Mar 29, 2024  
Ohio University Graduate Catalog 2015-2017 
    
Ohio University Graduate Catalog 2015-2017 [Archived Catalog]

Ohio Program of Intensive English (OPIE)


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Degree Title: Non-degree

Program Name and Number: Ohio Program of Intensive English (OPIE) – ND1508

Department/Unit: College of Arts and Sciences

Delivery Mode: Athens Campus

Program Mission: The principal mission of the OPIE is to provide English language training for non-native speakers who will use English for academic study at an American college or university and/or who will use English within their employment, and to provide that instruction in compliance with the National Association of Foreign Student Affairs (NAFSA) Code of Ethics, the University Consortium of Intensive English Programs (UCIEP) Guidelines, and the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL, Inc.) Standards.  The OPIE mission includes three core components: Teaching, Testing, and Orientation/Cross-Cultural Support.

Program Learning Objectives:

  • Students demonstrate English language proficiency sufficient to undertake academic study at Ohio University.
  • Students produce appropriate and accurate English grammatical structures and demonstrate knowledge of appropriate usage of grammatical structures in written and oral contexts.
  • Students demonstrate ability to logically organize academic content with reasonable fluency, accuracy (i.e. vocabulary, pronunciation), and coherence (development, unity, and organization of ideas) in written and oral contexts.
  • Students demonstrate accurate comprehension of information gleaned from academic-based readings and lectures.
  • Students demonstrate competence in meeting the expectations of American academic culture.

Program Overview:

The program is available to students who require additional English study in order to gain unconditional admission into their intended graduate program.  The OPIE itself does not grant degrees.  Students will be tested upon arrival and placed according to the Graduate Placement/Duration Table found at http://linguistics.ohio.edu/opie/?page_id=200.  Students will then take courses in reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammar, and vocabulary according to the level of English language proficiency that they have demonstrated.  (These language skills are combined into classes in different ways at different levels; electives are also available to students at higher levels of the OPIE program.)  Students who test into one of the three full-time levels of OPIE will take 20 hours per week of coursework in OPIE; conditionally admitted graduate students who test into one of the two part-time (Bridge) levels of OPIE will take either 12 hours per week of OPIE coursework with 6 hours of academic classes or 8 hours per week of OPIE coursework with 9 hours of academic classes.  All OPIE students have the opportunity to re-test at the end of each semester in order to qualify for higher levels of study; students can also move up within the OPIE program on the basis of satisfactory grades in OPIE classes, although the Graduate College requires students to achieve minimum test scores to begin academic coursework.  Conditionally admitted students may also qualify for the English Language Improvement Program (ELIP), which is a separate program from OPIE and serves to transition conditionally admitted graduate students from the higher levels of OPIE into full-time academic study.  More information about ELIP can be found at http://linguistics.ohio.edu/ELIP/.  Students can study in OPIE regardless of graduate admissions status, but must receive at least conditional admission to a graduate program at Ohio University in order to take ELIP or graduate academic classes.

Concentrations:

Business Bridge Track

In cooperation with the College of Business, OPIE has developed a Business Bridge Track for students majoring in business, economics, and related fields at the 12-hour and 8-hour Bridge Levels. In the Business Bridge Track, students will take two consecutive semesters of English and, when approved by the Graduate College, academic classes.  In the 12-hour Bridge Level, students can take twelve hours of English classes with a business focus and six hours of academic classes per week.  In the 8-hour Bridge Level, students can take eight hours of English classes with a business focus and nine hours of academic classes per week.  In both Bridge Levels, students who are not yet permitted to take academic classes can take additional English electives to total 16 hours per week.  The Business Bridge Track will prepare students for academic studies in business, economics, and related fields.

Engineering Bridge Track

OPIE is in the process of developing an Engineering Bridge Track for engineering majors. Currently, in the Engineering Bridge Track, engineering majors at the 12-hour Bridge Level will take an “engineering content-based” 8-hour Academic Core Skills 1 course to help better prepare them for study in their field, alongside a 4-hour English elective and, when approved by the Graduate College, up to six hours of academic classes per week.  Students who are not yet permitted to take academic classes can take additional English electives to total 16 hours per week.

Opportunities for Graduates:

Students who successfully complete the OPIE will be well prepared to begin graduate academic coursework.  Although OPIE does not grant degrees, OPIE holds a graduation ceremony each year to honor and grant certificates to those who have successfully completed the program.

Link to Program: http://www.ohio.edu/opie

Link to Program Handbook: A link to the most current OPIE student handbook can be found at www.ohio.edu/opie

Graduation Requirements:

  1. Minimum semester hours required: N/A; students enter the program at their own level of English proficiency and complete the program by qualifying through test scores to begin academic coursework.
  2. Comprehensive exam: In most cases, students can qualify to begin full-time graduate academic coursework by earning test scores of 550 (TOEFL ITP), 80 (TOEFL iBT), or 6.5 on all bands (IELTS); conditionally admitted students with somewhat lower test scores can begin part-time graduate academic coursework alongside English support classes as detailed in the Graduate Placement/Duration Table found at http://linguistics.ohio.edu/opie/?page_id=200.  Some graduate programs have higher minimum requirements; students can check directly with the department or program to confirm.
  3. Expected time to completion if studying full time: Depends on English proficiency upon entering the program; OPIE offers three levels of full-time intensive English study and two levels of part-time (Bridge Level) English study.  Each level of full-time English study can be completed in one semester if a student earns satisfactory grades.  Students can begin Bridge Level coursework regardless of graduate admissions status, but Bridge Level students lacking conditional admission must take 16 hours of English coursework each semester.  Once students meet the English proficiency requirements for conditional admission, as determined by the Graduate College in conjunction with the academic department, they may study at the 12-hour or 8-hour Bridge Level alongside part-time academic classes.  Students with conditional admission may also qualify to take English coursework through the ELIP program alongside academic classes.

Admission Requirements:  Students who have earned a high school diploma can be admitted to the OPIE.  The graduate admissions process is a separate step that can be performed either prior to or during a student’s time in OPIE.

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