A Study of an English for Academic Purposes Course

Abstract

English for General Purposes (EGP) is a foundation course which should be taken by all the undergraduate students at the University of Tabriz, Iran. However, the EGP course cannot meet the students’ objectives and needs. Evidently, it has some shortcoming and the results of  the study indicate that it not only has lost its credibility but also has failed to achieve its goals. This study strives to investigate the different dimensions of this course in order to come up with some solutions to its betterment. The participants consist of current and ex-students, language and subject instructors. The result of the study indicates that there are many factors which are involved in decreasing the quality of the EGP course. The goals of the EGP course need to be determined and redefined. It is hoped that this research could shed some fresh light on the betterment and modification of this course.