Welcome to the Michigan State University English Language Center and congratulations on being chosen to take part in the PDPI Brazil English Teachers Program! We are thrilled that you will be coming to East Lansing, Michigan this winter, and we are working hard to provide the best possible experience for you as you begin your teacher training journey at MSU. Over the next several weeks, we will continue to provide program updates to the website, but please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Program Description

The PDPI Brazil English Teachers Program at MSU is a six-week English language certificate program for in-service English teachers from Brazil. The program consists of English language study and practice in Teaching English as a Foreign Language methodology, as well as exposure to U.S. culture and society.

Program Schedule

The PDPI Brazil English Teachers Program consists of English and Methodology classes 4 days a week, teaching seminars, and trips. There will be two free weekends when participants can travel if they wish. 

Arrival Instructions & Orientation

Prior to your arrival in East Lansing, Michigan, the MSU English Language Center will provide you with access to the program Facebook page so that you have opportunities to communicate your questions and concerns to ELC coordinators. In addition, you may contact the ELC program coordinators at the email addresses provided below with any questions.

MSU English Language Center program coordinators will pick up your group at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The airport is an hour and a half drive from MSU. After arrival at MSU, you will be checked into the Graduate Hotel in East Lansing, Michigan.

The day following your arrival in East Lansing, you will have a day of orientation where program coordinators will go over the schedule and campus resources. Then you will be given a walking tour of campus and get your MSU ID. You will also have a chance to do some shopping at Target in downtown East Lansing, and finally, you will attend a welcome reception where you will meet your teachers and program coordinators.

Housing Information

During your time at MSU, you will be housed across from campus in double occupancy rooms in the Graduate Hotel. You can click on Graduate Hotel to watch a YouTube video about the hotel. You can also take a look at the Graduate Hotel website for more information.

Meal Information

picture of a cafeteria shop named dolce

You will be provided with a combination of meal tickets and Spartan Cash, all on your MSU ID, that you will be able to use at any of the 10 dining halls at Michigan State University. The closest dining hall to the Graduate Hotel, Heritage Commons at Landon Hall, is a 5 to 10 minute walk from the Graduate Hotel. You can find out more by clicking on dining halls at MSU and EatAtState.

Facilities

picture of someone holding their MSU ID against a card reader

During the three week program, you will have an MSU ID and will have the same access to university facilities as MSU students.  These facilities include: MSU libraries, Intramural (IM) Sports facilities, MSU computer labs, health care and counseling centers, etc. 

Michigan State University

picture of sparty statue, he is holding the spartan helmet in his right hand

Michigan State University is located in East Lansing, Michigan in the Midwest of the United States, and its campus is one of the largest in the U.S.  East Lansing is a quiet but active college community, and it is a very safe and relatively inexpensive area to live in compared to larger cities. Founded in 1855, Michigan State University (MSU) is a research-intensive land-grant university that offers more than 200 programs of study for undergraduates and graduate students, taught by more than 5,000 academic faculty members in seventeen degree-granting colleges. About 50,000 students attend MSU, which is one of the leading universities in international research, education, and outreach programs.

The English Language Center

The English Language Center (ELC), established in 1961 in the College of Arts and Letters, serves the English language needs of MSU’s international students, scholars and visitors. In particular, the ELC serves two types of students: those admitted directly for intensive English study and those provisionally admitted who need to take intensive English courses in order to meet minimum language requirements. Currently, the ELC has several graduate students and 20 full time faculty, all with master’s degrees in TESOL or a related field and many years of teaching experience in country and abroad. 

View the ELC brochure to learn more about our Center

The English Language Center is situated in Wells Hall, which is located in the center of the Michigan State University campus.

four girls in spartan apparel with their arms up in front of a red brick building named 'Wells Hall'

MSU is in the city of East Lansing, which is in the southern part of Michigan. It is a short car ride from other cities such as Ann Arbor and Detroit, and it is surrounded by lakes and natural beauty. It is also conveniently situated for excursions to popular tourist attractions such as Mackinac Island, the city of Chicago, and Niagara Falls in Canada.

Address

English Language Center
619 Red Cedar Road Room Wells Hall B230
East Lansing, Michigan 48824

Contact Information

MSU English Language Center

elc@msu.edu

517-383-0800

Mark Albee

Mark Albee, External Programs Coordinator

malbee@msu.edu

517-884-4322 (office)

517-703-4600 (emergency contact number)

Kim Benedicto

Kimberly Benedicto, Special Programs Coordinator

benedi59@msu.edu

517-884-4324