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Urban Design Student Pilots New English Language Institute Program
Chengjun Sun, an architect from China, is CCNY’s first international graduate student to be admitted through a new program with the college’s English Language Institute. Sun studied at the ELI to improve his language skills prior to beginning a post-professional degree program in Urban Design.
The ELI’s academic focus and five levels of instruction pave the way for admission into CCNY or any CUNY college. Upon passing level four, a student is now eligible for a waiver from the TOEFL standardized test requirement. Students from up to 25 countries frequently journey to CCNY to study in the institute, which is run by Continuing and Professional Studies.
Sun is putting his English skills to good use in the rigorous Urban Design program, which he started in fall 2016. This small program, directed by Distinguished Professor Michael Sorkin, attracts architects and landscape architects from around the world. The class’s project this semester focuses on a site of great important to many international students and travelers: John F. Kennedy International Airport.
“ELI is amazing and beneficial, especially for people who continue to attend college. I feel more confident to speak, read and write English,” said Sun.