Program Overview:

The Program
Academic Culture and Communication (ACC) prepares and trains incoming graduate students (both Master and PhD) for the demanding programs at Carnegie Mellon and helps students develop the language and cultural skills expected of them in the US classroom. To be successful at Carnegie Mellon, students who are nonnative English speakers need to begin their academic career with a strong foundation in English. Our program is designed to prepare students for success at Carnegie Mellon by enhancing their proficiency in the areas of academic speaking, listening, reading, and writing. By honing these skills before the fall semester begins, students are better prepared to engage in academic work and take their place in the community.

This summer program also provides students the opportunity to become familiar with other students, faculty, the Carnegie Mellon campus, and Pittsburgh before the regular school year begins.

ACC addresses an audience not served by traditional ESL programs. Our program is aimed at students who have gaps in their academic fluency and yet have the foundation with English to benefit from a five-week intensive program. Most intensive ESL programs are designed for students with English fluency well below the threshold needed for academic work; unlike ACC, they cannot provide the level of instruction that would best help incoming Carnegie Mellon students prepare for the demands of graduate programs.

To determine if students are appropriate for ACC, refer to Admission and Registration.

Why take this course?
ACC provides students with skills and practice in speaking, listening, reading, and writing because communication is part of almost every phase of academic work. Attending ACC helps students both to improve their academic English skills and to practice those skills within the cultural context of a US classroom. Students who have attended our summer program in the past report that it prepared them for academic work at Carnegie Mellon, not simply through language work, but also through helping them understand what is expected of students in a US university. We want to ensure that students have the skills they need to succeed at Carnegie Mellon and in the competitive marketplace beyond.

Attendance and Certification
ACC is a full-time program. Students have classes everyday from approximately 10:00 am to 3:30 pm, with additional opportunities for training and practice in the late afternoon. Students have about 20 hours of classroom work as well as an additional 10-12 hours of outside work each week. Because second language learning requires sustained, on-going practice, students need to make a commitment to attend all of the sessions and to participate actively in all class sessions.

A certificate is awarded after successful completion of the program. In order to complete the program, students must participate in a videotaped presentation for Academic Speaking, compile a portfolio for Academic Reading and Writing, and fulfill the attendance requirements for each class.

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