BA in Spanish

Units required for Major: 42
Total units required for BA: 120

Program Description

A working knowledge of Spanish will enable students to communicate with one of America's rapidly growing minority groups, as well as to benefit extensively from travel to foreign countries. Most coursework lends itself to a practical acquisition of the necessary linguistic and cultural competency for effective communication in the workplace and Hispanic/Latino communities.

Coursework at the upper division and graduate level is equally distributed among four areas: linguistics, culture, Peninsular literature, and Latin American literature. The coursework will also enhance the employment possibilities of students with career goals in other fields (translation, teaching, healthcare, social work, criminal justice) that require knowledge of specialized terminology in Spanish. Students with career plans in business administration, public administration, and international relations will find a balanced curriculum available at Sacramento State. The Spanish BA also serves those students who plan on continuing their studies at the doctorate level by providing a thorough academic background in the language.

Students interested in Bilingual/Crosscultural programs should also contact the College of Education (916) 278-6840 for more details.

Minimum Grade Requirement

All Spanish majors must earn a grade of "C" or better in all courses counted toward the major. SPAN 142 may be taken by challenge exam for Credit/No Credit only provided that student enrolls in course.

Required Lower Division Courses

It is assumed that Spanish majors will have completed the equivalent of college level elementary and intermediate Spanish in high school, at a community college, or by completing SPAN 2B¹ at Sacramento State, prior to beginning upper-division courses. 

¹

Course also satisfies General Education (GE)/Graduation Requirement.

Study Abroad Programs

Students having a 2.75 GPA average overall are eligible to apply for admission to the CSU International Programs in a Spanish-speaking country such as Chile, Mexico, or Spain for their junior or senior years or during graduate studies. Spanish skills must be sufficiently developed to permit satisfactory performance in a Spanish-language university; planning from the beginning of the freshman year is advisable. Programs are also available for beginning students in Spain and Mexico. For details, contact International Programs and Global Engagement and consult a member of the Spanish faculty about developing your language skills.