Mission

Technical and Business English program is dedicated to offering effective communicative knowledge and skills that prepare students as business administrative professionals with integration of writing, oral presentation and interpersonal skills.

Overview

Technical and Business English offers a variety of business and professional English courses to help students reach their future career goals. Students will learn business professional communication skills and writing, banking, financing, real estate, and legal terminology. Various aspects of business English will be covered, including, but not limited to measurements, social language, participation in meetings, and presentations. Students will also learn how to analyze and produce typical office documents, such as letters, memoranda, presentations, proposals, and reports. Between July 2022-June 2023, the program’s cumulative enrollment was 34 students and total completers was 9. The percentage of students who completed or graduated as of the end of the last academic year is 69%.

Technical and Business English Prospects

  • Employment of administrative services managers is estimated to grow 10 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations. Administrative tasks, such as facility management and records and information management, will remain essential in a wide range of
    industries. This occupation belongs to industries with the highest published employment and wages.
  • Employment of financial clerks is estimated to grow 9 percent from 2016 to 2026, about as fast as the average for all occupations. The employment of billing and posting clerks, loan interviewers and clerks, and insurance claims and policy processing clerks is expected to grow, as they perform tasks that are less susceptible to automation by technology.

Program Details

  • Program Length: 70 weeks (Maximum Time Frame: 105 weeks)
  • Total Credits: 92 credits (Major – 64 credits & General Education – 28 credits)
  • Every session lasts 10 weeks, it is required to take 12 credits per session (3 courses)
  • In order to graduate smoothly, we recommend you take 2 major courses and 1 general course per session

Major Education Requirements

Number Course Credits
TBE101 Basic Occupational Communication 4
TBE103 Computer Technology and Applications 4
TBE107 Critical Reading and Study Skills 4
TBE108 Legal Terminology 4
TBE109 Conference Papers and Presentations 4
TBE110 Document Designs 4
TBE113 Foundations and Technical Communications 4
TBE114 Descriptive Grammar 4
TBE115 Banking 4
TBE117 Communications and Documentation 4
TBE149 Business Enterprises and Corporation 4
TBE154 Business Writing 4
TBE156 Web Based Literature 4
TBE201 Professional Letter and Proposals 4
TBE204 Practical Reading and Writing 4
TBE208 Technical Reports 4
TBE210 Advanced Composition 4
TBE211 Real Estate Specialization 4
TBE214 Fundamentals of Editing 4
TBE215 Principles of Public Speaking 4
TBE250 Small Group Communication I 4
TBE251 Small Group Communication II 4
TBE270 Career Development I 4
TBE271 Career Development II 4
Total Required Credits (Select 16 courses from above) 64

General Education Requirements

Number Course Credits
BPS102 Business and Professional Speech 4
ENG101 English Composition 4
HIST203 U.S. History 4
SPN101 Introduction to Spanish I 4
SPN101 Introduction to Spanish II 4
BIO102 Introduction to Biology 4
IT101 Introduction to Computer Science 4
MAT101 Algebra 4
MAT201 Pre-Calculus 4
CRT101 Critical Thinking 4
PSY101 Introduction to Psychology 4
SOC101 Introduction to Sociology 4
SOC201 Society and Human Behavior 4
(Select from at least one of each section) Required 7 courses

Instructors

Dr. Shawn R. Ratliff

Instructor, Teaching English for Early Childhood

•  Ed.D. Organizational Lead, Argosy University

•  M.A. Economic Development-North Park University

•  B.A. Business Management-Ferris State University

Dr. Ratliff has had extensive experience in the education field, with over several years of experience in teaching students. He started his career at Oakton Community College with a concentration in teaching education program, ESL and GED. Currently, Dr. Ratliff works at Prince William County School, providing reading, math and history lessons to students.

Natasha Thomas

Instructor, Technical Business English

•  M.A. Business-Strayer University

•  B.A. Business-Strayer University

 Instructor Natasha Thomas joins Columbia College as a Business Instructor in the Business management administration program. Prior to coming to Columbia College, she was a Business Instructor at Career Technical Institute in the medical office professional program. Natasha received her B.A. in Business Administration and MBA from Strayer University. Natasha is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Science of business technology at Capella University. Natasha’s teaching interests include operations management, marketing management, leadership and organizational behavior and business management theories. She has assisted with redesigning and redeveloping courses as a Business instructor at Columbia College and Career Technical Institute. Her primary research interest is to explore the role of digital communication channels in daily work practices that affect manager to employee relationship development in the workplace informed by social exchange theory.

Yasaman Ghazanfari

Birth date: January 13th | Major: PhD in Linguistics

Hobby: Reading, Hiking, Traveling | Language: Language l English, Persian (Farsi)

“A different language is a different vision of life.” Federico Fellini

To me, teaching is one of the most rewarding jobs and teaching a foreign language is opening the door to a new world, a new culture, a new system of life, and a new system of thought. I started my career as a teacher right after I graduated from university in 1995 and have been teaching EFL/ESL to learners of all ages ever since.
Before I moved to the United States, I worked as an assistant professor in Azad University in Iran. I’m very fortunate to have the opportunity to teach ESL here and walk through the amazing path of learning along with my wonderful students with such diverse backgrounds. I’m thankful to all of them who help me learn as I teach.