Information for our Department Liaisons

Information for International Graduate Students at Purdue

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Resources for Graduate Students in ESL:

Purdue University Graduate School

Purdue University enjoys a population of over 3,000 international graduate students.  Typically the most accomplished graduates of their home countries, international students bring an essential diversity of culture to the campus and thus enrich our total academic environment. 

The Oral English Proficiency Program (OEPP) at Purdue University is the academic unit on campus that oversees the university policy on international teaching assistants.

The OEPP:

• provides oral English proficiency screening services to all departments on campus employing non-native English speaking TAs;
• certifies the oral English proficiency of TAs whose first language is not English; and
• offers English as a second language instruction to prospective TAs.

The mission of the OEPP is to provide a supportive environment which allows Purdue's international students develop academic English proficiency across a wide array of domains and contexts. 
 

The OEPP offers graduate students with an interest in ESL many opportunities to further their own research interests in a dynamic environment devoted to assisting others.  Our instructional and testing staff is comprised mostly of graduate teaching assistants, many themselves international graduate students.  Positions that may be available include:

• classroom instructors (20 hours per week);
• tutorial instructors (10 hours per week);
• test administrators and raters (20 hours per week).

In addition, the OEPP has resources available in support of research in such areas as language acquisition and language testing.

In the OEPP we are always looking for ways to improve what we do.  We welcome, encourage, and support TA participation in these efforts by offering:

• the opportunity to receive travel grants to help fund participation in professional conferences;
• opportunities to develop the our course curriculum;
• the opportunity to assist with special projects as needed.  Past projects have included converting OEPP instructional materials to a computer-based system, developing rater-training materials, revising instructor and tutorial manuals, and participating in a comprehensive study of the employment of ITAs on campus.

The OEPP is an ideal environment for students to grow academically and professionally while supporting others in their efforts to do the same. 

• We regret we will not be able to interview every person who submits an application, and we may not be able to offer a position to every person who is invited to interview.
   
• Staffing decisions are usually made in March for the fall and summer semester, and mid to late October for the spring semester.  However, positions occasionally become available when our staff's plans change or as enrollment figures dictate.  Therefore, it is wise for interested applicants to keep in touch with us periodically via e-mail.

Are you an applicant to Purdue University's English as a Second Language Program?  If so, and you are interested in an assistantship with the Oral English Proficiency Program, be sure to indicate this in the Statement of Purpose you are required to submit as part of your graduate application packet.

Please visit the English as a Second Language website to learn more about graduate studies in ESL at Purdue.  

OEPP Teaching Assistantship Application

OEPP Staff

Abstracts of Research Conducted by OEPP Staff