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Course information

Length

1 year full-time

Department

English Language Centre
Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship

Course overview

This Pre-Masters programme is aimed at postgraduate students who are considering undertaking an MA in subjects related to the cultural and creative industries, but need a year to develop or consolidate their language skills in academic English.

You'll also have the opportunity to study some background theory, and to familiarise yourself both with ways of working in British academic culture and in the standards required at Masters degree level. 

If you wish to go on to study either at Goldsmiths or elsewhere in Britain you'll be given help and support in finding an appropriate programme.

Guaranteed progression

If you pass the programme at the required level (a pass in all modules with an overall score of 50% or more and completion of a successful interview), you can progress onto the following MA degrees: 

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Dr Stella Harvey

What you'll study

Overview

Half of the programme is made up of English for Academic Purposes modules, concentrating on different areas of language development, made up of:

  • Academic Writing and Grammar Development
  • Academic Listening and Speaking

Two further modules consider interdisciplinary themes and integrate academic content with language and study skills development. These modules provide a useful background for students in European intellectual approaches and some key theories of relevance to a range of academic disciplines.

Finally, you will take two introductory modules in the Institute of Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship.

You will have a personal tutor and will receive support in researching and considering the MA degree options for your future studies.

You are encouraged throughout the programme to work independently and in particular to use the resources available in the Goldsmiths Library.

Assessment

Continuous assessment includes regular seminar presentations and researched essays. There will also be written, listening and oral examinations.

Credits and levels of learning

An undergraduate honours degree is made up of 360 credits – 120 at Level 4, 120 at Level 5 and 120 at Level 6. If you are a full-time student, you will usually take Level 4 modules in the first year, Level 5 in the second, and Level 6 modules in your final year. A standard module is worth 30 credits. Some programmes also contain 15-credit half modules or can be made up of higher-value parts, such as a dissertation or a Major Project.

Download the programme specification for this degree to find out more about what you'll learn and how you'll be taught and assessed.

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

Entry requirements

You should normally be expected to meet any particular entry requirements of the degree you intend to progress onto.

For this programme we require: UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) IELTS 5.5 overall with no component lower than 5.5. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for degree-level study.

We also accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

Fees & funding

The McKenna Charitable Trust Postgraduate Scholarship

This scholarship will be awarded to 4 Masters students from the UK or Europe, who are studying postgraduate Masters programmes within the Institute of Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship.

The scholarships will each cover 50% of tuition fee for the Masters programme totaling individual awards of £3,880 for the academic year of study.

In addition to the above award, students may apply for or ask to also be considered for The Harprit Sekhon Scholarship in the Creative and Cultural Industries. This consists of one award of £1,000.

Find out more about applying for these scholarships

Find out about our general postgraduate tuition fees and funding opportunities.

How to apply

You apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system. 

Before submitting your application you’ll need to have:

  • Details of your education history, including the dates of all exams/assessments
  • The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively an electronic copy of your academic reference
  • A personal statement – this can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online

          Please see our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement

  • If available, an electronic copy of your educational transcript (this is particularly important if you have studied outside of the UK, but isn’t mandatory)

You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.

When to apply

We accept applications from October for students wanting to start the following September. 

We encourage you to complete your application as early as possible, even if you haven't finished your current programme of study. It's very common to be offered a place that is conditional on you achieving a particular qualification. 

Late applications will only be considered if there are spaces available.

Selection process

Admission to many programmes is by interview, unless you live outside the UK. Occasionally, we'll make candidates an offer of a place on the basis of their application and qualifications alone.

Staff

Joan Turner
Director of English Language Centre, Senior Lecturer.
Research: language in higher education; English for Academic Purposes; academic writing research;  academic literacies; intercultural communication; cross-cultural pragmatics; conceptual metaphor; English as an international/transnational language. Find out more about her book, 'Language in the Academy'. 

Timothy Chapman, BA, MA, DELTA
Academic writing; discourse communities; learner identities; interculturalcommunication; Computer Assisted Language Learning.

Dr Stella Harvey, BA, RSA Dip TEFLA, MA PhD
Discourse analysis; intercultural communication; home students' academic writing; EAP for PhD students; EAP for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship; content-based EAP for Arts and Humanities; translation; Guillevic.

Julia Lockheart BA MA MA 
Design and language; metadesigning, languaging, collaborative writing, co-authorship, cross-disciplinarity, writing purposefully in art and design (Writing PAD)

Paul Stocks BA, MA
English for academic purposes; academic writing; the East Asian learner; English for media studies; English for theatre and drama; English for computing.

Gary Riley-Jones MPhil (Cantab) MA PGCE BSc RSA Dip TEFLA 
Language and linguistics; English for Academic Purposes; Content-Based Language Teaching in the Arts; Critical thinking; Rancière; Teacher training; Academic writing.

Julia Lockheart BA MA MA 
Design and language; metadesigning, languaging, collaborative writing, co-authorship, cross-disciplinarity, writing purposefully in art and design (Writing PAD)

Paul Stocks BA, MA
English for academic purposes; academic writing; the East Asian learner; English for media studies; English for theatre and drama; English for computing.

Gary Riley-Jones MPhil (Cantab) MA PGCE BSc RSA Dip TEFLA 
Language and linguistics; English for Academic Purposes; Content-Based Language Teaching in the Arts; Critical thinking; Rancière; Teacher training; Academic writing.

Marl’ene Edwin, MA
Caribbean oral literature; creolistics; orality.

Careers

This programme will develop your skills in:

  • Critical reasoning
  • Textual interpretation
  • Oral and written communication

Successful completion at the required level will guarantee you a place on a relevant Goldsmiths degree programme.

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