5 Steps to Study Abroad Success

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Programs

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Programs are designed for students who want to improve their English in a certain professional field of study normally taught at university. Different from pre-academic and university ESL programs, which teach basic academic skills for all fields of study, ESP Programs teach the English needed in specific academic subjects, such as in Economics or Psychology. For example, a student who hopes to study Economics in the future would take an ESP class entitled "English for Economics"; and a future psychology student would choose the ESP class "English for Psychology." One very popular ESP program is "Business English."


Ex) Business English Programs teach the formal business vocabulary and communication skills for doing business in English. Business English programs are often intensive, with classes lasting from a few weeks to a few months. Business English programs help students develop their critical thinking skills, cultural awareness, reading and discussion skills, and knowledge of international business practices.

Students in Business English classes are often executives that need English, the international language of commerce, to help their business communications. Many other Business English students are university students that hope to increase their chances of getting the international business jobs they want by improving their English skills. In Business English Programs, students learn strategies for reading newspapers, magazines, and business reports. They also learn how to write formal business letters such as sales reports and memos.

Students improve their listening and speaking skills by listening to radio and television news reports and participating in small-group discussions. As in all ESL programs, grammatical correctness in both spoken and written English is both taught and practiced.