LANG 5030

Professional Communication Skills for Engineers

Course Description

For postgraduate engineering students working in an increasingly global and competitive field, technical expertise alone is rarely enough. This course gives you the communication skills that turn strong engineers into influential ones by teaching you how to present complex ideas persuasively, lead professional discussions with authority, and write with academic rigour, all while building practical fluency with AI tools that will follow you throughout your career.

Highlights

Practice-First, Real-Stakes Learning. Each session immerses you in realistic professional scenarios—seminar discussions, pitching ideas under time pressure, and navigating intercultural challenges—preparing you for postgraduate studies and your engineering career through extensive practice in a supportive setting.

AI as Your Communication Coach. Learn to strategically use AI for rehearsing spoken English, and drafting, evaluating and refining your writing–while developing the judgment to know when and how to beyond what AI produces.

Intercultural Competence. Through role-playing, peer collaboration, and structured reflection, this course equips you to work effectively with diverse teams, clients, and collaborators worldwide.

Assessment

  • Assessment 1: Lead a stimulating seminar discussion based on a Harvard Business Review article
  • Assessment 2: Give a short individual presentation on a research topic/area of your choice

Target Students

Any student enrolled in a master's program with the School of Engineering who would like to improve their English communication skills.

Learning Experience

Student testimonials

  • "Before this course, I would go quiet during lessons even when I had something valuable to say. The in-class discussions changed that. Week after week, we were put in situations where we had to speak, respond, and lead, and because the class atmosphere felt so supportive, it felt safe to try."
  • "I used to dread presenting my research to anyone outside my lab group. The technical content was never the problem, it was knowing how to present to a broader audience, handle questions, and sound confident doing it. This course gave me a set of techniques I could actually apply."

  • "Using AI for my writing was something I had tried before, but I never really knew whether I was doing it well. This course taught me how to use GenAI to support a literature review without losing our own analytical voice. My writing is sharper now."

  • "English is not my first language, so public speaking in a professional engineering context was always stressful. What I did not expect was how much the AI spoken English practice would help. Being able to record myself, get instant feedback, and practice privately removed a huge amount of anxiety."