EAP Placement Procedures

Upon arrival at Clarkson, both undergraduate and graduate students take the EAP placement test. For all new international students, this exam has two components: a grammar section and a 40-minute writing section. In addition, if graduate students will be teaching assistants (TAs), they also have an oral exam for spoken English. The results of these exams determine a student's placement in academic EAP courses.

EAP Courses

Non-Credit Courses

EAP005 EAP Writing Placement Test, C-0
Placement test of written English for students for whom English is a second language. Test is administered at the start of the Fall and Spring Semesters.


Credit Courses

EAP250 EAP Academic Writing for Undergraduates I, R-3, C-3.
Prerequisite: Placement Test.
This course, designed for non-native speakers of English at a low-advanced level of proficiency in written English, focuses on writing for the academic context. Students read material from a variety of fields and develop their writing skills in definition, description, cause and effect, comparison and contrast, and analysis. The course also helps students develop academic vocabulary and improve grammatical accuracy. (Fall Semester)

EAP354/EAP350 EAP Advanced Academic Writing for Undergraduates III, R-3, C-1.
Prerequisite: Placement Test or C or better in EAP250.
This course integrates academic reading, writing, and critical thinking for non-native speakers of English who are at an advanced level of proficiency in written English. Students read short academic articles on various topics by a variety of authors, discuss and evaluate ideas, and write a number of analytical and argumentative papers, including a documented paper based on library sources. Attention is given to key writing skills needed by undergraduate students in their courses, e.g., summarizing, paraphrasing, use of citations, and effective support of ideas. EAP 354 content is similar to EAP 350, but class meets for only 10 weeks (Fall and Spring Semesters)

EAP550 EAP Academic Writing for Graduate Students I, R-3, C-3.
Prerequisite: Placement Test.
This course has the same content as EAP 250 above, though assignments may differ. (Fall Semester)

EAP552,554 EAP Academic Writing for Graduate Students II, R-3, C-1.
Prerequisite: Placement Test or satisfactory completion (Pass) of EAP550.
This course integrates academic reading and writing, including assignments in the student's field, for non-native speakers of English who are at an advanced level of proficiency in written English. Students read short academic articles on various topics, discuss and evaluate ideas, and write a number of papers and short assignments designed to prepare them for writing tasks they will encounter in graduate study and professional life. Attention is given to key skills needed by graduate students in writing their theses and research papers, e.g., summarizing, paraphrasing, use of citations, and effective support of ideas. EAP 554 content is similar to 552, but class meets for only 10 weeks. (Spring Semester)

EAP555 Academic Spoken Communication Skills for TAs and other International Graduate Students, R-3, C-3.
Prerequisite: Oral Interview and Placement Test or permission of the instructor.
This course is intended for international TAs and other international graduate students who need to improve their spoken English skills in order to interact effectively with students and faculty. The course focuses on development of effective communication skills (including appropriate grammar and vocabulary) for various academic purposes (e.g., leading discussions, making presentations, answering questions). As a group and individually, students also work on pronunciation, intonation patterns, and other features of fluent American English. (Fall Semester)

Course captions are interpreted as follows
Course Number, Name, Number of Class Periods in Recitation (R-3), Number of Credits (C-3)