Three students at Oxford Brookes University chatting and smiling while walking down the stairs in the new teaching building.

Diploma Pre-Master's Diploma - English Language and Study Skills

Develop academic study and communication skills to help prepare for postgraduate-level learning.

Key facts

Duration
Full time: Two semesters, September-May or January-August
Part time: 2 semesters - January to August
Starts
January 2027, September 2027
Level
International pathways
Course code
PMD-ESS
Location
Headington
School
Oxford Brookes Business School

About this course

The Pre-Master's Diploma has been designed to fully prepare international students for your future master's course. It allows you to to specialise in a subject of your choice and to improve your study skills and use of academic English.

This course will be suitable for you if:

  • your undergraduate qualifications do not meet the level required for direct entry to postgraduate study
  • you wish to take a master's in a subject that is different from your undergraduate degree
  • you wish to improve your study skills and academic language level before starting your master's course
  • you want to better understand the academic demands for studying at master's level in the UK
  • you have had a break from education and want to build your confidence before starting your master's.

See more information about our other one and two semester pre-master's courses.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

QualificationTypical offer
IELTS

IELTS 5.5 overall with 5.5 in all skills. For more information, please see our English language requirements.

Fees and funding

Fees

Deposits and refunds

A £3,000 deposit is required to secure your place on this course.

In the unlikely event that you decide to leave within the first four weeks of the course we will refund the tuition fees minus the £3,000 deposit. No refunds are available after the fourth week of the course. For more information see our terms and conditions.

The fees that EU/EEA students starting courses at UK universities after the UK has formally left the EU are required to pay will depend on what is agreed as part of the UK's exit negotiations. Please see Brexit FAQs for the most up-to-date information.

Tuition fees
Fee types2026/272027/28
Home full-time£15,100£15,500
International full-time£15,100£15,500

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page.

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)

Learning and assessment

The Pre-Master's Diploma has been designed to fully prepare you for your future master's course.

You will improve your study skills and use of academic English - the essential skills you will need for your master’s course. You will also have the opportunity to specialise in a subject of your choice through modules from the range of subjects offered at Oxford Brookes.

Your chosen subject specialism modules will improve your knowledge of the area you wish to study in the future, and allow you to gain experience of studying at a UK university.

You should choose this course if:

  • your undergraduate qualifications do not meet the level required for direct entry to postgraduate study
  • you wish to take a master's in a subject that is different from your undergraduate degree
  • you wish to improve your study skills and academic language level before starting your master's course
  • you want to better understand the academic demands for studying at master's level in the UK
  • you have had a break from education and want to build your confidence before starting your master's

You will be taught by highly qualified academic staff, who have many years of teaching experience in the UK and overseas.

Learning methods include:

  • lectures, seminars and tutorials
  • group and individual project work and presentations
  • supervised independent learning
  • critical thinking tasks.

There will be a maximum of 18 students in a class in your compulsory modules. Your subject specialisation modules may be larger.

Teaching hours

You will have 16-18 class hours each week, with approximately 20 hours per week of additional time needed for homework, projects, assignments and independent study.

Classes are Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays), usually between 9am and 4pm. Some subject modules may be between 5pm and 8pm. Most classes are 3 hours long including a 10 minute break.

Assessment

Assessment is by means of a range of coursework, including essays and reports, in-class writing tasks, project work and presentations, listening and summary assignments, and the compilation of reflective portfolios.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

  • PREM5002

    15 credits

    This module enables you to write a case study, argument essay and a report, to effectively summarise and evaluate secondary sources, and to apply your reading...

  • PREM6001

    15 credits

    This module enables you to carry out research for reports, essays, seminars and other presentations effectively and appropriately. You will learn to apply your...

  • PREM6003

    15 credits

    This module develops and practises advanced listening, seminar and presentation skills for academic purposes, and builds on skills acquired through the Seminar...

  • PREM6005

    This module helps students explore a range of personal, interpersonal and global literacies designed to enhance postgraduate study, personal and professional...

  • PREM6002

    15 credits

    This module offers the opportunity to undertake a research project leading to an extended research paper in your academic field (in the format of a report or...

  • LOCAL-G7177

    This module enables you to develop and practise listening and speaking skills in the areas of: group presentations, voice and pronunciation, listening to...

Optional modules

  • LOCAL-G7169

    If you start your course in January, during the summer semester of your course you will take an **independent study module** instead of a subject module.

  • LOCAL-G7148

    If built environment is your area of interest, you can choose from: - Introduction to Architectural History and Theory - Essential skills in the built...

  • LOCAL-G7149

    If this is your area of interest, you can choose from: - Accounting and Financial Information - Raising Individual Financial Awareness - Management Accounting...

  • LOCAL-G7150

    If Computing is your area of interest, you can choose from: - Foundations of computation - Web Technology - The Human Computer Interface

  • LOCAL-G7151

    If Humanities, education and publishing is your area of interest, you can choose from: - Key Issues in Film - Publishing Principles - Publishing Business...

  • LOCAL-G7152

    If Science, nutrition and public health is your area of interest, you can choose from: - Physiology for human movement - Physical activity and health...

  • LOCAL-G7153

    If Social sciences, international relations and law is your area of interest, you can choose from: - Legal Method - Commercial Law - Corporate and business law...

How to apply

For assistance with your application contact our admissions team on admissions@brookes.ac.uk

Our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, so module availability and course structures may vary from what is listed here. On rare occasions, we may also need to make updates to our course programmes after publication; for full details, please visit our changes to programmes page (opens in a new tab)