Administrative Policies and Departments
The Main office is located in Cascia Hall No. 102. The hours at the Main Office are Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 5:00 pm. Here students will find assistance with all matters pertaining to course applications, housing, visas and billing, classes, class course levels and activities.

The First Day of Classes

• Students should arrive at 8:30 am on their first scheduled day of class.
• All students report directly to Cascia Hall No. 102.
• Students will be given a written placement exam and oral interview to determine the appropriate class level.
• Students will then be given their class assignment and lessons begin on the same day.

Orientation Program
The Student Orientation Program takes place each Monday at 1:30 pm. All new students are required to attend the orientation program. Students receive:

• Bus and metrorail maps.
• Guides to shopping, services, restaurants and activities in Miami
  
• Student Handbook and information on school and visa policies.
• Information about safety in Miami.
• Discussion of school policies

Course Completion
Students who successfully complete all coursework and maintain an attendance record of at least 85% will receive a Certificate of Completion on the last day of classes.

Course Evaluations
At the end of each class, students are asked to complete an evaluation report. We frequently analyze this information to ensure continuous improvement.

Teaching Staff:
We have a diverse and committed teaching staff. They are:

• All native speakers of English.
• All university educated, most in pedagogy.
• Communication facilitators rather than lecturers.
• Open-minded and responsive to students and their needs.
• Experienced with foreign cultures. Most of our teachers have lived, studied and/or worked in a foreign country.
• Highly-qualified with a keen sense of cultural diversity.
• Familiar with the challenges and subsequent rewards of full immersion in a new and unfamiliar culture and language.

Our Teaching Method and Philosophy:
The school uses an Experiential Approach to Languages:

• A language must be experienced in order to be learned
• Communicative approach, student-centered classes (teacher talking time 15%, student talking time 85%)
• Teachers are dialogue facilitators
• Students practice using language skills necessary for meaningful, practical everyday situations
• Grammar is learned inductively and always in the context of natural conversation
• Stimulating role-playing activities, discussions, problem-solving, pair work and group activities
• Newly acquired skills are continually reinforced through speaking, reading, writing, and listening exercises
• Communication and full immersion are stressed from day one
• Close personal contact with university-trained and internationally experienced native English speakers
• Frequent cultural excursions in and around Miami and South Florida.
• Access to all St. Thomas University workshops and lectures.
  

The main features of our courses are:

• Maximum class size of 10 students with an average of 6 students (American English Program)
• All instruction and course materials are in English.
• Communicative, student-centered approach.
• Four-skills approach: Speaking, Reading, Listening, Writing, with an emphasis on verbal communication
• Grammar, pronunciation, syntax, spelling, writing, listening, common usage and slang are all presented in the context of a naturally-flowing, student-driven and instructor-guided conversation.
• English classes are multi-cultural and students who share the same language are encouraged not to work together. No other languages may be spoken in the classroom.

COURSES OFFERED:

Public Relations

• 4 hours per week January 3 – May 7, 2010 & August 23 – December 10
• Class hours are Monday from 6 – 10 p.m.
• Open to upper intermediate level students
• Showing the principles, methods and means of influencing public opinions

Sports Tourism

• 2.5 hours per week January 3 – May 7, 2010 & August 23 – December 10
• Class hours Monday and Wednesday 9:25 – 10:40 a.m.
• Open to upper intermediate students
• Introducing Sports Tourism from a political, economic and business perspective. Students will acquire the necessary background for the industry.

Food and Beverage Management

• 2.5 hours per week January 3 – May 7, 2010 & August 23 – December 10
• Class hours Tuesday and Thursday 10:50 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.
• Open to upper intermediate students
• Study the size and scope of food and beverage operations. The organization of operations, the role and responsibilities of management (supervision, training, control, preparation, and merchandising) and the functional systems of Food and Beverage are examined including purchasing, receiving, storing, preparation and service, sanitation and safety including purchasing, receiving, storing, preparation and service, sanitation and safety.

Wholesale and Group Travel Management

• 2.5 hours per week January 3 – May 7, 2010 & August 23 – December 10
• Class hours Tuesday and Thursday 9:25 – 10:40 a.m.
• Open to upper intermediate students
• This course examines the many forms of group travel movements including tours, meetings and conventions, incentive travel and those entities that develop, assemble and market group packages such as wholesalers, tour operators and meeting planners.

Principles of Business and Environmental Administration

• 2.5 hours per week January 3 – May 7, 2010 & August 23 – December 10
• Class hours Monday and Wednesday 10:50 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.
• Open to upper intermediate students
• A survey course in the principles underlying the management of all types of organizations, including objectives, policies, organization, structure, coordination, control procedures, and environmental issues. Case studies are used extensively.
  

Introduction to Sports Administration

• 2.5 hours per week January 3 – May 7, 2010 & August 23 – December 10
• Class hours Monday and Wednesday 12:15 – 1:30 p.m.
• Open to upper intermediate students
• This introductory course is intended as an overview of sports administration with emphasis on management principles, e.g. personal management, fiscal management, marketing and promotion, fund raising, media relations, facility managements and legal aspects. Various career paths are examined, and particular attention is given to the development of verbal and written communication skills.

Sample afternoon activities:

• Games Night
• Movie Night
• Airboat Rides
• Kennedy Space Center
• Little Havanna Tour
• Coral Gables Tour
• Coral Castle Idioms Game
• Water Taxi
• Focus on Film vocabulary, discussions, and captions
  

Sample activities in Miami + Florida:

• Miccosukee Indian Village and Airboat Ride
• Excursion to South Beach
• Visit to the Museum of Science and Space Planetarium
• Trip to Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall
• Stroll, jog, bike or roll down the Broadwalk on Hollywood Beach
• Go ice skating in a tropical climate – indoors of course
• Shop, eat and enjoy the stunning view at Miami’s Bayside Marketplace
• Depending on the month, visit any manner of sporting event.
• Full or 2 day excursions to Key West, Universal Studios, Kennedy Space Center or Busch Gardens.
  

If you come to the USA you must have permission from the U.S. government to enter the country.

This permission is given in the form of either:

• a visa issued from the American embassy or consulate in your home country, or,
  
• a visa waiver, where agreements exist between the U.S. government and some countries to allow short term visits to the U.S. without a visa.

There are many types or classifications of visas for entry to the U.S., and each of them has its own rules, regulations, qualifications and restrictions.

Visas & Documents
If the main purpose of your visit is to study and you enroll for a course with a minimum of 18 clock hours, you must enter the US on a student visa. Therefore you have to request an I-20 Form (visa invitation letter). Our partner school is authorized to enroll non-immigrant students and issue the I-20 Form. Once you have received your I-20, you will also have to register online to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program pay the so-called SEVIS-Fee. More information regarding the SEVIS fee visa applicants have to pay for you can find here: https://www.fmjfee.com/i901fee/

The admissions staff of our partner school will advise you regarding other documents you may need.

If the main purpose of your visit is not English studies, you may enter on a visa waiver or other appropriate visa. Contact your local US embassy for more information regarding visas.

More information on the visa waiver program and the related new Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), you can find here: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/esta/ (Information sheet in your language: http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/travel/id_visa/esta/about_esta/esta_intro/esta_english.ctt/esta_english.pdf )  

It is the student´s responsibility to arrive at the school upon the correct visa. For more information on visa requirements in the US, please refer to the following links: http://www.usembassy.gov/ and/or http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis. Also check the US country information on our visa service page.