Online English and Academic Preparation is a certificate program for students with a high-intermediate to advanced level of English. This non-credit certificate program is designed to help students strengthen their English while developing academic skills necessary for success at an American university. Students may choose from two options within the certificate program:

• Pre-Collegiate: This option is for international students who have completed or are near completion of a high school diploma in their country and would like to come to the United States to study for a bachelor’s degree.
• Grad Track: This option is for international students who have completed or are near completion of a bachelor’s degree in their country or in the United States and would like to pursue a master’s or doctoral degree in the United States.

Program Information

The total length of time required to complete the Online English and Academic Preparation certificate program is 10 weeks. This includes three 3-week courses and a 1-week final capstone project.

Course Information

Each option in the certificate program consists of three courses. All students will take the following courses:

• Listening, Speaking, and Critical Thinking
• Writer’s Workshop
• Reading and Notetaking

Each course is three weeks long and will consist of video lessons, opportunities for practicing English and academic skills, interactive discussion boards with classmates, and graded activities. All courses are asynchronous, which means that the lessons and their activities can be completed at any time of day or night, provided that all course assignments are completed by the final day of class. Students should expect 3-4 hours of work each week for each of the courses.

Capstone Information

After students have finished all three courses, they must complete a one-week final capstone project in order to earn the program certificate. The capstone project will require students to apply the English and academic skills that they learned during the program.

Admission Requirements

Pre-Collegiate

Students interested in the Pre-Collegiate certificate option must meet the following requirements:

• completion or be near completion of a high school diploma in their country or in the United States
• pass Level 4 or higher of the Rice University Intensive English program or
• demonstrate a minimum of a high-intermediate level of English through an online placement test

Grad Track

Students interested in the Grad Track certificate option must meet the following requirements:

• completion or be near completion of a bachelor’s degree in their country or in the United States
• pass Level 6 or higher of the Rice University Intensive English program or
• demonstrate a minimum of an advanced level of English through an online placement test

Technology Requirements

All students must have:

• basic computer skills
• a strong internet connection
• a working computer microphone

It is also recommended that students have a working computer webcam.