Bienvenidos

Welcome to the Department of Languages and International Programs. We hope you will find your time spent with us a rewarding learning experience. Please take a few minutes to read the following information, which we have prepared for you. If you still have questions concerning requirements, courses, etc., please stop by our offices. We will be happy to clear up any doubts you may have.

English, as you know by now, is a required subject for all students at the UNIMAYAB. Our courses include the four basic skills needed in order to be able to function in any language: reading, writing, listening and speaking. Our classes are practical and dynamic and are based on communicative techniques. The objective is to facilitate the means for our students to function to the best of their ability in a language other than their own. Our staff is composed of professors with many years of experience in the area of Second Language Acquisition and the majority are native speakers of the languages they teach.

Levels of English depend on the scores you receive on a placement exam which all new students are required to present. Dates, times and room number will be posted throughout the university at the beginning of each semester. The exam takes about two hours and consists of three sections: a grammar section, a listening section and a reading section. Students who have studied or who are studying at other English language centers must accredit English at the UNIMAYAB by taking a revalidation exam. A level may also be accredited by presenting a Departmental exam upon recommendation of your professor. You must score a minimum of 80% on this exam in order to be moved up a level. You are expected to read, write, understand and speak English satisfactorily before registering for your 7th academic cycle.

Certain certificates are accepted for total accreditation: if you have taken the TOEFL® exam in the last two years or a Cambridge First Certificate Exam, please hand in your official score results immediately so we can determine if you qualify for accreditation. If you accredit, we highly recommend that you continue practicing by signing up for an optional advanced course that the Department offers. You can also sign up as a volunteer tutor and in this way continue to practice English.

Other courses in English which are not obligatory, but which will help you to improve your TOEFL® exam scores, prepare you for the Cambridge First Certificate Examination, improve grammar, reading, writing and speaking skills are also available. You can also sign up for a Conversation group. In addition, other languages such as French, Italian, japanese etc. are offered. If you are interested in any of these options ask for further information in the Language Department. These courses will be opened upon demand. A minimum of 15 students is necessary in order to open a group.

Manage your levels of English intelligently. There are six levels of English which must be completed upon terminating your sixth academic cycle in the University. If you fall behind, you will have to study intensive English courses during the summer vacation.

Easily identify the semester in which you must take the corresponding level of English. If you reached level III on your placement exam, you will not have to register for English until your third semester. If you reached level V on your placement exam, you will not have to register for English until your fifth semester, and so on. There is always the option of advancing a level during the intensive summer programs