The department offers two distinct English Language Programme streams to the student community of the college. These are:

1- General Foundation Programme for new students to assist them in preparation to commence their main study stream.

2- English for Academic Purposes (EAP) for Business, Communication and Design students designed for language study support of their main study stream.

EAP courses Overview- year one

This course is designed for students with IELTS equivalence of 4.5. This course buils upon the General English and Study Skills work carried out in the Foundation Programme to introduce students to academic modes of listening, speaking, reading and writing. The course is allocated 10 hours per week and it is expected that one class teacher will deliver the 120-hour course to one class of 15-25 students. 

EAP courses Overview- year two

Y2 English courses are designed for students with IELTS equivalence of 5.5.

The courses build upon the work on academic reading, listening, speaking and writing

undertaken in ENAP2001 and other Y2 courses (ENDN2001-ENMC2003-ENBS2004) and aim to develop students’ ability to understand and express relatively complex ideas about academic topics. The course is allocated 8 to 10 hours class time per week for a semester of roughly 14 teaching weeks.

The main objective of Y2 courses is to enable students to conduct a research paper of 1000 to

1300 words answering a research question related to their majors. Other specific objectives

include enabling students to follow and to participate in a classroom discussion of an academic topic in which they are required to advance and argue a simple case, and follow and participate in lectures through strategic listening, note-taking and clarification strategies.

Most important activities in the Department:

• Foundation Program: Before embarking upon specializations, all new students to the College must undergo a Foundation Year in which they study English, Study Skills and Computer Acumen.

• Teacher Resource Centre (TRC): The TRC can be considered as a context for learning consisting of books and other teaching materials, such as CDs, cassettes and audiotapes that can support and enhance the teaching and learning processes.  Teachers are encouraged to use the TRC as much as they can.

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  The English Society is part of the English Department at Nizwa College of Applied Sciences. It aims to provide extra-curricular activities for students that would help them enhance their level in English in the four basic skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing as well as the integral skills: vocabulary and grammar. It also helps to boost students’ confidence in the use of the language and in leading and supervising students’ various activities. The society also provides the high-achieving members an opportunity to help low-achieving students at the college through continuous tutoring sessions throughout the semester. The sessions take place in the Language Centre which is the headquarter for the English Society. The college provided a new venue for the society in November, 2019; FB112.

       The speaking and writing sessions are very vital in the English Society. They take place in the Language Centre that is now very spacious. Thus, it can accommodate a good number of students. These sessions are supervised by teachers from the English Department, and they are held from Sunday to Wednesday for two hours daily. Two days are devoted for each skill. Students can attend those sessions without booking. Different competitions are held for students to compete in the use of English such as the Spelling Bee and the Speaking Competition. 

       The English Society has contributions in community service as well. For instance, it pays visits to schools and other teaching institutions and participates in several events and activities in the community. It also runs workshops for teachers in the college. The presenters are either from college or other institutions.