Listening and Speaking
This course helps students whose first language is not English develop their listening and speaking skills. The course covers:
- Presentation skills
- Discussions
- Spontaneous speech
- Using English informally and in social interactions
- Understanding main ideas & details and inferring meaning
- Cognitive ("thinking skills") and metacognitive ("thinking about your thinking") strategies for listening comprehension
- Strategies for effective note-taking
The course is thematic, meaning that you will explore different topics and themes through listening, and then speak about those subjects. The instructors will provide extensive feedback on grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation to help you improve your production and become more self-aware of your spoken errors.
Dates and Prices
Tuition and fees are subject to Board of Trustee approval and may change.
ALP points/credit information
This is a non-credit pass/fail course. Students will be billed by points, not credits. Listening & Speaking is billed as 3 points.
For a full explanation of fees, see below.
Explanation of Part-Time Fees*
Important note: All part-time students studying in Fall and Spring are required to have Columbia Health Insurance and pay the Health and Related Services Fee. See below for details.
Medical Insurance: All part-time ALP students studying the Fall and Spring are required to have Columbia Medical Insurance, Those with comparable U.S. health insurance may submit a waiver request to avoid the health insurance charge. Visit the Columbia Health website for complete information.
Health and Related Services Fee: All ALP students are required to pay the Columbia Health and Related Services Fee.. This fee covers access to Columbia health services such as medical, counseling, wellbeing, sexual violence response and disability services. The Health and Related Services fee is mandatory, even if students successfully apply for a health insurance waiver.
SPS Activity Fee: this covers SPS expenses relating to orientation, handbooks and events.
Instructional Support Fee: this covers class materials and expenses such as playbooks, novels, newspapers, photocopying, theater tickets, museum or event entry.
Technology Fee: this covers SPS technology expenses, including access to online course management software, Canvas, and tools used to develop online course content.
Textbooks: this is an estimate. Instructors assign books at the beginning of the session and students must buy them. Students are not billed for textbooks.
*Note: not all fees are refundable if students withdraw from the course. For a full explanation see the Withdrawal and Tuition Refund page of the ALP website.
Application Requirements
Level
This course is open only to advanced learners. All new applicants must take the ALP's online placement test before admission, and test into ALP level 7 or higher.
Part-time courses and the F-1 Student Visa
Students who are not US residents or citizens must have a student visa to enroll in the ALP. To qualify for a student visa, you must be enrolled in full-time study (18 hours or more per week). ALP part-time courses do not qualify you for a student visa.
Matriculated Columbia Students
The application fee is waived. The tuition quoted is for ALP registrants only. Students registering through other divisions of Columbia will pay at the per-point rate of their home schools.
Columbia Employees
Columbia University employees may be eligible to receive Tuition Exemption Benefits and/or the Reduced Employee Rate
To review your eligibility and coverage, go to CUBES, the CU Benefits Enrollment System, and log in with your UNI and password, then select Tuition. If eligible, the Tuition Exemption Benefit usually covers one ALP course per term, up to a maximum of two per academic year, but please confirm this first.
For information about all of the available tuition benefit programs visit the Tuition Programs page of the Human Resources website.
Connect with Us
Learn more about American Language Program at Columbia University, or contact the program advisor.
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