English Courses

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.

Practice-First, Real-Stakes Learning
Each session immerses you in realistic professional scenarios—facilitating seminar discussions, pitching ideas under pressure, and handling intercultural challenges. By the time you are assessed, you will have practiced extensively in a supportive setting, mirroring what you will face in postgraduate studies and your engineering career.

AI as Your Personal Communication Coach
You will learn how to use AI tools strategically, by rehearsing and refining your spoken English with AI-powered feedback, and using GenAI responsibly to draft and refine your writing. Critically, you will also develop the judgment to know when and how to go beyond what AI produces.

Intercultural Competence Built In
Engineering teams are diverse. This course emphasizes intercultural communication through role-playing, peer collaboration across cultural backgrounds, and structured reflection, equipping you to work effectively with colleagues, clients and collaborators worldwide.

• 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

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

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."