International Office

English Language Programmes

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Learn English while enjoying British University Life!

Canterbury Christ Church University offers the following intensive English language programmes:

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The University also has an Accommodation Office that takes care of your accommodation needs and an International Office to help arrange your stay.

The Department of Language Studies

International students walking around campusThe Department of Language Studies is in the Faculty of Humanities. It has a team of English language teaching experts. These are highly qualified and experienced teachers.


The Department has an English language teaching centre located next to the main campus. Classes are taught in this centre and on campus. The centre is located in an historic building called Lady Wootton's Green. It is also known as 'Dicken's House' as it was the original house of Doctor Strong in the famous novel 'David Copperfield' by Charles Dickens. Information on the programmes taught by the department, including all the English language programmes, is on the department's webpage.

This historic building has a student common room, a language laboratory, well-equipped classrooms, and has the English teachers' and course directors' offices, used for student tutorials. The centre director's office is also in the building.

The centre is only five minutes from other campus classrooms used for English classes and from the modern Student Union where there is an internet café, and a bar. This is an ideal place for students to go in between morning classes.

Studying English at Christ Church University

The Language Studies Department runs its English language programmes throughout the year, including the summer. The centre is open all year for English courses except for  breaks at Christmas,  Easter and two weeks during the second half of June

The Department also runs an International Foundation Programme, an undergraduate English Language and Communication programme and an MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), as well as specialised courses for visiting groups. Please contact the English and Language Studies Department for further details on any of these programmes.

Students on General English programmes ideally join at the beginning of each term or, alternatively, if more convenient, there is the possibility of joining mid-term. On occasions a student can join one of these programmes at other times in the term - please contact us to find out more if this is what you want to do. In the summer students can join courses at the beginning of every three-week block in the months of July, August and September. (See fees & dates sheet for details).

All English programmes are for adults. All students must be 18 years old or over. The average age of students is 23 years, and there are also usually a number of mature students on the courses. The average length of stay of students is 25 weeks, with many students studying English for a full year in order to continue onto degree courses at Canterbury Christ Church University.

The department aims to achieve a mixture of nationalities, with students typically coming from Japan, Taiwan, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. On average the number of students studying English in the English teaching centre during the academic year is usually about 60 and in the summer this may rise to above 100.

There are three hours of classes in the morning between 9:00am and 12:30pm. These classes focus on the structures of the English language and on developing fluency in reading, writing, listening and speaking. In the afternoons students are offered specialised classes and options to choose from. This adds variety to the programmes. Every student also has a personal tutor for individual tutorials as part of their study programme.

LibrayBeyond the classroom

As well as attending English classes, students have plenty of further opportunity for English study at Christ Church University. The English centre has a computer room which students can use free of charge after class. The campus library is open every evening and at the weekend and has specialised books for learning English.

Organised outingsDuring the academic year students of English are welcome to participate in Christ Church University Student Union activities and clubs (visit http://www.ccsu.co.uk/), and can join sports clubs or (after paying a modest membership fee) join the Christ Church University gym. Throughout the year English language students are also  able to book places on trips  to popular UK and European destinations. These are optional and at extra cost. They are advertised on the International Office notice board.

Canterbury Christ Church University reserves the right to withdraw and amend courses. All information is correct at the time of printing and may be subject to revision.