Develop a Global Mindset with a BA in Spanish
Build upon your cultural understanding of Spanish-speaking nations and communities.
Refine and professionalize your language skills and cultivate an understanding of Hispanic cultures. With a Spanish major, you'll gain practical experience through study abroad, internships and courses in Spanish for the professions.
Why earn your Spanish degree at St. Edward's?
Spanish majors participate in service experiences and often volunteer their Spanish-speaking skills to social services across Austin. The Spanish program also offers opportunities to study abroad in Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Spain. Choose a program led by St. Edward’s professors for several weeks, or study at an international university for a semester.
Grow as a second-language learner
If you have studied Spanish formally and did not grow up hearing the language, you are probably a second-language learner. You can take a placement test or receive credit through CLEP or AP exams. For information on receiving credit for your prior knowledge in Spanish, contact Georgia Seminet.
Improve as a heritage learner
If you grew up hearing Spanish spoken by your parents or grandparents, you are probably a heritage learner. We have special classes designed to help heritage learners improve their grammar, vocabulary, and cultural knowledge. You can also take a placement test or receive credit through CLEP or AP exams. For more information, contact Emily Bernate.
Gain hands-on experience
Apply your Spanish skills by interning or volunteering at organizations that serve Austin’s Spanish-speaking residents where you’ll assist immigrants, refugees, asylum-seekers and other vulnerable members of the community. Spanish majors have interned as tutors and advocates for young English learners. They have interned at El Buen Samaritano, which provides healthcare, education and basic needs for Latino families, and at the Equal Justice Center, a nonprofit law firm.
Use your Spanish for good
The Spanish program at ¶¥¼¶¹ú²úÊÓƵ offers a certificate in Advanced Spanish for the Health and Helping Professions for students with advanced oral proficiency. Develop interpersonal communication skills in Spanish focused on in-person encounters and interviews in a clinical or medical setting. Through this certificate, students will demonstrate cultural knowledge of the Latinx sociocultural context through research and experiential learning.
What do our graduates do?
Spanish majors go on to a variety of careers and graduate schools from St. Edward's. Here's a sample:
- Reporter for Searchlight New Mexico, a nonprofit investigative journalism outlet
- Graphic designer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
- Account executive at NWN Corporation, a technology solutions company
- Vice president of sales for Brazilian Blowout
- Officer at European Climate Foundation
- House manager at The Long Center for Performing Arts
Explore Details About the BA in Spanish
Degree Plan
Major Requirements:
The BA in Spanish requires 36 hours of major coursework, which includes a combination of language, linguistic, and cultural studies in Spanish. Our Majors are required to take SPAN 3330 (offered every fall), 3341 (offered every spring), 3322 and 4398. They must complete a total of 2 4000-level courses.
General Education Requirements:
The degree requires 34 hours of general education courses that students complete over four years in addition to their major courses and electives.
Electives:
Students complete three (3) additional hours of elective coursework from the following areas of study: cultures, communication, history, political science, religious studies, or history.
For a complete list of required and elective courses and course descriptions for the Spanish major, view the (PDF).
Skills You Will Gain
Upon completing the Spanish program, you’ll be ready to:
- Effectively communicate with Spanish speakers from all over the world;
- Translate and apply your Spanish to careers like immigration law, bilingual psychiatry and counseling, bilingual speech therapy, education and non-profit work;
- Provide a comforting and accepting space for Spanish-speakers.
Minor Requirements
Students will complete 18 hours of Spanish courses. SPAN 3330 and SPAN 3341 are required of all minors. Nonnative speakers will usually start the minor with SPAN 2312 and complete the 18 hours with subsequent courses. Native speakers and bilinguals seeking a minor in Spanish will normally begin with higher-level courses and complete the hours required with the two core courses plus electives.
In addition to the following 18 hours of minor requirements, students must satisfy all General Requirements for a Minor (page 50) to be eligible to complete this minor.
Required Spanish Language Courses: 6 hours
- Spanish Grammar in Context – SPAN 3330 (3 hours)
- Effective Written Communication – SPAN 3341 (3 hours)
Intermediate Spanish Language Courses: 0–9 hours
Students who place out of 15 hours of Spanish may not take intermediate courses, except for SPAN 2351. However, they are usually necessary as foundational courses for nonnative speakers and English-dominant bilinguals who need to refine their skills before entering the 3000-level. Up to nine hours of the intermediate courses listed below can be used as electives to fulfill the requirements for the major or minor.
- Spanish IV (Intermediate) – SPAN 2312 (3 hours)
- Topics in Modern Latin America and Spain – SPAN 2325 (3 hours)
- Practical Spanish Conversation – SPAN 2326 (3 hours)
- Topics in Hispanic Studies – SPAN 2351 (3 hours)
For a complete list of required elective courses and course descriptions for the Spanish minor, view the (PDF).
At St. Edward’s, our faculty are outstanding scholars, thought leaders, teachers and mentors who bring energy and enthusiasm to our vibrant learning community. They take pride in getting to know you, helping you achieve your goals and celebrating your successes.
View a list of our faculty members and their contact information on the Department of Languages, Literature and Cultures webpage.
Earn Two Degrees in Five Years
With our Accelerated Graduate Pathways, you can complete your BA in Spanish and master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) in as little as five years, saving time and money. See details and requirements.
Success coaches and academic advisors guide you through undergraduate and graduate courses to maximize benefits.