The Language Institute
The BHCC Language Institute offers different Language course for different needs. From full time 20 hour per week Intensive English to Spanish for beginners; BHCC can provide the right instruction for your language needs.
Our full time Intensive English Program is designed to help international students who need to acquire enough English to go on to full-time college study preparing for a certificate or degree program.
Students will study in blocks of 7-week sessions and can engage in this preparation right before enrolling into either academic ESL or a degree/certificate program.
BESL or Beginner English as a Second Language instruction is an affordable program offered at convenient times: day, night and weekends, enabling working students to learn English and prepare for college.
Beginning Spanish is designed for people with little or no background in the Spanish language, with a convenient weekend schedule.
TOEFL Preparation features up-to-date, realistic practice tests and cooperative learning strategies designed to familiarize students with the test format and develop test-taking strategies that improve their scores.
English Placement Level Box
If you are interested in taking classes in the Basic English as a Second Language (BESL) Program, or the Intensive English Program, consider taking the Cambridge English Test, a short online assessment to determine the best level for you.
To take the assessment:
- Go to https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/test-your-english/
- Select the General English option.
- Follow the prompts to take a 25 question self-assessment which places you in an English level (levels Pre A1 to B2+). As soon as you complete, you will get the results of the survey which look like this:
- Save this report or write down your highlighted level. Please look at the chart below, and at the course descriptions in the course catalog to choose your correct course.
Go to https://www.bhcc.edu/cce-catalog/ to register If you need assistance with Basic ESL (BESL) classes, contact Sonia Sharma at commed@bhcc.edu or call 617-228-2009. If you need assistance with Intensive English classes, contact Abby Massaro at abigail.massaro@bhcc.edu. Or call 617-228-2462
Use the chart below to find classes for your level
| Online Cambridge Tested Level | Basic English (BESL) (part time) |
Intensive English (full time) |
| Pre-A1 | BLL-01 | - |
| A1 | BLL-001 or BSL 001 Read course descriptions to determine correct level, or contact Sonia Sharma (commed@bhcc.edu) for guidance |
EMC 001 |
| A2 | BSL 02 | EMC 001 or 002 Read course descriptions to determine correct level, or contact Abby Massaro (abigail.massaro@bhcc.edu) for guidance |
| B1 | BSL 03 or BSL 04 Read course descriptions to determine correct level, or contact Sonia Sharma (commed@bhcc.edu) for guidance |
EMC 002 or 003 Read course descriptions to determine correct level, or contact Abby Massaro (abigail.massaro@bhcc.edu) for guidance |
| B2 | Academic ELL | EMC 004 |
| Above B2 level: Contact Sonia Sharma (commed@bhcc.edu) | ||