Tuition and Fees

3.0 English Proficiency and Teaching AssistantCertification

In order to understand lectures and to participate successfully in class discussions, graduate students must possess sufficient knowledge of English. All students must demonstrate proficiency in English, either by obtaining acceptable scores on the TOEFL or by virtue of a degree from an institution in the United States. The university mandates that all students with a TOEFL score less than 600 (100 on the Internet-based test) must take the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency upon arrival. If remedial courses in English as a foreign language are recommended as an outcome of the Michigan Test, the department requires that these recommendations be followed.

In keeping with the University Policy on Certification of English Language Fluency for Teaching, all students who are not native speakers of English and are awarded graduate assistantships are required to take a separate English test upon arrival. Individuals who do not perform satisfactorily on the test are given non-teaching assignments and are required to take special course work in English until they attain passing scores. An unsatisfactory score at the time of reappointment is sufficient cause for non-renewal. The Department of Industrial Engineering requires that all international students who intend to pursue a doctoral degree take this test upon arrival.