English as a Second Language (ESL)

About English as a Second Language (ESL)

The ESL (English as Second Language) Program is designed for English as a second or additional language learners who plan to pursue a degree at Northwest Nazarene University. This program provides academic English preparation courses to develop ESL students’ language skills for reading in an academic context, writing research papers and comprehending academic lectures.

The English Language Institute administers a language assessment at the beginning of each semester. According to the result of assessment, students will be placed in different levels. Each level has four courses covering reading, writing, listening, and speaking. A student enrolled in Advanced courses may take one traditional undergraduate course with the permission of his/her academic advisor. A student in Academic Preparation courses may take two traditional undergraduate courses after consulting with his/her academic advisor.

Why choose NNU's ESL program?

Studying at the English Language Institute, you will:

Learn English in an academic setting with instructors who understand your language needs
Take language courses and traditional undergraduate courses in parallel
Obtain admission to the NNU undergraduate program without TOEFL score
Interact with American students on campus
Study in a safe and supportive environment

ESL Institute Director

Jill Macauley
Email

ESL Curriculum

Fall Semester
Fall semester, students will enroll in 2 courses of English language study and 2 courses of cultural studies. Students will also enroll in lower division traditional undergraduate courses (maximum 6 credits). The traditional undergraduate courses will be determined by the student in consultation with his/her academic advisor.

Spring Semester
In the spring semester students will enroll in 3 courses of English language study. Students will also enroll in lower division traditional undergraduate courses (maximum 7 credits). With successful completion of these courses, students will have earned credits toward an academic degree.

Semester	Courses	Descriptions	Lower Division Undergraduate Courses
Fall	ENGL1061 ENGL1063 CLST1010 CLST1020	Academic Language Acquisition I Course-specific Language Support Cultural Orientation for International Students Dynamics of Intercultural Dialogue	Maximum 6 credits
Spring	ENGL1062 ENGL1071 ENGL1072 or ENGL1030*	Academic Language Acquisition II Academic Language Use in Writing Academic Reading and Grammar University Writing and Research	Maximum 7 credits

^{*Students with a TOEFL score of 70-79 or an IELTS score of 6.0-6.5 have the option of taking either ENGL1030 or ENGL1072 in the Spring Semester. Students with a TOEFL score of 60-69 or an IELTS score of 5.0-5.5 will take ENGL1072.}