International Pre-Masters Programme

About the course

Essential information

Accommodation and travel

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Course content

The brief descriptions of the unit contents should help you identify whether the programme is suitable for you.

For this course students take five main subjects:

  1. Essential Academic Writing

    This unit explores some core academic functions: comparison and contrast, cause and effect, process and purpose, definition and argument. It will help you to express these functions using accurate language with appropriate academic organisation and style. In this unit you will start to compile your academic writing e-portfolio.

  2. Essential Text Response

    This unit explores the difference between descriptive and evaluative writing when reacting to different texts. It will help you to develop your critical questioning, reading and listening skills, as well as your academic vocabulary. In this unit you will move from writing factual summaries of data, text and lectures to more evaluative and critical reviews.

  3. Research and Report Writing

    This unit explores the differences between essays and reports and focuses on the content, organisation and language of two main types of report. It will help you discover how the key features of reports are achieved in different disciplines, including your own. In this unit you will work in groups to carry out some research and then write individual reports to add to your e-portfolio.

  4. Exploring British Academic Culture

    This unit explores the life of a university student at a top UK institution. It will help you to prepare yourself for your taught postgraduate modules and life in the UK in general. In this unit you will experience a typical cycle of reading, lectures, seminars and tutorials and learn about the culture and society of the UK. You will also experience a range of typical assessment tasks.

  5. Discipline Specific Research Project

    This unit enables you to bring together all that you have learnt on the Pre-Master’s Programme in the form of a library-based research project and presentation. The choice of topic will be negotiated with your tutor and will involve you in researching an issue in your subject area and presenting this to a non-expert audience.

For further information about the units, please see the Unit Catalogue for more details.

If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

Please note: course content as detailed above is indicative content for the Centre's new Pre-Masters course, and is therefore subject to approval.