Course description
Graduate Preparation Certificate
British Council accredited
Prepare for postgraduate study
The Graduate Preparation Certificate (Pre-Master's Certificate) has been designed to fully prepare you for your future master's course.
It gives you the opportunity to specialise in a subject of your choice through a module from the Oxford Brookes portfolio of subjects. You will improve your study skills and use of academic English - the essential skills you will need for your master's course.
Your chosen subject specialism module will improve your knowledge of the area you wish to study in the future, and allows you to gain experience of studying at a UK university. You can choose your module from a range of subjects that include business, tourism, hospitality and leisure, law, social sciences, arts, humanities, computing and technology.
You should choose this course if:
* your undergraduate qualifications do not meet the level required for postgraduate study
* you wish to take a master's in a subject that is different from your undergraduate degree
* you wish to improve your study skills and use of academic English.
The Graduate Preparation Certificate is a recognised qualification in its own right. Many students who complete the course go on to study a master's degree at Oxford Brookes or at other universities.
Course content
The course consists of three language and study skills modules, together with your chosen subject specialism module.
Compulsory modules:
* Advanced Research and Reading Skills - designed to raise your reading comprehension to an advanced level and to improve research skills. It includes extensive reading and text organisation, analysis of the genres, a research paper, and persuasive essays. It also covers the appropriate micro-skills: note taking, summaries, anticipating main ideas from headings, skimming for main ideas, scanning for specific information and grammar and vocabulary practice.
* Extended Writing Project - designed to allow students to gain experience in writing a supervised individual research project. Guidance will be given through the stages and processes of planning, producing and evaluating a document on a topic selected by the student. Students will extend their critical awareness of reader expectations and of style appropriate to purpose and genre of the written product. In addition to the research project, students will present a short seminar talk on their project objectives and findings, as well as producing a working logbook reflecting self-awareness of strategies and processes involved in the set task.
* Advanced Seminar Skills - designed to take your listening and speaking ability to a more advanced level in preparation for postgraduate study.
Subject specialism module:
You are free to choose your subject module from a wide range of options from the University's modular programme. Your choice will normally be based on your interests and future area of study. Here are some of the more popular choices:
Business (including e-Business, International Management, International Business Law, Hospitality and Tourism, Accountancy, Marketing, and Economics)
Social Sciences and Law (including Politics, International Relations, Law, International Human Rights, Sociology, Psychology, and Anthropology)
Education (including Communication and Media, Language and Linguistics, Sports and Coaching, Philosophy, Religion, Culture and Ethics)
Built Environment (including Architecture, Construction, Real Estate, Planning, Environmental Sustainability)
Technology (including Computing, Mathematics, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering)
Life Sciences (including Biotechnology, Microbiology, Nutrition, Sports Science)
Health and Social Care
Please note: the choice of subject modules depends on availability and may change without notice.
Students starting in June take an independent study module instead of the subject specialism module.
Teaching, learning and assessment
Learning methods include:
* lectures, seminars and tutorials
* group and individual project work and presentations
* supervised independent learning
* critical thinking tasks.
Teaching consists of 15 hours of in-class teaching per week, together with supervised individual study. In total, approximately 36 hours of student effort is required each week.
Assessment is by means of a range of coursework, including essays and papers, in-class writing tasks, project work and presentations, listening and summary assignments, and the compilation of reflective portfolios.
