English Lesson: How to talk about your higher education

In this lesson, we give you common expressions to talk about your higher education, educational background, student life and university. Read the expressions below and complete them to make them true for you. This lesson will also be suitable for students preparing for the IELTS speaking test. 

Note: You don't have to remember every single expression. Learn the ones that you relate to. 

If you are taking the IELTS exam or any other speaking test where you might be asked to talk about your education and it will be better for you to extend your answers. 

Example: I majored in Financial Management, but that wasn't a course I was interested in. I decided to study something different, so I sent applications to UK universities and registered for a course at Newcastle University. 

​EXPRESSIONS TO TALK ABOUT YOUR UNIVERSITY AND HIGHER EDUCATION 
​

• I went to college in another city. 
• I didn't go to college in another city. 
• I wanted to study at  .................... (university: Newcastle University) 
• My major is .................... (course: Linguistics with Chinese) 
• I majored in .................... (course: Business Accounting and Finance) 
• I majored in Business Management. 
• I majored in economics at the University of Bristol. 
• I'm studying in .................... (place: city, country) 
• I'm a third year media student at Newcastle University. 
• I'm studying part time. | I'm studying full time. 
• I'm a part-time student. | I'm a full-time student. 
• I'm studying an undergraduate course part time. | I'm studying an undergraduate course full time. 
• My first degree is in International Marketing. (= Bachelor's degree) 
• I did English as my undergraduate degree, but I really wanted to change my career path because I didn't want to be an English teacher, so therefore I applied for a master's degree in something completely different. 
• I'm a postgraduate student at .................... (university) 
• I'm doing a PhD in Journalism and Public Relations. 
• Before I enter the lecture, I have to scan my student card on the reader, so that the university can keep a record of my attendance. 
• My attendance on campus is quite flexible. 
• At my university, we have seminars on .................... (subject: Public Relations) 
• I particularly enjoy the Public Relations seminars because they're a lot more practical than other modules. 
• My course has a great variety of modules. 
• .................... is probably my favourite module on the course. (subject: Marketing) 
• 'What modules do you do?' -- 'I do PR and Marketing, so it's a really good mix of practical and theoretical. PR is more practical.' 
• I'm taking a course in marketing. 
• I'm taking German and economics next semester. 
• I didn't major in this field. 
• You can get a job in a field you didn't study. 
• For many jobs you need to have a university degree. 
• For many jobs you need to have a college degree. 
• Students can take advantage of distance learning and study online at their own pace. 
• The location of the university is fantastic. It's right in the centre of town which means you can go anywhere you want fairly quickly. You're five minutes away from everything. 
• Newcastle is a great student city. 
• The annual tuition fee is .................... 
• My tuition fee is not fixed for the duration of my studies. 
• The scholarship pays the tuition fees but students still need to find money for meals, books and accommodation. 
• The university offers a huge variety of postgraduate courses. 
• I graduated from .................... in .................... (university; year) 

VOCABULARY 

• distance learning (also long-distance learning) - when the student is not present at university 
• tuition fee - the money that you pay to be taught, especially in a college or university 
• a university degree | a college degree 
• first degree - an academic qualification given by a university or college, for example a BA or BSc, that is given to somebody who does not already have a degree in that subject 
• bachelor's degree - the first degree that you get when you study at a university. Bachelor's degrees include Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BSc) 
• an undergraduate degree (a Bachelor's degree) 
• a postgraduate degree (a Master's degree) 
• a PhD - the abbreviation for ‘Doctor of Philosophy’ (a university degree of a very high level that is given to somebody who has done research in a particular subject) 
• do a PhD | have a PhD 

​TASK: 

1. What did you study at university? | What are you studying at university? 
2. What do you think about your course? 
3. What is your student experience? ​

(Leave a comment below.) 

​
Other lessons: 
City Life – Going out 
Cities – Talk about your area 
Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities 

Lessons with English collocations: 
English Lesson: Collocations for Leisure 
English Lesson: Collocations for Success 
English Lesson: Collocations for Making Decisions 

Click below to read some of our IELTS related lessons: 
IELTS Speaking Test: Home and Living in the City 
IELTS Speaking Test: How to Concentrate at Work 
Causes and Effects of Migration from Rural Areas to Cities 

​
Please LIKE and SHARE with friends!

DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH SKILLS?

You can have 1-on-1 speaking classes on Skype or you can choose to prepare for the IELTS speaking test. Click below to find out more information about each course.

English Speaking Course

IELTS Speaking Course

Subscribe to our newsletter for any future lessons on this blog.
You will be notified via email.

Join our Newsletter