To accommodate a growing influx of international students and prepare them for the rigors of graduate work in the United States, Teachers College will launch a new International Pre-Graduate Program (IPGP) in March at a reception in Beijing, China. The inaugural program will run from July 7 to August 17.

Designed to help college graduates from other countries succeed at graduate schools in the United States, the six-week residential program will include non-credit offerings in academic reading, academic speaking and academic writing -- as well as courses on academic cultural competence along with advice from experts regarding the graduate admission process.

IPGP students, who must be proficient in English before enrolling, also may register for certain regular TC graduate summer courses.

"TC's International Pre-Graduate Program represents strategic innovation at its best," said Thomas Rock, Associate Provost for Enrollment Services. "We've responded to the needs of our evolving student population by creating a unique opportunity for students to experience graduate study in advance of their official graduate coursework, and to practice language and cultural competency skills in an authentic graduate school classroom."

Participants who complete the requirements of the for-credit courses will earn six academic credits from Teachers College and may be issued a non-degree academic transcript.

The program will also offer non-credit workshops and training sessions including:

•     Customized English Proficiency Training on Academic Reading, Writing and Speaking
•     Academic Cultural Competence Training and Workshops: Introduction to Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis in social and educational context
•     Graduate School Application Guidelines
•     Campus Visits to other universities

TC's Office of Enrollment Services will host IPGP informational events worldwide in the coming weeks, beginning with one in Beijing on March 26. Here is a list of scheduled events in Beijing. For more information and to apply to the program visit the International Pre-Graduate Program website. For questions, please send an email to ipgp@tc.columbia.edu.

"Our program is truly unique," says Rock. "The blend of academic credit and non-credit courses is appealing on so many levels. And, to do all of this in NYC at a world class institution like TC distinguishes our program from any others."

The number of international students at Teachers College has risen substantially over the past five years. In 2009, 552 international students enrolled, or 11.8 percent of the student body. International enrollment climbed to 958 in 2014, or 19.5 percent of all students. The largest number of new international students for Fall 2014 were Chinese nationals, with 152, or 11 percent, of all new TC students coming from China this year. The second-largest contingent came from South Korea, and the third-largest from India.

"With the explosion of the international student market, there's a tremendous need and an opportunity to help prepare our international graduate students for the rigors of graduate school," Rock says. "While we hope that this could become a pipeline program for Teachers College, our main goal is to help these students acclimate and thrive no matter what graduate schools they end up going to," including MBA programs or law schools.

While IPGP will kick off in Beijing, China, this summer's program will include students from around the globe. Rock said he hopes to promote the program at other Columbia University global centers, including Brazil and Chile in 2016 and Mumbai, India in 2017.

Published Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015