Pre-Academic English Program

One level of Pre-Academic English will help you prepare for success in an undergraduate degree program in the United States.

Completing one level makes you eligible for a TOEFL waiver to Pace University undergraduate degrees.

Two levels of Pre-Academic English will help you prepare for success in a graduate degree program in the United States. Level Two is the most advanced level at the ELI and helps students enter degree programs with the highest English proficiency requirements.

Completing two levels makes you eligible for a TOEFL waiver to Pace University graduate degrees**.

Learn the critical thinking, research, and writing skills needed in an American university. Work on research projects on a topic that you choose.

Hours/week: 5 (2.5 with teacher and 2.5 self-paced)
Days: Classes with teacher are Monday. Students will work independently with instructor support an additional 2.5 hours per week.
Time: 9:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.

Learn and practice skills for group discussions and class presentations. Work on real graduate projects, and use your new skill to organize, research, and deliver professional presentations.

Hours/week: 5 (4 with teacher and 1 self-paced)
Days: Classes with teacher are Wednesday and Friday. Students will work independently with instructor support an additional 2.5 hours per week.
Time: 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

Improve reading, writing and critical thinking skills necessary for success in an American University. The focus of this course is on reading and high order critical thinking skills (analysis, synthesis, interpretation, evaluation, and application) with a minor emphasis on writing as a measure of assessment.

Hours/week: 4 (2 with teacher and 2 self-paced)
Days: Classes with teacher are Tuesday. Students will work independently with instructor support an additional 2 hours per week.
Time: 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

Gain insight into American culture, practice and acquire English by viewing and analyzing different genres of film and other audio-visual based media. You will use learning strategies and methods to gain insight into cultural norms in the United States, acquire vocabulary, practice pronunciation, listen more attentively, engage in discussion and write reviews.

In this course, you will:

• Identify and evaluate cultural references found in films and other audio-visual based media
• Acquire slang, idiomatic expressions, and other informal language
• Acquire topic specific vocabulary and use this flexibly with other topics and in other contexts
• Outline, summarize and provide a critical review of a feature length film
• Participate and lead class discussions over movies and audio-video media
• Recognize and produce pronunciation features such as intonation, word and sentence stress, reduced and connected speech

This class may be taken fully online or may be taken as a hybrid class with some in person classes. The in-person classes will be delivered in a way that allows for safe social distancing. It will be a modified version of 'live' classes featuring a mix of in-person live classes (with a small number of students, to allow for social distancing), remote learning with a teacher 'live' and self-paced remote study (with instructor support).

Start Dates: January and March, 2022
Hours/week: 4 (2 with teacher and 2 self-paced)
Days: Classes with teacher* are Thursday. Students will work independently with instructor support an additional 2 hours per week.
Time: 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

*Classes with teacher are online with the instructor. These classes are recorded. Schedule subject to change without notice.

Develop the informal language and stylistic features needed for social interaction with their classmates and for a deeper understanding of their professors. The course focuses on interactions and language that is found in university lectures, materials and classroom/campus situations.

Special emphasis is on learning the key differences in formal versus informal language use, vocabulary (idiomatic expressions, phrasal verbs, slang) and how language is used to express sarcasm and humor in American culture.

Start Dates: September and October, 2021
Hours/week: 4 (2 with teacher and 2 self-paced)
Days: Classes with teacher* are Thursday. Students will work independently with instructor support an additional 2 hours per week.
Time: 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

The TOEFL requirement will be waived for students who successfully complete the first Pre-Academic Program level (for prospective Pace Undergraduate students only) and are academically qualified. ELI Students will apply to the Undergraduate Admission department before the completion of the Pre-Academic Program Level One.

While attending ELI, students can receive assistance with undergraduate applications. An advisor will review the following documents:

• Completed application for errors
• Personal essay

**The TOEFL waiver does not apply to students that have already been accepted to the Pace Global Pathways Program.

The TOEFL requirement will be waived for prospective Pace University graduate students who successfully complete both levels of the Pre-Academic Program and are academically qualified. ELI Students will apply to the Graduate Admission department before the completion of their Pre-Academic Program.

While attending ELI, students can receive assistance with graduate applications. An advisor will review the following documents:

• Completed application for errors
• Personal essay
• Resume (if applicable)

*Note that the first level of the Pre-Academic Program will waive the TOEFL requirement from the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems Masters-level programs. LLM and JD applicants must complete the Pre-Law English program to waive the TOEFL requirement. All other colleges and Masters-level programs at Pace University require completion of both levels of the Pre-Academic Program (Level Two) to waive the TOEFL requirement.

**The TOEFL waiver does not apply to students that have already been accepted to the Pace Global Pathways Program.