Intensive English Language Institute

Return to: College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Director: Marta Halaczkiewicz
Location: Main 069C
Phone: (435) 797-2509
FAX: (435) 797-4050
E-mail: marta.hala@usu.edu
WWW: http://www.usu.edu/ieli/

IELI Undergraduate and Graduate Advisor:

Margaret Garr, Main 069A, (435) 797-2081, m.garr@usu.edu

Objectives

The Intensive English Language Institute (IELI) is an academic program contained in the Department of World Languages and Cultures in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. IELI teaches international students and residents who do not speak English as their native language the English skills and cultural knowledge they need to be successful university students. IELI also trains international teaching assistants (ITAs) for USU.

IELI offers a pathways program for students seeking a degree at Utah State University.  Students in the pathway program can enter directly into the university after finishing IELI.  Some students may be able to take courses in their major simultaneously with IELI courses. IELI also offers a program for students who want to study English for personal or professional reasons. These students may enroll to study only in the IELI program.

In order to be admitted to IELI, students must apply to USU and meet USU’s general requirements (http://study.usu.edu/requirements/).  Students who do not meet the language requirements must submit evidence that they have a high beginning level proficiency in English (e.g., through high school transcripts, an iBT score of at least 40 or an IELTS score of at least 4.5).  All students who come to study in IELI must take the placement exam which is only given prior to the beginning of each semester. Based on the examination results, students will be required to study fully in IELI, study partially in IELI, or be exempted from further English language study. 

Curriculum

Four levels of study are offered each semester. A full course of study is 18 credits per semester. The ability levels of classes range from high-beginning through advanced. Students entering IELI must have a basic knowledge of English in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Several of the level 1 and 2 classes are combined into multilevel classes. Classes focus on listening, speaking, reading, writing, and cultural skills. In addition, there are content-focused courses covering topics ranging from current events and the environment to academic literacy and the cultures of the U.S. Students must complete one content-focused course for every level they study in the IELI program. A student can expect to move from one level to the next in one semester if they pass each of their classes.

Students advance from one level of a class to the next higher level by obtaining a grade of C- or higher in the lower-level class. Students who do not obtain a C- or higher in a class must repeat the class. Students admitted to USU who complete all level 4 classes with a C- or higher may begin taking courses outside of IELI. Students at level 4 who have less than a full course load remaining in IELI must take other university credits sufficient to stay in status with visa requirements. Exceptions to this policy must be approved by the director of IELI in consultation with the student’s major field advisors and the Office of Global Engagement.

Credit for Intensive English Study

Classes in IELI carry academic credit. Full-time students at each level take 18 credits per semester. A student who begins IELI at level 1 and progresses to level 4 may earn a total of 72 undergraduate elective credits. While all the credits will appear on a student’s transcript, only level 3 and 4 class credits may be applied toward graduation. Depending on the student’s major, a maximum of 36 credits can be counted toward graduation. Students must, therefore, meet with their departmental advisors to determine the role of IELI credits in their graduation requirements. IELI 2470  and IELI 2475  count toward the General Education Breadth Social Science (BSS) requirement and IELI 2420  counts toward the General Education Communications Literacy 1 (CL1) requirement. 

Services

New students in IELI take the Placement Examination and attend an orientation meeting prior to the beginning of each semester. All students are assigned an advisor in IELI who helps them with various difficulties they may encounter. In addition, all the services and privileges offered to students on campus are available to IELI students. These services include health care, clubs, recreational opportunities, full access to the library and computer labs, and numerous special programs for international students.

FACULTY - College of Humanities and Social Sciences   

Return to: College of Humanities and Social Sciences