English Preparation for Graduate Studies (Incoming MIIS Students Only)

2025 Dates and Housing

*If you have been awarded a MIIS scholarship for EPGS, please contact your admissions advisor with any questions regarding your scholarship amount.

Apply

Incoming MIIS students should not submit an application but should email EnglishLS@middlebury.edu

Applicants are required to submit a TOEFL or IELTS score after completing the application. Score reports should be sent directly to the MIIS Admissions Office. For TOEFL score submissions, use the four-digit institution code 4507. A department code is not required. After applicants are accepted into the EPGS program, they will receive a welcome packet with an official letter of acceptance. For those applicants who require immigration documents, detailed instructions on how to obtain an I-20 document for F-1 visa status will be sent to you upon admission into the program. Passport copy not needed until after admissions.

Curriculum

After participating in the program, students will feel more confident communicating in spoken and written English. Faculty in the program use authentic materials, such as graduate school lectures and texts, to help students learn to critically analyze and respond to complex academic concepts. The program teaches students the conventions of academic communication, which gives students the confidence to communicate effectively.

EPGS Program Courses

_{ELNG 3500: EPGS Reading Strategies & Vocabulary Development}

Reading is a fundamental skill that is necessary for success in your academic studies, where you will be required to read, understand and analyze a vast amount of information every day. In this course you will learn important strategies to help you become a faster and more critical reader as well as increase your ability to make predictions, infer meanings from context, and significantly expand your vocabulary. We will read academic texts from all of the different fields represented in the program. You will be required to critically analyze these texts and synthesize your own opinions based on your analysis. A large part of this course will be dedicated to expanding your vocabulary and helping you strategize the development of your own English vocabulary throughout your graduate studies.

ELNG 3501: EPGS Academic Writing in Genre

The ability to write effectively in English is the foundation of a successful academic career. The purpose of this course is to help you build the confidence and skills necessary to be an effective writer in your graduate level courses and in your professional life. In this course you will increase your ability to effectively synthesize others’ ideas while working to add your own opinion by positioning yourself in the academic field. You will learn how to meet the criteria of academic honesty by refining your ability to refer to others’ ideas through paraphrasing, quoting and citing their work. You will also practice the specific skills related to basic academic writing genres such as summarizing, criticizing and writing research papers. Throughout the course, we will work on increasing your fluency and accuracy in writing. We will write multiple drafts of every essay, and you will give and receive peer feedback throughout this process. 

ELNG 3502: EPGS Discussion and Active Listening Strategies

This course is designed to improve your overall skills in English, with a more specific focus on listening comprehension. Like reading, writing, and speaking; listening is not a passive skill—it requires attention and concentration. Analytic (bottom-up) approaches to listening involve identifying pieces of language that lead to word recognition and differentiation. Holistic (top-down) approaches involve applying background knowledge and experience to comprehend new information. An effective listener applies both analytic and holistic strategies at the same time in order to derive meaning that aligns with a speaker’s intended message. Learners will have an opportunity to practice their listening skills with a range of different media and genres. Everyday conversations, academic topics, diplomacy, and international policy will provide the background content for our classes. Listening assignments will offer a variety of choices in a listening journal and final projects.

ELNG 3503: EPGS Academic Presentation Skills

Academic and professional success depends on the ability to coherently present your ideas, research, and opinions. Therefore, this course focuses on developing academic presentation skills as well as how to manage and maneuver a collegiate or professional discussion. Students will give speeches and presentations individually and with a group to provide practice in research and oral communication in English. Students will also participate in academic classroom discussions in order to focus on critical thinking skills and practice the subtleties of American academic and professional discourse. 

ELNG 3504: EPGS Study Skills and Preparation  for Graduate School

This workshop-style course is designed to introduce students to practical resources at the Institute, norms of higher education in the United States, and skills and strategies to help them succeed in graduate school.