Learn about the language, literature and culture of Spanish-speaking world regions: Spain, but also Argentina, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, the United States and more. The undergraduate program will develop your research and analytical skills, enhance your capacity for aesthetic appreciation, strengthen your powers of observation and self-expression, and prepare you for cross-cultural, global interaction.
The Spanish undergraduate tracks cover a wide range of disciplines and historical periods while providing linguistic proficiency and cultural fluency. Students gain breadth and depth of knowledge in Spanish and Latin American Studies as they earn credits necessary for fulfilling a major, a joint major or a minor.
The Spanish major, joint major, and minor all have the same lower-division requirements:
**Spanish majors must complete four breadth requirements, joint majors must complete any three of the four, and minors any two. The breadth requirements are:
· Earlier literature (e.g., SPA 301, 304, 305, 317, 405)
· Linguistic focus (e.g., SPA 313, 314, 325, 382, 413)
· Non-European literature and culture (e.g., SPA 304, 311, 312, 320, 350)
· Non-literary cultural production (e.g., SPA 323, 324, 327, 328, 408, 435)
DOUBLE DEGREE
Students pursuing a BS degree in Engineering, Management, or Biology, for example, or a professional degree such as the BArch in Architecture or BFA in Fine Arts, may simultaneously pursue a second major in Spanish. Since Spanish leads to a BA degree, students who choose this option are technically earning a double degree, not a double major. The double degree option requires a minimum of 150 total credit hours, and the precise number for the proposed combination must be carefully confirmed in the Undergraduate Catalog.
The department requires that at least 50% of credits necessary for a major, joint major or minor degree in Spanish be completed on a local UB campus. The remaining 50% may be fulfilled through any combination of study abroad coursework, transfer courses, placement exams or other pre-approved credit-earning opportunities.
Acceptance into the major, joint major, or minor degree in Spanish requires satisfactory completion of prerequisites through SPA 152 or equivalent work, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5. Acceptance also requires a minimum overall GPA of 2.0.
If prerequisites are not fulfilled through departmental coursework, or if UB credit has not been articulated for qualified non-UB prerequisite work, an RLL faculty advisor or the Director of Undergraduate Studies may advise and, when necessary, determine satisfaction as well as coursework levels suited to the students’ linguistic abilities.
Students who are heritage or first speakers of Spanish must meet with an RLL faculty advisor before enrolling in any Spanish courses to determine an appropriate level of study.
The following is a guide for completing prerequisites in the department, and how previous instruction may help fulfill them. RLL faculty advisors or the Director of Undergraduate Studies can assist with any questions.
No Prior Spanish Instruction | Average Preparation (~ 2 years) | Intermediate Preparation (~ 4 years) | Advanced Preparation (~ 6+ years) |
SPA 101 (5 credits) | SPA 104 (5 credits) | SPA 151 (3 credits) | No courses required |
SPA 102 (5 credits) | SPA 151 (3 credits) | SPA 152 (3 credits) | |
SPA 151 (3 credits) | SPA 152 (3 credits) | ||
SPA 152 (3 credits) |
There are several ways for students to fulfill required credits for the major, joint major or minor:
Departmental Coursework (as detailed above)
AP or Similar Credit
Transfer Coursework
Other Opportunities
For all study abroad, transfer courses and/or AP or similar credit, the department’s residency requirement (see above) always applies.