Our ESL Program is geared for your success in English acquisition.  Your teachers know what it takes to acquire fluency in a second language, many of whom are fluent in a second language, and all of them are trained to teach English.  Besides many of them have extensive international and Stateside teaching experience.

ESL courses cover a wide range of academic English skills to ensure academic success in reading, writing, listening, note-taking and oral presentation, with contextual grammar as a foundation.  Also, a weekly TOEFL preparation class is available to students as an option. Three levels—Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced—of courses are offered in Conversation, Grammar, Listening, Reading, and Writing.   Placement is determined by test scores (see chart below).  

Full-time ESL students take 12-18 units of ESL courses.  Part-time ESL students take 8 units of ESL courses and 4-8 units of regular graduate or undergraduate courses, plus, if applicable, up to 2 lab units.

ESL Class Schedule: Morning    9:00 – 11:50    Monday through Thursday
                                   Afternoon 1:00 – 2:50      Monday through Thursday

Beginning Level

Courses offered at this level are:
 
AELP 901A Beginning Conversation and Recitation (1-4 CEU)
AELP 901B Beginning Grammar and Sentence Structures (1-4 CEU)
AELP 901C Beginning Listening and Pronunciation (1-3 CEU)
AELP 901D Beginning Reading and Vocabulary (1-4 CEU)
AELP 901E Beginning Writing and Dictation (1-4 CEU)

At the completion of the beginning level, students understand basic English grammar, possess the vocabulary necessary to function in everyday situations, and read and write basic sentences.

Intermediate Level

Courses offered at this level are:

AELP 902A Intermediate Conversation and Recitation (1-4 CEU)
AELP 902B Intermediate Grammar and Sentence Structures (1-4 CEU)
AELP 902C Intermediate Listening and Pronunciation (1-3 CEU)
AELP 902D Intermediate Reading and Vocabulary (1-4 CEU)
AELP 902E Intermediate Writing and Dictation (1-4 CEU)

When students complete this level, they understand classroom lectures, can read and summarize short passages on everyday topics, can write short accounts of events, and have had some practice in developing ideas using certain writing techniques, such as comparison and contrast.  Students can also combine simple sentences into compound and complex sentences and can rank ideas or thoughts through the use of independent and dependent clauses as well as phrases.

Advanced Level

Courses offered at this level are:
 
AELP 903A Advanced Conversation (1-4 CEU)
AELP 903B Advanced Grammar (1-4 CEU)
AELP 903C Advanced Listening (1-3 CEU)
ENSL 103 Advanced Writing (1-4 units)
ENSL 104 Advanced Reading (1-4 units)

At this level, students are challenged to use critical thinking in reading and writing, to argue from cause to effect, to distinguish between facts and opinion, and to recognize and use subtle techniques for tone variation.  Students are taught to identify the metaphor, irony, understatements and other figures of speech.  Students found competent in the areas mentioned may also be ready for transition to part-time or fulltime regular classes.

Part-time ESL students enroll for only 8 units of ESL courses and are eligible for up to 8 units of regular classes, on the grounds that they have attained 500-549 on the TOEFL or 76-85% on the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency.   Part-time ESL students enrolling for Science courses are allowed to enroll for labs as well, 1-2 units as applicable.

ESL Courses with the AELP prefix:  ESL courses with the AELP prefix carry continuing education units (CEU) that count toward fulltime ESL status but do not carry academic credits and will not count toward graduation. 

ESL courses with the ENSL prefix: ESL courses with the ENSL prefix carry academic credits that will count toward graduation.

Michigan - Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency (also MTELP)
TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language
IELETS - International English Language Testing System (used for placement only)

Note: When an ESL student has attained the required test scores  for part-time ESL and part-time regular classes (see flowchart above), the student must take the MATH PLACEMENT TEST.

ESL Directed Study

ENSL 299 Directed Study (1-8 units)
ENSL 399 Directed Study (1-4 units)

The ESL Program also offers lower and upper division units in Directed Study, ENSL 299 and ENSL 399.  These courses are designed as guided studies to support students in special areas of need in their pursuit of English as a Second Language proficiency.  In cases of scheduling conflict, part-time ESL students may enroll in Directed Study to meet their required ESL units.  These courses are open also to any undergraduate or graduate student who has already attained the required English test scores to enroll fulltime in regular university classes but needs further ESL support. 

The ESL Program also offers lower and upper division units in Directed Study, ENSL 299 and ENSL 399.  These courses are designed as guided studies to support students in special areas of need in their pursuit of English as a Second Language proficiency.  In cases of scheduling conflict, part-time ESL students may enroll in Directed Study to meet their required ESL units.  These courses are open also to any undergraduate or graduate student who has already attained the required English test scores to enroll fulltime in regular university classes but needs further ESL support.

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