepare yourself in a variety of ways for a study abroad program in America.
You’ll pick a US college or university graduate program (either one you’re already admitted to or one you hope to be admitted to) and use it as a case study for your learning throughout the course.
Under the guidance of lead course educator Pamela Bogart – a faculty member at the University of Michigan English Language Institute – you’ll build your English communication skills and learn about what to expect from your time at your target graduate school.

Practice your academic writing skills in English for graduate study abroad
You’ll benefit from Pamela’s expertise in supporting graduate students with their writing skills in English as you learn about English academic writing and how to do research in English.
Through discussion and practice assignments, you’ll have lots of opportunities to practice your English language skills for American campus life and the day to day interactions you may have at university in America.

Learn from the study abroad experiences of other international graduate students in the US
Through FutureLearn’s social online learning platform, you’ll have the chance to meet other prospective graduate students and hear from experienced international graduate students in the US.
You’ll practice sharing your hopes for the course and expertise in conversation with each other.

What topics will you cover?

• Professional self-introduction
• English for interactive learning and teamwork
• English for research and scholarship
• English in campus life

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

• You will be able to introduce yourself professionally, explain your expertise, and begin networking with members of your target institution.
• You will be able to identify the local vocabulary used at your target institution to describe campus climate topics, such as diversity, inclusion, or equity.
• You will identify skills and perspectives you can contribute to the diversity of your target institution.
• You will be able to use English to negotiate group roles and express opinions.
• You will identify disciplinary norms in academic writing and cite source material appropriately in academic writing.
• You will identify disciplinary norms in academic writing and cite source material appropriately in academic writing.
• You will be able to explore at least three digital resources for improving English.