Durham Tech program receives international accreditation

The English for Academic Purposes program at Durham Technical Community College has been recognized globally with a recent accreditation from the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation.

“We are advertised internationally now, so if someone is looking for a program in North Carolina or just on the East Coast, our name is going to come up for this area and the fact that we are accredited,” said Paula Wilder, the Director of the program and Continuing Education for Non-Native English Speakers.

Durham Tech is the only community college in North Carolina and one of only seven institutions in the state with the accreditation, according to the Commission’s website.

The program is accredited until August 2023.

Wilder said she’s been striving for such an accreditation since she came to Durham Tech in 2014. She also spearheaded the expansion of the English for Academic Purposes curriculum.

“Many universities around the world will not send their students to a language program unless it’s accredited through an internationally recognized organization,” she said.

The English for Academic Purposes program is designed to improve students’ skills in U.S. Academic English, specifically regarding college-level courses like reading, writing, research, grammar, listening, and speaking. The program is just one of the English as a Second Language programs offered at Durham Tech.