Premium Immersion Intensive English Program (CEA accredited)

Students in IEP’s Premier Immersion program take several placement exams at the beginning of each new session to measure their proficiency in speaking, listening, writing, and reading; and their knowledge and use of vocabulary and grammar. A committee of IEP teachers reviews all exam scores to decide the best levels for each student to study IEP classes. Students can move quickly through the program because they practice each skill at exactly the right level. 

In  Reading and Vocabulary class, students: 

• Continuously develop vocabulary including words used for familiar, daily activities; academic vocabulary; and idiomatic expressions 
• Can identify the meaning of unfamiliar words 
• Improve reading fluency through directed readings and extensive reading 
• Answer wh- questions about short texts 
• Differentiate between details and main ideas 
• Differentiate between facts and opinions 
• Match cause to effect 
• Infer meaning from text 
• Synthesize information from multiple texts 
• Use headings and subheadings to understand the structure of texts 
• Can identify point-of-view 
• Can make connections between ideas in one or more readings 
• Evaluate reliability and identify evidence of bias in texts 

In  Writing and Grammar class, students: 

• Use the simple past and past progressive 
• Use the future with will and be going to 
• Use perfect, progressive, and perfect progressive verb forms to make affirmative and negative statements, questions, answers, and imperatives 
• Use time clauses 
• Use prepositions of time and place 
• Use count and non-count nouns with appropriate articles 
• Use modals, gerunds, infinitives, and passive constructions 
• Use adjective, adverb, and noun clauses 
• Use comparative and superlative structure

In  Listening and Speaking class, students: 

• Identify main ideas and details in short messages and media programs 
• Speak about their dreams, hopes, and expectations 
• Use a variety of techniques to take notes on lectures and presentations 
• Deliver presentations on personal, academic, and professional topics 
• Answer questions about the content of extended speech, including lectures 
• Use flexible and precise language to present descriptions of complex subjects 
• Infer connections between ideas in extended speech that is not clearly structured 
• Verbally cite sources in researched academic presentations 

Special Topics class is on a rotating schedule. Students will improve both linguistic and academic skills by studying a variety of topics, such as pronunciation, keyboarding and word processing skills, community service, or leadership. This class is not an option for Grad CAP. 

In  English Foundations class, students 

• Recognize the letters in the English alphabet and use patterns to decode words
• Recognize basic affixes and use them to understand word meanings
• Respond to wh-, questions related to illustrated text
• Match visual representations to words and phrases
• Write and use words with a variety of sounds and spelling patterns (Dolch List)
• Write simple sentences about the present and present progressive
• Use present verb tenses to make affirmative and negative statements, questions, answers, and imperatives
• Have a basic understanding of the parts of a sentence: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions
• Ask and answer basic questions and make simple statements about concrete and familiar topics
• Listen for keywords/phrases and specific information (names, dates, reasons, explanations)
• Deliver basic presentations on selected topics

Students in IEP’s Premier Immersion program must be enrolled full-time in order to meet the F or J student visa requirements.  Students will receive over 22 hours of face to face language instruction each week in four different content areas: 

• Listening & Speaking 
• Reading & Vocabulary 
• Writing & Grammar 
• Special Topics 

Below is an example of the class schedule for a typical Premier Immersion student in IEP’s Levels 1-5 (students in Grad CAP courses will not take Special Topics, but the rest of the class times are the same). 

Listening & Speaking 
Tuesday-Thursday: 1:00pm-2:50pm 

Writing & Grammar 
Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays: 8:30am-10:20am 

Reading & Vocabulary 
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 8:30am-11:20am 

Special Topics 
Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays: 10:30am-11:50am 
Alternate - Mondays and Wednesdays: 3:00pm-4:50pm 
 
English Foundations students have over 12 hours of language instruction each week in an integrated course format.  Below is an example of the class schedule for a typical English Foundations student: 

English Foundations 
Monday-Friday: 8:30am-11:50am 

Conditional admission for bachelor's (undergraduate) students 
If a student meets all admission requirements for a Southeast bachelor's (undergraduate) degree program except demonstrated language proficiency, they are eligible for conditional admission. Students with undergraduate conditional admission can meet the English language proficiency requirement by completing Level 5 of the Premium Immersion program.  After the student completes Level 5 of all four content areas, they can be fully admitted to the university. Premium Immersion students are also eligible to participate in the Bridging program.  Bridging allows Premium Immersion students who have completed Level 5 of some, but not all, of IEP’s four content areas to enroll in Southeast academic courses in the same semester they are working to complete all Level 5 of the content areas they have not completed yet. 

Conditional admission for master's (graduate) students 
If a student meets all admission requirements for most Southeast master's (graduate) degree programs except demonstrated English proficiency, they are eligible for conditional admission. Students with graduate conditional admission can meet the English language proficiency admission requirement by successfully completing the Graduate Conditional Acceptance Program (Grad CAP).  Grad CAP is taught in one full sixteen-week semester beginning in either August or January (Grad CAP is not offered during the summer session). A conditionally admitted student who completes Grad CAP with an average grade of B or better will have met the University’s English language admission requirement.   

Conditional Admission is possible for the following Graduate Programs: