講師陣の紹介

When a university tells you that you need IELTS 6.5 to join their Master’s degree, they mean that it is the absolute minimum English level that you need to survive on the degree. It does not mean that your English is so good that you will have no problems in understanding the lectures and textbooks. Nor does it mean that you will be able to write assignments, make presentations or take part in seminar discussions to the standard of a good Master’s student.

If you think about it, this is not surprising. The IELTS exam, with about 35 minutes of listening, 2,500 words of reading, two pieces of writing no longer than 250 words and a 12 minute chat mainly about yourself, is not asking you to do the same things you do at university. On a Master’s degree you will have to listen to and understand very technical lectures that might last for two or more hours. You will be expected to read at least one chapter of a textbook (say 30-50 pages) for each hour of lectures. You will also have to write several fully referenced essays of between 2,000 and 5,000 words, as well as a dissertation of 10,000 to 15,000 words. In addition, you will need to make presentations and discuss academic subjects with your fellow students. The GD teaches you the language and study skills required to do all of these tasks.

Furthermore, the way in which a Master’s degree is taught in the UK (and other English speaking countries) is very different from the way Bachelor’s degrees are taught in Japan. The Graduate Diploma (GD) course at beo will bridge the gap between Japanese Bachelor’s degrees and UK Master’s degrees. It has been designed by professors from a group of UK universities, and, therefore, the content of the GD directly addresses the areas that international students find difficult when they start their Master’s degree. Given that a Master’s degree in the UK only lasts for one year you cannot afford to spend your first few months wondering what you are supposed to be doing. Doing the GD first will mean that you do know what is expected of you. I have taught this same GD course to students from China, India, Korea, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan and I am convinced that it is the best preparation available for a Master’s degree in the UK. If you want to get the most you can from your investment in your Master’s degree, you need to prepare yourself as well as you can, and the GD course at beo the best way to do that.

I hope you will come and join the GD and go on to success in your Master’s degree!

Academic English is very different to the language we use in daily life, requiring different methods of expression, vocabulary and formality. Universities in English-speaking countries require students to follow certain conventions in their research which are often different to those of Japanese universities; for example the necessity to be analytical, critical, and objective, and to produce work which involves original ideas and research. Students are also expected to actively participate in seminars and discussions, presenting their ideas with clarity and confidence. Preparing for these situations before entering university will provide a great advantage - adapting to a new academic culture is not an easy task.

Students on the GD course are given their first taste of these requirements, with the aim of gradually building up skills so that university will not be too intimidating. University is very busy, entailing a large study workload, so on the course we try to recreate this situation while simultaneously supporting students; we realize that adjusting to this new system is difficult, and so we strive to help learners with a view to achieving self-reliance in their learning.

Although EAP makes up more than half of the GD course, we are concerned much more with study skills and written organisation. Our entrance exam ensures that all the students on the course have the linguistic ability to succeed. However, the Japanese academic style and academic expectations are quite different from the styles and expectations of the British academic community. As a result, even students with very high levels of English can struggle academically in the UK. The advantage of having a group of students who have been through the Japanese education system is that we can predict where students will need more support and direction and where they need encouragement to become more independent learners. This allows us to tailor the course specifically to the students academic needs. The NCUK GD course truly allows postgraduate students to achieve their potential and to be the best they can be.