10-week Pre-sessional course 2018 entry

The 10-week Pre-sessional course is an academically challenging course taught by experienced University of St Andrews staff. Designed to develop your language skills and academic literacy, this discipline-specific course will prepare you for postgraduate study in the UK.

Applications for 2018 entry for this course have now closed, see which courses are available for the upcoming academic year.

Course type

Full-time pre-degree course to prepare students who use English as an additional language for postgraduate degree programmes.

Course dates

  • Orientation: Thursday 28 and Friday 29 June 2018 (both orientation days are compulsory)
  • Course: Thursday 28 June to Thursday 6 September 2018

If you attended this programme in 2017, you can find information about 2017 entry on the 2017 10-week Pre-sessional course page. Information about all programmes from previous years of entry can be found in the archive.

Tuition fees

£3,500

No deposit is required.

Payment can be made by the following methods:

Entry requirements

To enter, applicants must have a conditional offer for a postgraduate taught (Masters) programme from one of the following Schools:

  • Computer Science
  • Economics and Finance
  • Geography and Sustainable Development
  • Management
  • Mathematics and Statistics.
  • If your school is not listed here and you wish to study on the 10-week Pre-sessional course, please contact English Language Teaching by emailing elt@st-andrews.ac.uk.

You must also have an IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each subscore. If you require a visa to study in the UK, you must take the IELTS for UKVI version of the test.

To apply, you will need to provide a copy of your passport.

Application deadline

Applications are accepted until shortly before the courses begin. Please submit your application early to allow enough time to apply for a visa, if you need one.

Course information

The 10-week Pre-sessional course will cover discipline-specific academic skills and language, including presentation, academic writing and critical reading components. It will also include subject specialist lectures to prepare students for their related subject area.

Presentations

Students will practise delivering presentations on a theme related to their future degree. Students will learn how to maximise the impact of their presentations by learning how to:

  • structure the content
  • select an appropriate style of language
  • engage their audience
  • pace their delivery
  • use software to support the content.

Writing

Students will research and write critically on topics related to their future degree. You will develop your extended academic writing skills by:

  • using sources appropriately and engaging with good academic practice
  • organising the content of your essay or report
  • improving your academic style
  • using discourse markers
  • confidently using English grammar.

Reading

To develop critical reading you will learn how to:

  • source materials appropriately
  • evaluate texts
  • paraphrase and summarise.

Speaking

To help you develop your spoken English, there will be classes focusing on pronunciation and speaking skills, and the opportunity to take part in structured debates.

Subject-specialist lectures

To ensure you are getting the most from your degree teaching and to prepare you for your degree lectures, you will learn how to:

  • improve your listening and note-taking skills
  • become used to different styles of delivery
  • gain confidence in your ability to operate within what may be a new or unfamiliar teaching method.

Progression requirements

To successfully complete your course, you must attend all obligatory classes, lectures, seminars and workshops and complete all assignments (assessed and non-assessed).

For students with a conditional offer, you must achieve an overall score of 14 on the University's 20-point marking scale to fulfil the conditions of your offer. Further explanation of assessment and progression will be provided during orientation.

Accommodation

Students can apply for accommodation in Fife Park or David Russell Apartments for the duration of the pre-­sessional course.

The pre-sessional course accommodation package is self-catered. Accommodation will be available from Wednesday 27 June 2018.

To apply, you must complete the online accommodation application form. When you complete the online application, you must ensure you check the box for the 10-­week Pre-Sessional course.

Private accommodation

If you do not want to apply for University residential accommodation, please be aware that you are responsible for making your own alternative arrangements. Unfortunately, ELT cannot assist you in finding private accommodation before or during the course. St Andrews is very busy during the summer months, and it may be difficult to find an affordable private room or flat.

Find out more about private accommodation in St Andrews.

Contact information

English Language Teaching
University of St Andrews
Kinnessburn
Kennedy Gardens
St Andrews
KY16 9DJ

Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2255
Email: elt@st-andrews.ac.uk

ELT website

Policies

Admission to the University of St Andrews is governed by our Admissions policy.

Curriculum development

As a research intensive institution, the University ensures that its teaching references the research interests of its staff, which may change from time to time. As a result, programmes are regularly reviewed with the aim of enhancing students' learning experience. Our approach to course revision is described online. (PDF, 72 KB).

Tuition fees

The University will clarify compulsory fees and charges it requires any student to pay at the time of offer. The offer will also clarify conditions for any variation of fees. The University’s approach to fee setting is described online. (PDF, 84 KB).