Bachelor of Arts in Spanish

The Spanish major is a proficiency-based, communicative language program designed to prepare you for life as a bilingual and culturally competent world citizen. In order to maximize your language-learning potential, we encourage you to complement your Spanish studies with a study abroad program of your choice.  

As a Spanish major, you will learn to:

  • Analyze the main ideas of a wide variety of texts and other forms of cultural expression (such as music, film, and art) on concrete, abstract and technical topics.
  • Interact with Spanish-speaking communities within and beyond the United States in culturally responsible ways.
  • Contribute to conversations with sufficient accuracy, clarity, and precision to convey their intended message without misrepresentation or confusion.
  • Describe aspects of both the cultural and linguistic diversity of Spanish-speaking communities within and beyond the US.
  • Produce detailed texts for a variety of audiences on a wide range of subjects with accuracy, clarity and precision.

Learn more about the Spanish placement examination

Spanish minor

Regardless of what your major is at Oregon State, the Spanish minor is a great complement to your chosen field of study. There has never been a better time to be bilingual, and for people living in the United States, Spanish is by far the most useful and advantageous second language to learn.  

As a Spanish minor, you will learn to: 

  • Identify the main ideas of a variety of texts and other forms of cultural expression such as music, film and art.
  • Interact with Spanish-speaking communities within and beyond the United States in culturally responsible ways.
  • Apply skills learned through the study of Spanish in order to solve problems and complete tasks in communities where Spanish is primarily spoken.
  • Demonstrate awareness of both the cultural and linguistic diversity of Spanish-speaking communities within and beyond the U.S.
  • Produce simple, connected texts that demonstrate the ability to narrate and describe familiar topics in major time frames with level-appropriate precision and accuracy.
  • Critically reflect on their own identities, cultural heritage and traditions through the study of Spanish.
Spanish for Heritage Language Learners Program

This program is designed for students who grew up in a Spanish-speaking environment and who have some Spanish language competency as a result of having heard it in the home and community from parents and/or grandparents, extended family, friends and neighbors. 

The SHLL program provides heritage learners with a well-structured curriculum to expand their proficiency in Spanish in three communicative areas: interpersonal, interpretative and presentational.   

The instructors who facilitate learning in this program promote and support the identity and development of our Latina/o/x students while preparing them with literacy skills and knowledge for future studies in Spanish and to effectively function in professional bilingual environments. 

The objectives of the SHLL program are: 

  • To recover, maintain, and expand Spanish as a community language in the United States.
  • To validate our heritage speakers’ language use and, by extension their identity.
  • To expand students’ ranges to include styles and registers of Spanish appropriate for communicating in academic and professional settings.

For more information about enrolling in our classes or declaring a major or minor in Spanish please contact Spanish academic advisor Karen Mills.