English and Languages

Program Chair
Alan Rosiene, Ph.D.

Organization

Florida Tech’s Division of English and Languages is operated by the School of Arts and Communication. The division determines the incoming student’s competence in English and establishes the most beneficial program of study, and administers the ESL Bridge Program that provides training in English for students whose home language is not English. 

English language proficiency is required of all students whose home language is not English and who are taking academic courses at Florida Tech. English proficiency is not required for admission, however submission of a test score is required for the issuance of immigration documents.

Demonstrating Proficiency

Students whose home language is not English are considered to have demonstrated English language proficiency if they have done any of the following:

• Taken an Internet-based TOEFL (iBT) with an earned score of at least 79, an IELTS with an earned score of at least 6.0, a PTE Academic with an earned score of at least 58, a Cambridge English: Advanced with an earned score of at least 180 (Grade of C), an official Florida Tech TOEFL (paper based) with an earned score of at least 550, or a China National Higher Education Entrance Examination (Gaokao) English portion with an earned score of at least 120/150 (96/120) no more than two years before attendance at Florida Tech; or
• successfully completed Embassy English level B2; or
• successfully completed Level 112 of the ELS English for Academic Purposes program; or
• successfully completed the Kaplan International Higher Intermediate English level; or
• successfully completed ELI level 8 at the UCF English Language Institute with a grade of B or better; or
• successfully completed International Education Exchange Association PEAP level 6; or
• successfully completed a total of 20 semester credit hours at an accredited university or college in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Anglophone Canada, Anglophone Caribbean or Anglophone Africa, including three semester credit hours of English that qualify as transfer credit for Florida Tech’s Composition and Rhetoric (COM 1101); or
• earned a bachelor’s or higher degree from an accredited university or college in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Anglophone Canada, Anglophone Caribbean or Anglophone Africa; or
• attended for three consecutive years and graduated from an accredited high school in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Anglophone Canada, Anglophone Caribbean, Anglophone Africa or an American high school overseas; or
• obtained an official score of four or higher on either the International Baccalaureate Higher Level Language A examination in English or the College Board Advanced Placement Program (AP) examination in English Language and Composition.

Students who meet English language proficiency by any means may still need to complete certain ESL courses if it is so deemed by their academic advisor. The program chair of English and Languages makes the final determination. For more information about the policies and requirements for English language proficiency at Florida Tech, contact the program chair of English and Languages in the School of Arts and Communication.

ESL Bridge Program

Both undergraduate and graduate students whose home language is not English with scores in the following ranges are invited to enroll in the ESL Bridge Program:

• Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT): 61–78
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS): 5.5
• Florida Tech TOEFL: 500–547
• Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic): 51–57
• Cambridge English Advanced: 169–179
• Embassy English: Level B1
• China National Higher Education Entrance Examination (Gaokao) English portion: 105/150 (84/120)

The ESL Bridge Program combines in-person classes required to earn a degree along with English instruction taught by Florida Tech faculty. All students are full-time, requiring enrollment in at least 12 credit hours of classes per semester.

Students who score below the ranges specified above may enroll in lower-level English training courses at the ELS Language Center on campus.

Language Requirements for Graduate Assistantships

(Graduate Policy 4.11)

International students are eligible for graduate assistantships in some academic units. In addition to specific academic unit requirements for service as a graduate assistant, any student whose home language is not English must pass an English proficiency examination with a minimum score as listed in the table below. Students also must pass the International Teaching Assistant Speaking Assessment (ITASA) to serve as a graduate teaching assistant.

A score of at least one of the following must be submitted for a teaching assistantship:

• Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT): 100
• International English Lanugage Testing System (IELTS): 7.0
• Florida Tech TOEFL: 600
• Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic): 70
• Cambridge English Advanced: 193 (Grade of B)
• Embassy English: Level C1

A score of at least one of the following must be submitted for a research assistantship:

• Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT): 79
• International English Lanugage Testing System (IELTS): 6.0
• Florida Tech TOEFL: 550
• Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic): 58
• Cambridge English Advanced: 180 (Grade of C)
• Embassy English: Level B2