With this study, to have a general understanding of academic needs for the development of speaking skill, the needs of preparatory class university students at an English Language Teaching Department were assessed. Based upon a descriptive research design, an adapted questionnaire with open-ended questions was administered to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th class ELT students as well as ELT graduates to define their academic needs in speaking courses. The data were analysed by using SPSS, a Statistical Programme for Social Sciences. At the end of the study, it was found out that (1) there should be more aiding materials for speaking courses, and (2) more authentic and interesting activities should be put into practice.