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Spanish

The Department of World Languages, Literatures and Linguistics is home to a wide variety of quality programs and exciting opportunities. With courses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin (Classics), Russian and Spanish, the department plays a crucial role in providing the basic foreign language component for the Bachelor of Arts degree in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. Our degrees in Chinese Studies, French, German Studies and Spanish, the area of emphasis in Russian Studies and the minor include advanced coursework in language, literature, culture and linguistics as well as innovative capstone experiences.

World languages, literatures and linguistics students participate in internationally recognized study abroad programs. They spend a summer, a semester or even a year earning credits and gaining experience in countries like China, France, Germany, Spain and Mexico. In addition to regular courses and study abroad, students off campus enroll in increasing numbers in the department’s online and distance-learning courses. Small class sizes and an array of student groups, honor societies and language clubs all contribute to a congenial atmosphere.

As a world languages, literatures and linguistics student you will:

  • Explore other cultures and how they communicate.
  • Expand your language knowledge in a linguistically diverse environment.
  • Experience literature from a variety of perspective.
  • Examine languages from different theoretical frameworks.
  • Become immersed in a multicultural and multilingual environment.
BA and Graduate Certificate programs are discontinued and no longer admitting new students.

How will I focus my studies?


Bachelor of Arts

Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language internationally. It is spoken in Spain, parts of Africa, North, Central and most of South America and in much of the United States and the Philippines. Over the past three decades, the Hispanic population has increased tremendously in the United States and as a result, the United States, economically and culturally, is becoming more closely integrated with the Spanish-speaking world. Learning Spanish can help to open doors in your future career. Spanish will also prepare you for living in an increasingly global society.

The primary goal of the major in Spanish is to provide students with a solid liberal arts education that is the foundation for personal and professional success and growth over a lifetime. The curriculum is designed to provide students with well-developed cognitive and communication skills and with a broad knowledge base that will enable them to pursue additional studies at the graduate level or to enter the job market in positions that will demand the ability to communicate in Spanish in a variety of cultural contexts. The skills provided by a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish complement and add value to a degree in any field.

Master of Arts

The Master of Arts in Spanish focuses on Peninsular Spanish and Latin American literatures and cultures with an emphasis on the development of these literatures in sociocultural and historical contexts. Additional coursework includes research methodology, Hispanic linguistics and foreign-language pedagogy.

The program is intended for students who seek specialized training to pursue a teaching career in Spanish or who plan to prepare for doctoral studies in Hispanic literatures, cultures or linguistics.

Learn more at the Spanish site