Working with international students to achieve their potential

The University of Cambridge is launching a new one-year, full-time, International Pre-Masters (IPM) course designed to prepare graduates from around the world for postgraduate study. We spoke to Director of Continuing Education, Dr Jim Gazzard, and Head of Academic Centre Administration for IPM, Shamiso Barnett, to find out what the new course aims to deliver and why.

"There’s a talented and diverse global community with bright academic futures out there. We need to work with them to unlock the barriers to their educational progression” begins Jim, explaining the rationale for introducing these IPM courses at ICE. “International graduates sometimes find they’re rejected by the very best global universities not because they aren’t capable, but because either their English language deficit is too great or they’ve previously learnt in ways that don’t prepare them to engage in enquiry-based and interactive classrooms. At Cambridge, assessments are often in the form of extended essays, whereas many international students are predominantly assessed under exam conditions. Building and articulating an argument is crucial. But how do you deal with opposing academic viewpoints when you’ve only ever been taught one ‘right’ answer?”

Shamiso adds that even competent English speakers can struggle once they begin postgraduate study: “Some students pass their English test but then still find it extremely challenging. They’re surprised by the academic language skills required at Master’s level.”

Play a full part in College life

The new ICE IPM course sets out to help address the obstacles preventing international students from fulfilling their academic potential. Initially offering a choice of two pathways, Business Management (in partnership with Cambridge Judge Business School) and Engineering (alongside the Department of Engineering), applicants will be expected to demonstrate evidence of both a good first degree and English proficiency. Successful candidates on the Cambridge IPM will also find themselves integrated into College life.

“Those attending the IPM course will be immersed into the University of Cambridge. They’ll be full members of a College learning community [Lucy Cavendish, Girton or Wolfson] with access to all the benefits and resources that entails,” says Shamiso. “We think about student experience a lot and it’s important that these nine months on the IPM are an inclusive, cultural experience. Not least because acclimatising culturally to the world outside underpins improved language skills and subject-specific expertise is set in context.”

Preparing students for the future they choose

“At ICE, we want to enable people to take the next steps in their life and career,” continues Jim. “The IPM course provides a recognised qualification in its own right – a University of Cambridge Advanced Diploma. It provides an assurance that the holder has a level of Engineering or Business subject expertise and advanced academic English skills that will support their application to the University of their choice, whether in the UK, North America or elsewhere.”

“Significantly, we’re also including an extended research project to help prepare students for the self-study demands of a higher degree that they might not be used to. This is quite unusual for a foundation programme, but we think it gives students a chance to build up speed now rather than struggling to keep up when their futures are riding on getting their MPhil, MSc, MRes or MBA.”

As Jim notes, “We very much want to help people consider the sort of postgraduate study they might want to choose next and where that might be. For the most able that may be Cambridge, but there’s no guarantee of progression to postgraduate study at the University.”

“We’ll definitely encourage students to ask career questions,” agrees Shamiso. “Cambridge is a great place; full of experts in various fields who are willing to discuss future directions and share networks with students.”

“Ultimately, our vision is that students leave us with a momentum and intellectual confidence that they can use to inform their practice and development,” concludes Jim. “We want to help them achieve their academic potential and become the successful global citizens they have the ability to be.”

Learn More

To find out more about the International Pre-Masters programme, or to meet the team either in person or online, please visit: www.ice.cam.ac.uk/ipm

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This article was originally published as part of the 2019 Michaelmas edition of Inside ICE.