Spanish Curriculum
Mount Mary University’s Spanish program is designed to help you develop your ability to understand, speak, read and write Spanish, as well as to understand and appreciate culture and literature. We offer small, interactive language classes, conducive to world language learning.
Create Your Path to Career Success
As a Spanish major, you can create your own career path by studying one of four areas of concentration. All areas of concentration require you to take courses on conversation, composition, Hispanic civilization, phonetics and syntax. All concentrations also require you to complete a senior project.
The four concentrations are:
- Spanish teacher education: If you wish to teach Spanish in schools, you must complete requirements for both the Spanish and Education majors. When you complete the program, you will be eligible to teach Spanish from early childhood through adolescence (approximately grades K-12).
- Spanish literature and culture: This sequence requires courses on topics such as Hispanic literature, Latin American literature, and Spanish literature and civilization. Courses on translation are not required for this sequence.
- Spanish for native/heritage speakers: Study abroad is not required, but strongly recommended for native speakers pursuing this concentration. Courses required for this sequence cover topics such as Hispanic literature, the Hispanic American experience, Latin American literature, Spanish literature and civilization. This sequence also requires the Introduction to Translation course.
- Spanish for professionals: This sequence requires the Introduction to Translation course, as well as a course called Intermediate Spanish for Professionals. You also can choose to focus your study on literature or culture through the electives that you select.
Experience the World by Studying Abroad
All Spanish majors (except in the native/heritage speakers concentration) are required to participate in an immersion experience of at least four weeks in a culture where another language is spoken.
Each year, study abroad programs are offered in about three different countries. Study abroad experiences occur for a semester, in the summer or during a school break. Study abroad could involve taking courses, performing a paid internship or completing service work abroad.
Previous study abroad locations in Spanish-speaking countries include:
- Chile
- Costa Rica
- Guatemala
- Nicaragua
- Peru
- Spain
Bachelor’s Degree Requirements
A Bachelor of Arts in Spanish degree requires a minimum of 34 credits. You also must complete the university’s core curriculum requirements located in the Spanish curriculum sheet.
Complete degree requirements and a listing of courses are available in the Undergraduate Bulletin (PDF).
Spanish Minor Requirements
The Spanish minor provides you the opportunity to explore culture and history in Spanish-speaking regions, including participating in a study abroad program if you choose. A minor in Spanish will help to open doors for career opportunities in an ever-changing global economy. A minor requires a minimum of 21 credits. Consult the Undergraduate Bulletin (PDF) for more details on requirements and courses for this minor.
Undergraduate & Post-baccalaureate Spanish Certificate Requirements
If you already have a bachelor’s degree, you can complete one of three Spanish post-baccalaureate certificates: bilingual education, Spanish for Professionals or Spanish for Native/Heritage Speakers. A pre-baccalaureate certificate in Spanish also is available for undergraduate or non-degree seeking students. Learn more about Spanish pre- and post-baccalaureate certificate requirements.