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LS1452 Essential STEM communication in English 7.5 credits

Administer About course

Note that the course in autumn 2026 starts Monday 31 August. Students can apply and register up until the first course meeting.


This course gives you the opportunity to bridge the gap between the English you learnt in school and the English communication skills you need for advanced study in the STEM fields. In a language-focused environment, you practice both written and oral communication skills, increase your ability to effectively read complex texts in English, and expand your technical and academic vocabulary. You receive personalised feedback on your assignments, and learn about writing tools.

LS1452 runs over two periods, with seminars every other week.

This course is one out of several courses in English communication provided by KTH Language and Communication. To see a complete list of our first-cycle and second-cycle courses, please visit our course page.

Information per course offering

Choose semester and course offering to see current information and more about the course, such as course syllabus, study period, and application information.

Termin

Information for Spring 2027 Start 12 Jan 2027 programme students

Course location

KTH Campus

Duration
12 Jan 2027 - 31 May 2027
Periods

Spring 2027: P3 (3 hp), P4 (4.5 hp)

Pace of study

25%

Application code

11174

Form of study

Normal Daytime

Language of instruction

English

Course memo
Course memo is not published
Number of places

Min: 18

Target group
Open to all students provided that the course can be included in the program The course is suitable for incoming students.
Planned modular schedule
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Contact

Examiner
No information inserted
Course coordinator
No information inserted
Teachers
No information inserted

Course syllabus as PDF

Please note: all information from the Course syllabus is available on this page in an accessible format.

Course syllabus LS1452 (Autumn 2026–)
Headings with content from the Course syllabus LS1452 (Autumn 2026–) are denoted with an asterisk ( )

Content and learning outcomes

Course contents

The starting point of the course is that today’s technical challenges are often complex since they include different priorities, perspectives and limitations. This complexity requires effective communication in clear, concise and precise language.

This course focuses on clear, concise, and precise English. The course aim is to bridge the gap between the English that is taught at upper-secondary school and the English and communication skills that are required for advanced-level studies in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

The course covers:

  • Technical and scientific English: style, text flow, sentence structure, grammar, vocabulary and terminology, formatting, and reference management
  • Strategies and conventions for writing text in English in the student’s own technical discipline
  • Oral presentation skills, pronunciation and intonation, and strategies to interact effectively in discussions and Q&A-sessions
  • Strategies for reading, understanding and using texts on technical topics
  • Approaches to AI tools for scientific writing and higher education.

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

  1. identify and describe communication strategies and conventions in STEM-related texts, in particular within the student’s own technical discipline (e.g. scientific style, text flow, vocabulary, formatting and reference management)

  2. apply these strategies and conventions to produce short technical and scientific texts in clear and effective English

  3. communicate their technical expertise in oral presentations and discussions in clear and effective English

  4. identify strategies to read and understand technical and scientific texts in English

  5. critically reflect on the role of AI tools in scientific writing and higher education

in order to

  • communicate effectively in English in speech and writing in different contexts, including in digital channels, to share technical knowledge, suggest solutions, and reach consensus
  • successfully study STEM subjects on advanced level, and work in an English-speaking context.

Literature and preparations

Specific prerequisites

General admission requirements.

No experience of using English in higher studies is required.

Literature

You can find information about course literature either in the course memo for the course offering or in the course room in Canvas.

Examination and completion

Grading scale

A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Examination

  • INL2 - Hand in assigment, 4.5 credits, grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F
  • SEM2 - Seminars, 3.0 credits, grading scale: P, F

Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.

The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.

If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.

Examiner

Profile picture Jane Bottomley

Profile picture Susanna Zeitler Lyne

Ethical approach

  • All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
  • In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
  • In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.

Further information

Course room in Canvas

Registered students find further information about the implementation of the course in the course room in Canvas. A link to the course room can be found under the tab Studies in the Personal menu at the start of the course.

Offered by

ITM/Learning in Engineering Sciences

Main field of study

This course does not belong to any Main field of study.

Education cycle

First cycle

Transitional regulations

The examiner has the right to decide on the examination process if a student who has been registered between HT24 and VT26 asks to complete the course.