Offered Spring 2026:
Master's Communication Development
3-credit, 13 weeks (full semester)
This course is designed for graduate engineering students for whom English is not a primary language. Students in this course will gain the skills necessary to confidently navigate the use of oral English in the US. You will learn the social and academic norms needed for academic success and will build the interactional competence necessary for course and campus engagement. While in this course, you will learn to deliver a short self-introduction as well as a brief overview of your research/degree program/professional experience, etc. In addition, you will learn to navigate small talk and social interactions through the development of cultural contexts and an understanding of conversational mechanics. Students will gain the skills needed to actively participate in classes, seek help from multiple sources, and navigate productive interactions with faculty.
3-credit, 13 weeks (full semester)
This writing course is designed for graduate engineering students for whom English is not a primary language. The focus will be on writing and revising that results in clear, effective, and concise products. Students will produce a variety of academic and professional documents pertinent to engineers; these may include Professional Bio/LinkedIn Summary, Professional Email, Informational Interviewing, Paraphrasing/Summarizing/Synthesizing, and Literature Review.
1-credit, 8-week course.
This course is designed for students for whom English is an additional language, and registration is restricted to those who have an outstanding requirement. Students will identify individual challenges with writing in English and examine the ethics and unique challenges of collaborating with Generative AI (GAI) to create a high quality, authentic piece of writing. Students will develop best practices for using GAI to improve their writing skill, not just their output. This series will empower students, via GAI, to continue working toward their language goals beyond the conclusion of the workshop series.
Master's Career Development
This course is about launching and accelerating your job or internship search. It offers dedicated time to focus on your career, especially when so many other things are competing for your attention.
Created specifically for Engineering Master’s students, Career Design & Strategy addresses the unique opportunities and challenges of navigating the U.S. job market.
Updated annually to align with work/hiring trends and student feedback, this year’s course is organized into four units:
- Introductions and applications: Build strong career documents and learn how to connect positively with a variety of people.
- Search strategy: Create a focused plan that aligns your goals and helps use your time and energy effectively.
- Action & momentum: Put your strategy into action, refine your approach, and keep your search moving forward.
- Closing the search: Take ownership of your next steps by identifying what matters most to you when negotiating offers.
PhD Communication Development
1-credit, 13-weeks (full semester)
This course is designed for PhD engineering students for whom English is not a primary language. Students in this course will develop greater public speaking confidence as they polish presentation skills. Participants will practice a variety of short-form speeches and presentations – some impromptu and some planned. Students will practice self-introductions, technical explanations, responding to questions, and preparing for longer form presentations, as may be required by your field of study in engineering. Through self-evaluation along with feedback from the instructor and classmates, students will identify strengths and weaknesses related to public speaking and will have ample opportunity to develop the confidence and skills to become a successful speaker.
3-credit, 13-weeks (full semester)
This academic writing course is designed for PhD engineering students of all language backgrounds. Students will produce a variety of professional and scholarly documents pertinent to engineers. Throughout the semester, participants will learn how to present themselves professionally in writing, develop a writing habit, scholarly literacy skills, and self-editing skills, and learn to write clearly, concisely, cohesively and coherently.
Previously Delivered Courses
Communication Development
3-credit, 13-week courses (typically required)
This course is designed for graduate engineering students for whom English is not a primary language. Students in this course will gain the skills necessary to confidently navigate the use of oral English in the US. You will learn the social and academic norms needed for academic success and will build the interactional competence necessary for course and campus engagement. While in this course, you will learn to deliver a short self-introduction as well as a brief overview of your research/degree program/professional experience, etc. In addition, you will learn to navigate small talk and social interactions through the development of cultural contexts and an understanding of conversational mechanics. Students will gain the skills needed to actively participate in classes, seek help from multiple sources, and navigate productive interactions with faculty.
This course is designed for master’s engineering students for whom English is not a primary language. Students in this course will develop greater public speaking confidence as they polish presentation skills. Participants will practice a variety of short-form speeches and presentations – some impromptu and some planned. Students will practice self-introductions, technical explanations, responding to questions, and preparing for longer form presentations, as may be required by your field of study in engineering. Through self-evaluation along with feedback from the instructor and classmates, students will identify strengths and weaknesses related to public speaking and will have ample opportunity to develop the confidence and skills to become a successful speaker.
This writing course is designed for Master of Science Engineering Students for whom English is not a primary language. The focus will be on writing and revising that results in clear, effective, and concise products. Students will produce a variety of academic and professional documents pertinent to engineers; these may include Professional Bio/LinkedIn Summary, Professional Email, Informational Interviewing, Paraphrasing/Summarizing/Synthesizing, and Literature Review.
This writing course is designed for Master of Engineering Students for whom English is not a primary language. The focus will be on writing and revising that results in clear, effective, and concise products. Students will produce a variety of academic and professional documents pertinent to engineers; these may include Professional Bio, LinkedIn Summary, Professional Email, Informational Interviewing, Paraphrasing/Summarizing, Reflections, Project Report, and Executive Summary.
This academic writing course is designed for PhD engineering students of all language backgrounds. Students will produce a variety of professional and scholarly documents pertinent to engineers. Throughout the semester, participants will learn how to present themselves professionally in writing, develop a writing habit, scholarly literacy skills, and self-editing skills, and learn to write clearly, concisely, cohesively and coherently.
This course is designed for PhD engineering students for whom English is not a primary language. Students in this course will develop greater public speaking confidence as they polish presentation skills. Participants will practice a variety of short-form speeches and presentations – some impromptu and some planned. Students will practice self-introductions, technical explanations, responding to questions, and preparing for longer form presentations, as may be required by your field of study in engineering. Through self-evaluation along with feedback from the instructor and classmates, students will identify strengths and weaknesses related to public speaking and will have ample opportunity to develop the confidence and skills to become a successful speaker.
1-credit, 8-week elective courses
This interactive course, designed for PhD Students in the Pratt School of Engineering, will explore how to communicate engineering research and technical concepts to broad, non-expert audiences. Students will develop oral and written works to deliver their message, which considers various audiences and purposes, and can be applied to various genres. Participants will learn about the value of narrative structures in message delivery as well as the elements of strong visual content. Students will practice applying these principles to the design of slides, posters and other visual forms.
This course is designed for PhD engineering students for whom English is not a primary language. Students in this course will develop greater public speaking confidence as they polish presentation skills. Participants will practice a variety of short-form speeches and presentations – some impromptu and some planned. Students will practice self-introductions, technical explanations, responding to questions, and preparing for longer form presentations, as may be required by your field of study in engineering. Through self-evaluation along with feedback from the instructor and classmates, students will identify strengths and weaknesses related to public speaking and will have ample opportunity to develop the confidence and skills to become a successful speaker.
