Graduate English Skills Program (GESP)

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Small class size	Research paper writing
Low textbook cost	Literature review preparation and writing
Weekly instructor conferences	Accent reduction
Scholarly text focus in your academic discipline	Videotaped Presentations
Technical vocabulary building in your academic discipline	Academic Lecture Note-taking

"Practicing English skills in the GESP program is advantageous for overseas students, like me. Especially the writing class, I found is very helpful as it guides me the way to structure and write my thesis in my final year. The reading and speaking classes are also good. They all helped improve my English for both studying and daily life." --Titti Saksornchai, GESP Summer 2002

Download GESP Summer 2012 Flyer

Download GESP Fall 2012 Flyer

GESP Application Form
(For students not yet admitted to the Graduate School at UT Arlington)

General Description. GESP is an intensive English program for international graduate students. Students who have been accepted by the Graduate School and admitted to a graduate program (either conditionally or provisionally) as well as current graduate students are eligible for GESP. If students have a low verbal score on the GMAT or GRE, they can meet the UTA Graduate School and most graduate departments' English proficiency requirements by successfully completing GESP. Occasionally, exceptions are made to this policy; if interested, please contact the GESP Coordinator at jatherton@eli.uta.edu. The workload for each class, Writing, Reading, and Listening/Speaking, is equivalent to a graduate-level class.

Class Content. Each course is discipline-specific and content-based, so students use texts and journals in their discipline for their reading and writing assignments, presentations, accent reduction homework, and their vocabulary assignments.

GESP Class Descriptions

Reading Read, summarize, and analyze at least 20 articles from scholarly journals in your discipline. Recognize and use the layout and style of scholarly material. Identify the most common collocations used to discuss topics in your discipline. Use a discipline-specific text to learn ways to increase your reading speed and comprehension of academic material. Use a discipline-specific text to learn ways to build your discipline-specific vocabulary. Master at least 100 academic and discipline-specific vocabulary words through repeated exposure via reading scholarly and textbook reading. Increase your comprehension when you learn how to draw inferences, identify assumptions and bias, and synthesize information. Continuously work on reading speed, reading comprehension, and vocabulary. Increase your comprehension and vocabulary when they keep a weekly reading journal: respond in writing and discuss in class a total of 40 articles on various topics. Representative Required Readings The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (chapter) (Thomas Kuhn) The Evolution of Management Thought (chapter) (Wren) History and the Present Day (chapter) (Braudel) "What Is Enlightenment?" (Immanuel Kant) Selected short stories (Langston Hughes) (Ernest Hemingway)

Students' home countries include:

Students' disciplines include:

Placement Testing

All GESP students must take the GESP placement tests. The placement tests are always the first Tuesday and Friday immediately before the first week of classes for any semester. Please contact the GESP Coordinator to reserve a test seat. jatherton@eli.uta.edu

Please download flyer for placment testing dates:

Download GESP Summer 2012 Flyer

Download GESP Fall 2012 Flyer

GESP students must register for and pay a $50.00 placement-testing fee. Students can register in person at the ELI main office in Hammond Hall 402 or via email with the GESP Coordinator.  Students can pay the placement-testing fee online with MyMav, or in person at the Bursar's Office.  

NOTE: Students conditionally admitted on GESP probation to the UTA Graduate School will have their placement-testing fees waived by the English Language Institute (ELI).

Prospective GESP students not yet admitted to the Graduate School will have to first register with the ELI by submitting a GESP Application Form.

Students who are returning to GESP from a previous semester do not need to and are not allowed to retake the placement tests.  

Students who miss the regularly scheduled placement testing dates will need to pay a $25.00 late-testing fee.  

EVERY STUDENT WHO TAKES THE GESP PLACEMENT EXAM MUST PRESENT A CURRENT PHOTO I.D. BEFORE TAKING THE EXAM.

Explanation of Placement Scores Level 7 - Your English proficiency in this skill area is sufficient to do graduate-level work. Levels 6, 5, 4 - English instruction is necessary for you to meet graduate-level English proficiency. Level 6 - Proficiency in this skill area is weak and will interfere with your ability to do graduate-level work. Level 5 - Proficiency in this skill area is very weak and will limit your ability to do university-level work. Level 4 - Proficiency in this skill area is extremely weak. You may require two or more semesters of English instruction to achieve graduate-level English proficiency. Example Student Writing Reading Listening/Speaking A 6 7 5 B 4 6 6 Student A has graduate-level English proficiency in reading and needs English instruction for writing and listening/speaking. Student B needs English instruction in the 3 skill areas and may require 2 semesters to reach proficiency in writing.

Tuition Costs

Books & Materials: $200.00 (full-time student)

Lab Fees: $100.00

Health Insurance: $460 (approx. Fall/Spring) $290 (Approx. Summer)

 

MyMav cannot be used to register for GESP; the GESP Coordinator will directly register students.

 GESP tuition is due during the second week of University classes (after Grad School tuition) and can be paid through MyMav or directly at the Bursar's Office.  

Class Dates and Hours

Order of classes is subject to change. (see schedule below)

All classes meet four days per week.
Students may register for Writing 1 or 2, but not both.
Writing 2 may not be offered in Summer semesters.

For more information contact

Joshua Atherton, GESP Coordinator

jatherton@eli.uta.edu