There are also courses in Medical English, Legal English, English for Tourism, Catering, Engineering and many other fields of work. It is often possible to study such a course at the same time as you are studying for a qualification in that professional area, or your college may wish you to take the language course before starting the professional course. If you are coming to study in a UK institution, particularly in a university, it's quite likely that you will have taken a test of your English as part of the application procedure. If the institution decides that your English is not yet good enough for you to take the course you want to study, your department will recommend that you do a pre-sessional course in English before you start to study. This will usually take place during the summer immediately before the start of your course, and will last one, two or three months depending on how much preparation you need.
Some universities offer year-long courses.
These courses focus on the language and the skills you need to study successfully, such as reading reference books, taking notes at a lecture, preparing a talk for a seminar and writing essays. If you need further tuition during the course you will be asked to attend in-sessional courses. These are usually an opportunity to get help with your course work from one of the language teachers at the institution. Most institutions offer their EAP courses openly, so you may not need to be a prospective student there in order to take such a course. These courses are aimed at people who are intending to settle in the UK or who intend to spend a long time here.