New language proficiency program helps prepare international students for success

Dozens of international students are getting the opportunity to improve their English language skills before starting their studies at McMaster.

The McMaster English Language Development Diploma, also known as MELD, is aimed at students who have all the requirements needed to begin a degree program, but haven’t become proficient in English.

The program acts as a bridge into a degree program they can begin next fall.

“We want to improve proficiency in English, but we also want to ensure student success at an English-speaking university,” said Anna Moro, associate dean of Humanities. “The program focuses on many aspects of students’ development, in addition to language skills.”

Students in the program take eight MELD-specific courses as well as two Linguistics courses — heavy on English language study — which will count for degree credit.

In addition to academic courses, students in MELD also interact with peer mentors, reflect on their learning using McMaster’s Learning Portfolio system and are issued a MELD Passport that encourages students to become engaged with the McMaster community.

“We’re using the ‘passport’ to incentivize students to sign up for workshops and events at the university,” said Moro. “Students need to attend a minimum number of activities or workshops and have their passports stamped in order to fulfill a course requirement in each semester.”

Students who complete the year-long MELD program will be accepted into first-year degree programs.

Those in the first cohort of the program will aim to enrol in a wide variety of programs in the faculties of Business, Engineering, Science, Social Sciences and Humanities.

For more information on the MELD Program, visit the Program website.