Romanian Language Preparatory Year – the last step international students have to take before enrolling for studies in Romanian

For foreign citizens who wish to attend a study program in Romanian at the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (TUCN), the Department of Modern Languages and Communication organizes the Romanian Language Preparatory Year, in accordance with the accreditation granted by the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education.

The program aims to ensure the training and development of linguistic and communication skills for Romanian non-native speakers, as well as to foster interest in Romanian culture and civilization. This program is compulsory for the international students who wish to attend bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral study programs, held in Romanian language.

The program is mainly focused on hands-on practice, providing both practical courses in general language and specialized Romanian language. Thus, the program ensures the necessary knowledge for an individual educational path, adapted to each level of training.

The course lasts one academic year. Upon graduation, students take a final exam (10 ECTS credits) and obtain a certificate of completion which guarantees the knowledge of the specialized terminology for B1-B2 language proficiency level, based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. This certificate allows the students to enroll for specific programs offered by TUCN or by any other certified university in Romania.

The curriculum of this academic program includes subjects meant to ensure a real progress in the active practice of language acquisition through thematic and difficulty level variety of activities and contents to be acquired and by approaching linguistic theory from a functional point of view, making use of ordinary situations, as well as of academic and professional contexts.

Subjects:

  • Phonetics, vocabulary and grammatical structures
  • Oral and written communication
  • Romanian culture and civilization
  • Writing and composition
  • Receipt of written and oral text
  • Specialized language

In the last three academic years, the students of the preparatory year have come from European countries – the United Kingdom, Northern Macedonia, Greece, as well as from countries outside the continent – Turkmenistan, Cuba, Sri Lanka, Syria, Palestine, Pakistan, Algeria, Morocco, Rwanda, Nigeria, Kenya, Guinea, Sudan, Benin, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Congo, Mongolia.

Here is the feedback of the students who have attended the preparatory year:

The preparatory year is something very necessary for me because at the end of the year I have to be able to use the Romanian language at a native speaker level. I am gaining a new personality during this course. I learn about Romanian culture and customs. The Romanian language course is very interesting and useful. Teachers are well prepared and very helpful. The subjects help us a lot and I particularly like the presentations in Romanian. I like all the teaching methods used. Overall, I enjoyed the first semester and I found it very useful.

I would like to thank all the teachers without exception for all the efforts made in the first semester of the preparatory year for the Romanian language, it was a wonderful and memorable semester. The teachers used their best efforts to teach us Romanian, even by explaining in French and English. For me, Romanian language is a bit difficult, but it must be learned, because it is the key to study next year and complete our studies in the chosen fields. Learning Romanian helps us meet our daily needs when ordering or buying something, etc. Finally, I would like to thank you again and send my best regards.

From the first day I came to Romania I had many expectations, a new experience, new knowledge, adventure and many new things to explore. I came from another country and everything was different (…). The faculty was interesting in the first days of school. After starting online classes it was a bit difficult, but with the help of my teachers and colleagues it became easier. The teachers worked hard during the semester to give us the most pleasant experience during the Romanian Language preparatory year, so that we can learn as fast as we can. The course materials were rich in information about Romanian culture, religion, geography, history and traditions. In general, the materials were interesting and diverse. The preparatory year is a year full of experiences and lessons for those who want to study in Romania.

The preparatory year is an important year for us, the foreign students, because it opens the gate to knowledge about Romanian culture, its history, and the people, and that helps us join the local community. We are discovering and learning the Romanian language, which is a new language for us. Teachers can speak and explain in more than one language, which facilitates comprehension.

The preparatory year in Cluj was a very pleasant experience. I learned about Romanian culture, both by studying the Romanian language and by interacting with teachers and students. For this I thank the guiding teachers, but also the people from the TUCN administration. Cluj will remain a warm, welcoming place, where I will return every time with joy.

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