Abstract
For decades, English language courses at the undergraduate level were largely geared towards the teaching of general English, academic writing and speech courses. More recently, however, the introduction of English for Specific Courses (ESP) as an integral component of undergraduate programs has become a necessity (Danilova & Pudlowski, 2006; Kavaliauskiene, 2003; Kuo, 2007). Through the teaching of ESP, Higher Education (HE) institutions aim to equip graduates with the necessary language skills to use English in their specializations, including science, commerce and technology. The present paper aims to emphasize the importance of integrating ESP courses within the undergraduate language curriculum. The paper first presents an overview of the origin and key definitions of ESP. This is followed by a discussion of a variety of difficulties faced by both instructors and managers of ESP programs at the undergraduate level. Finally, a number of practical suggestions to overcome these difficulties are put forward.