Discipline-specific Academic English Programme

The Academic English Programme (AEP) offers workshops, lectures, courses and modules (both credit and non-credit) for your discipline, focusing on the language and communication skills needed to perform effectively on specific degree programmes at Reading.

Our discipline-specific language and literacy experts closely analyse the texts, assignment types and communicative situations you will encounter on your degree. We then design lessons to develop the specialised language, text organisational (or 'genre') knowledge, reading-to-write skills, and communication strategies you will need to engage successfully with them.

We currently provide input for more than thirty different student groups, from first-year undergraduate to postgraduate research level, across the campus.

If you are a student at Reading, talk to your Department about what is potentially available to you from the discipline-specific AEP.

If you are a staff member and would like a new workshop or course for your students, please see our Academic Language and Literacy Liaison page for details on who to contact. 

Read a summary of our activity:

Henley Business School

For master's students, non-credit modules in Academic Writing for Business Management and Accounting (ILMAACN, ILMABUSN and ILMACFN) are offered. MSc Accounting and Finance students are supported in the Spring term with 3 AEP workshops on 'Pathways to Assessment Success'. Oral communication skills workshops are delivered to MSc Entrepreneurship students. Non-credit bearing modules are also offered to ICMA master's students (ILMAEFN: Academic English for Finance) and students of informatics (ILMAINFN: Academic writing for Informatics).

For first-year undergraduate Accounting, Finance and Business Management students, AEP provides the non-credit two-term modules Academic Skills and Language for Business and Management (IL1ABMN) and Academic Skills and Language for Finance (IL1AFNN).

Art, Communication and Design

FA/TY/FT1EN is a credit-bearing English for Art, Communication & Design module (for part 1 students). Fine Art, Graphic Design and Film and Theatre Studies L2 students (with an IELTS or equivalent score of no higher than 6.5) are invited to enrol for this two-term 20-credit module.

Institute of Education

For master's students, two terms of Academic Writing input are provided by AEP via the EDM192 The Student Enrichment Programme module. A non-credit module, Academic Skills and Language for Education (IL1ASLEN) is provided for students on BA Education Studies. For BA Childhood Development & Learning, AEP provides a series of workshops focusing on extended writing. A bespoke workshop and support materials are also provided for PGCE students.

Law

AEP non-credit modules focusing on key writing skills and genres for Law are offered to undergraduate students from part 1 to part 3, Academic Skills and Language for Law (IL1ALWN; IL2ALWN; IL3ALWN). A 1-term Autumn- or Spring-start module is also offered to Master's students (Academic Writing for LL.M (ILMAWL1/2N). This is non-credit bearing.

Literature and Languages

For students on MA Applied Linguistics and MA TESOL, AEP provides an Autumn term non-credit module Academic Writing for Applied Linguistics and TESOL (ILMATLN). The module focuses on key writing skills and language required for PGT assignments. In Spring term, two non-credit modules are offered for PGT DELAL cohorts with students following the most relevant for their studies: Dissertation Writing for Applied Linguistics and TESOL (ILMATDN) and Academic Writing for TESOL Portfolio (ILMATPN).

Politics, Economics & International Relations

For TNE NUIST 3+1 Economics students, AEP provides a non-credit part 3 module, Academic Writing for Economics (IL3AECEN). For PGT students studying Data and Decision Analysis in Nanjing AEP provides two non-credit modules, Academic Writing for Economics - Postgraduate (ILMAECEN) and Dissertation Writing for Economics - Postgraduate (ILMAECDN).

For students in Politics and International Relations, a non-credit part 1 and 2 module Academic Skills and Language for Politics and International Relations (IL2APIRN), and a non-credit part 3 module, Advanced Language for Politics and International Relations (IL3APIRN) are provided.

Agriculture, Policy and Development

The Academic English Programme offers a two-term strand on IDM089, the Personal and Professional Development Programme for International Students. This raises awareness of how to write critically while studying. It incorporates both blended online and face-to-face input.

Chemistry, Food & Pharmacy

AEP offers a two-term credit-bearing Part 2 English for Science module (FB2CAL) for 2+2 transnational Food Science students. For Part 1 and master's Food Science students, non-credit modules are offered in Autumn term: UG Academic Skills and Language for Food Science (IL1AFSN) and PG Academic Skills and Language for Food Science (ILMAFSN).

A one-term credit-bearing module, English Language for Chemists (IF3NUC formerly CH3ENG), is provided for Part 3 NUIST 3+1 TNE students. Further non-credit support is provided in the Spring term focusing on dissertation and exam writing.

For part 1 MPharm students, writing and oral communication support is provided in the spring term. A professional communication course for MSc Clinical Pharmacy Practice students is planned for 2022/23.

Psychology & Clinical Language Science

Non-credit AEP modules are delivered at PGT level, Academic Writing for Psychology (ILMAPSYN), and undergraduate level, Writing for Undergraduate Psychology (IL1APSYN), focusing on Psychology genres including Essays, Critical Reviews, Reflections, Reports and Dissertations.

Built Environment

The non-credit module, Academic Writing for Construction Management and Engineering (ILMACMN) provides input on language and skills for Reflective Writing (term 1) and Dissertation Writing (term 3); A Research Writing workshop is delivered by AEP on the master's Research Skills module, CEM10A.

Archaeology, Geography & Environmental Science

Academic writing support for international students is integrated into the Skills for Independent Learning (GVMSIL) module provided for master's Environmental Science students. In a similar way, Academic Grammar for Writing support for TNE NUIST 3+1 Environmental Engineering students is delivered by AEP staff as part of their Research Skills and Project Management (GV3PS) module.

Mathematical, Physical & Computational Science

The non-credit module Academic English for Meteorologists (ILMAMTN) provides input on dissertation writing and oral communication.