Academic Language Programme

The Academic Language Program (ALP) supports VU employees and VU students in developing and strengthening communication skills in English or Dutch.

Students, PhDs, lecturers, program directors and other VU employees can contact the ALP to strengthen academic writing or speaking skills in both Dutch and English. In group courses, workshops, coaching, advice and individual guidance.

International students and staff can learn Dutch and we also offer extensive support when writing a thesis or dissertation. For study programs and faculties, we provide tailor-made programs such as a course or module in a master, teacher training or thesis supervision for students.

How does the ALP work?

The ALP is part of the VU Language Policy

Who are we?

Read more about the ALP staff members

For students
Courses
The ALP offers courses in academic English and Dutch for students such as academic writing, thesis writing, grammar, pronunciation and oral presentation. From remedial to advanced, with a lot of attention for individual feedback. For international students there are group courses to learn Dutch.
Academic English
- Pronunciation
- Advanced writing for master students

Academic Dutch
- Academic Dutch Plus: academic writing

Learn Dutch - evening courses (VU-NT2)
- Basic Dutch on Campus
- Dutch for work and study
- Dutch for work and study SPRINT
- Professional Dutch 1 en 2

Writing Centre
The Writing Centre offers support to students who are writing their bachelor's or master's thesis, in Dutch or English.

Theses workshops
Short workshops (3.5 hours) in groups of up to 15 participants, focused on specific themes when writing texts in Dutch and English.
- Schrijven in een academische stijl
  For anyone who is told they write "too informal" or "too popular."
- Get rid of the writing block!
  For students who want to learn how to tackle writing tasks more effectively.
- Academic style
  The characteristics of the right tone and style in an English thesis.
- Top 10 grammar and language issues
  Solutions for common errors in English-language texts by Dutch-speaking students.
- Clear and effective writing
  Tips and tricks for improving text coherence and sentence structure.
- Independently improve your academic writing skills
  Check and improve an academic text yourself based on text characteristics.
Editing service for your thesis
For master's students who want to improve the English or Dutch language in their thesis and who need help with that. The editing service gives you feedback on the correctness and clarity of English or Dutch and helps you write your text in the correct academic register (think of word usage, tone, etc.). Read more about the editing service.

Individual coaching conversation for your thesis
Writing a thesis is not something you simply do. It is a job with many snags, in which you can get quite entangled. If you 'don't see it anymore', it can be useful to talk to an experienced coach. The focus is not on the content of the thesis, but on the approach to the writing task or specific language problems. Read more about coaching for theses.

Minor English
Would you like to know more about and about the English language? The chair of English linguistics offers a university minor in English (30 EC) with a lot of attention for the role that English plays in the Netherlands. Within this minor, the courses Grammar and writing 1 and Writing 2 are about academic English. You can also take these courses separately. For more information, see vu.nl/en/education/minor.
For PhD candidates

Courses
The ALP offers courses in academic English and Dutch for PhD students, such as academic writing, dissertation writing, grammar, pronunciation and oral presentation. From remedial to advanced, with a lot of attention for individual feedback. There are group courses for international PhD students to learn Dutch.
Academic English
- Introduction to Academic Writing in English
- Intensive Course in Attractive Academic Writing (only for PhD Researchers from the Faculty of Social Sciences)
- Advanced academic writing for PhD Researchers
- Pronunciation for PhD Researchers
- Concise Formulation

Only for PhDs from the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSW)
- Writing academic English
- Intensive Course in Attractive Academic Writing

Learn Dutch - evening courses (VU-NT2)
- Basic Dutch on Campus
- Dutch for work and study
- Dutch for work and study SPRINT
- Professional Dutch 1 and 2

Writing Centre
Tutorials
The Writing Center offers tutorials for PhD students/PhDs who are writing their English-language dissertation. This support is specifically aimed at the quality of academic English and always in consultation with the supervisor. A standard trajectory consists of an intake interview of one hour in which the tutor determines a number of specific points for attention together with the PhD candidate, followed by three or five one-hour appointments. In these sessions, the tutor and the PhD candidate work together in detail on a section of the text, focusing on the identified points for attention. Tutorials in small groups of up to three PhD students are also possible. For more information, please contact dr. Gea Dreschler: g.a.dreschler@vu.nl.

Editing service for your dissertation
For PhD students/PhD candidates who want to improve the English or Dutch language in their dissertation and who can use help with that. We offer editing services for texts up to roughly 7,000 words, from 'light' to 'heavy' editing. We examine the linguistic quality of the actual text. Read more about the editing service.
For academic staff

Courses
The ALP offers academic English courses for teachers: academic writing and pronunciation. From remedial to advanced, with a lot of attention for individual feedback. There are group courses for international teachers to learn Dutch.
Academic English
- Pronunciation
- Academic writing [advanced] for academic staff

Learn Dutch (VU-NT2)
- Evening course Dutch for work and study
- Evening course Dutch for work and study SPRINT
- Saturday course Everyday Dutch
- Evening course Professional Dutch 1 and 2

Workshops and tutorials
The ALP offers workshops and tutorials for teachers who use English intensively in a variety of communicative situations on our bilingual campus. Participants are given tools to work on their own English (oral and written skills) and to support students in English-taught courses.

- Workshop Correcting student texts
- Workshop English pronunciation
- Tutorial Fluency (advanced)
- Tutorial Academic writing in English: beyond C1
For study programs and faculties

ALP Advice
For study programs and faculties, the ALP offers advice on setting up successful learning pathways in linguistic communication skills. The structure of each program is the starting point.
Good communication in Dutch and English is essential on a bilingual campus. But in many organizational decisions, for example about the language of instruction in training or about bilingual business operations, there are unexpected obstacles, often with a linguistic character. The Program Committee of the Academic Language Program (ALP) likes to consult with program directors and other employees who are involved in issues that affect VU language policy in this way. The ALP can provide expert advice in various areas with the aim of supporting the implementation of the language policy. Read more about ALP Advice.

Modules Academic Dutch or English
Lecturers of the ALP also provide self-modules Academic English and Academic Dutch for study programs, in various formats, woven into the curriculum of the study programme. See ALP education for study programs for more information and examples of trajectories for bachelors, masters, premasters and PhD/PhD candidates.
For international VU employees

The ALP offers language courses to learn Dutch, at different levels: from beginner to advanced. These courses are offered through VU-NT2.

- Evening course Dutch for work and study
- Evening course Dutch for work and study SPRINT
- Saturday course Everyday Dutch
- Evening course Professional Dutch 1 and 2

Would you like more information about our services or would you like to discuss language policy issues within the program or faculty? Please contact us.

Prof. dr. Alan Cienki, scientific director ALP

Dr. Gea Dreschler, program manager ALP

Dr. Camille Welie, coordinator ALP for Dutch as a second language

Academic Language Programme

Courses, workshops, coaching, tutorials and the Writing Centre

For students

Courses

Writing Centre

Minor English

For PhD candidates

Courses

Writing Centre

For academic staff

Courses

Workshops and tutorials

For study programs and faculties

For international VU employees

Contact Academic Language Programme