Understanding ESL Certificates
Cypress College offers Guided Pathways ESL Milestone Certificates. These certificates are the first-of-their-kind in the California Community College system.
These certificates are a milestone recognition of your completion of academic English reading and writing skills at an advanced, post-secondary level as well as success in prerequisite coursework in your educational pathways!
There are nine certificates for different student pathways, and if you have taken general education courses, you may already qualify for at least three to four certificates (maybe more!) if you have already completed ESL 107 C, 108 C, or 109 C. You are eligible even if you started at the ESL 108 C or 109 C levels. If you took our legacy courses (ESL 184, C, ESL 185 C, or ESL 186 C), you still may qualify!
The priority deadline to apply for the fall semesters is usually the 3rd or 4th week of the semesters, but you can apply now by emailing ESLcertificates@cypresscollege.edu or contacting your ESL professor. If you apply soon, you will be among the first students in the entire state of California to earn these certificates!
For more information, please email ESLcertificates@cypresscollege.edu or see your counselor.
Read more and be inspired by some of the students who earned these certificates in the 2019-2020 inaugural year!
Pathway to Business and Computer Information Science
- Complete ESL 107 C, ESL 108 C, and ESL 109 C*
- Complete one of the following courses:
- CIS 111 C Computer Information Systems
- CIS 101 C Introduction to MS Word/Document Formatting
- MGT 161 C Introduction to Business
*Please contact ESLcertificates@cypresscollege.edu if you started at ESL 108 C or 109 C, or if you took ESL 184 C, 185 C, or 186 C. You will likely still be eligible for the certificates!
Pathway to Aviation Travel Careers
- Complete ESL 107 C, ESL 108 C, and ESL 109 C*
- Complete one of the following courses:
- ATC 101 C Introduction to Travel Careers
- ATC 102 C Career Communication/Portfolio
- ATC 160 C UAV/UAS Basic
- ATC 270 C Airline Operations
*Please contact ESLcertificates@cypresscollege.edu if you started at ESL 108 C or 109 C, or if you took ESL 184 C, 185 C, or 186 C. You will likely still be eligible for the certificates!
Pathway to Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Health Information Technology, and Radiological Technology
- Complete ESL 107 C, ESL 108 C, and ESL 109 C*
- Complete one of the following courses:
- HS 145 C Survey of Medical Terminology
- HS 147 C Survey of Disease
* Please contact ESLcertificates@cypresscollege.edu if you started at ESL 108 C or 109 C, or if you took ESL 184 C, 185 C, or 186 C. You will likely still be eligible for the certificates!
Pathway to Dental Hygiene, Nursing, and Psychiatric Technology
- Complete ESL 107 C, ESL 108 C, and ESL 109 C*
- Complete one of the following courses:
- CHEM 101C Chemistry for Health Science Majors I
- HRC 100 C Nutrition or
- KIN 270 C Nutrition Science and Application or
- KIN 270HC Honors Nutrition: Science and Application
- BIOL 160 C Integrated Medical Science
- BIOL 231 C General Human Anatomy
- BIOL 241 C General Human Physiology
- BIOL 210 C Anatomy and Physiology
- PSY 139 C Developmental Psychology
* Please contact ESLcertificates@cypresscollege.edu if you started at ESL 108 C or 109 C, or if you took ESL 184 C, 185 C, or 186 C. You will likely still be eligible for the certificates!
Pathway to Kinesiology
- Complete ESL 107 C, ESL 108 C, and ESL 109 C*
Select One Pathway:
For the AA-T in Kinesiology or AA Degree in Kinesiology Pathway, complete one of the following course (3 units):
- KIN 230 C Introduction to Kinesiology
- KIN 235 C First Aid, CPR and Emergencies
For the Fitness Specialist Certificate, Aquatics Specialist Certificate, or Athletic Coach Certificate Pathway, complete the following course (3 units):
- KIN 235 C First Aid, CPR and Emergencies
For the AS-T in Public Health Pathway or Community Health Worker Certificate, complete one of the following courses (3 units):
- PHS 280 C Introduction to Public Health
- PHS 284 C Contemporary Personal Health
For the Recreation Assistant Certificate Pathway, complete one of the following courses (3 units):
- KIN 235 C First Aid, CPR and Emergencies
- REC 100 C Foundations of Recreation and Leisure Services
- REC 101 C Principles of Community Recreation
- REC 102 C Recreation Leadership and Diverse Groups
* Please contact ESLcertificates@cypresscollege.edu if you started at ESL 108 C or 109 C, or if you took ESL 184 C, 185 C, or 186 C. You will likely still be eligible for the certificates!
Pathway to Transfer: Language Arts-Oral Communication
- Complete ESL 107 C, ESL 108 C, and ESL 109 C*
- Complete one of the following courses:
- COMM 100C Human Communication
- COMM 100HC Honors Human Communication
Pathway to Transfer: Language Arts-Written Communication
- Complete ESL 107 C, ESL 108 C, and ESL 109 C*
- Complete one of the following courses:
- ESL 110 C College Composition for Non-Native Speakers
- ENGL 100 C College Writing (or ENGL 100HC)
- ENGL 101 C Enhanced College Writing
* Please contact ESLcertificates@cypresscollege.edu if you started at ESL 108 C or 109 C, or if you took ESL 184 C, 185 C, or 186 C. You will likely still be eligible for the certificates!
Pathway to Transfer: Social Sciences
- Complete ESL 107 C, ESL 108 C, and ESL 109 C*
- Complete one of the following courses:
- PSY 101 C Introduction to Psychology (or PSY 101HC)
- SOC 101 C Introduction to Sociology (or SOC 101HC)
- HIST 170 C History of the United States (or HIST 170HC)
- POSC 100 C United States Government (or POSC 100HC)
- ETHS 101 C American Ethnic Studies (or ETHS 101HC)
Pathway to Science, Engineering, and Math
- Complete ESL 107 C, ESL 108 C, and ESL 109 C*
- Complete the following MATH course (4 units):
- MATH 141 C College Algebra
- Complete one of the following courses (4-5 units):
- CHEM 107 C Preparation for General Chemistry
- CHEM 111AC General Chemistry I
- PHYS 130 C Elementary Physics
* Please contact ESLcertificates@cypresscollege.edu if you started at ESL 108 C or 109 C, or if you took ESL 184 C, 185 C, or 186 C. You will likely still be eligible for the certificates!
These certificates have been featured in the following publications:
- Public Policy Institute of California, How Community College Reforms Could Help English Learners, October 2019
- Inside Higher Ed, Accelerating Coursework for ESL, December 2019
- Public Policy Institute of California, English as a Second Language in California’s Community Colleges, April 2019
And at the following events:
- ASCCC Curriculum Institute, July 2020
- CATESOL Annual Conference, October 2019
- LACCD Discipline Day, October 2019
- Strengthening Student Success Conference, October 2019
- ASCCC Curriculum Institute, July 2019
- CCCCO/ASCCC AB 705 ESL Advisory Committee, Spring 2019
- TESOL Convention, Spring 2019
- CATESOL Annual Conference, October 2018
Technical Information:
These certificates were approved by the Cypress College curriculum committee in October 2018 and then approved in April 2019 by California Community College Chancellor’s Office as certificates of achievement for the 2019-2020 academic year. They align with the standards and definitions of the Program and Course Handbook, 7th edition and are TOP-coded as ESL-integrated 4930.87. For more information about the technical aspects of these ESL certificates, please contact Professor Wada, Cypress College ESL Dept.