The ability to communicate with Spanish speakers and appreciate Hispanic cultures gives you a tremendous advantage in a wide range of careers. Whether on the job or in your community, your Spanish language competency and cultural understanding can help you establish valuable connections in the inter-dependent global community.
Students will attain an advanced level of proficiency in Spanish according to the criteria of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages(ACTFL) guidelines. Students will also acquire a reasonable understanding and knowledge of Hispanic cultures through the study of literature, history, art, social science, philosophy, etc. in a variety of courses taught in Spanish and English. As students plan their programs, they select a specific area of concentration (literature, culture, language) in which to acquire a more profound knowledge relative to their particular interests and goals. Additionally, students will engage in real-life learning via their service learning experiences where they will have opportunities to work with public and private agencies on projects that integrate their language skills with community needs. Finally, in students’ Senior Capstone projects they will have the opportunity to demonstrate thorough understanding of a topic of interest to them.
The program prepares graduates for successful careers as professionals in teaching, business and technology, travel, tourism, governmental and nongovernmental agencies, and for graduate study in hispanic languages and literatures, Chicano/Latino studies, linguistics, translation and interpretation, TESOL, or focused international disciplines such as policy, management and business.
If you transferred into CSUMB as an AA-T-certified student in Spanish, please see the AA-T certified requirements.
If you are unsure about your transfer status, please talk to a Spanish faculty advisor as soon as possible.
All other Spanish majors, see below.
In order to graduate, you will also need to complete your general education and university requirements.
Complete ALL of the following courses:
Complete THREE of the following Language and Linguistics related courses:
Complete THREE of the following Literature and Culture related courses:
Complete ONE of the following Secondary Culture courses:
To complete the requirements of the Spanish Language & Hispanic Cultures degree, students must demonstrate that they have actively immersed in authentic Hispanic cultural and linguistic environments and have internalized the language and cultural experience, from which they have developed personal understanding and new perspectives of Hispanic communities. There are two pathways by which this can be demonstrated; in consultation with your major advisor, choose ONE of the following pathways:
Students are able to communicate effectively in Spanish in three modes: interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational, and in a culturally appropriate manner in a variety of social and professional settings and circumstances at the Advanced Low level of language proficiency, according to ACTFL Guidelines
Students develop their knowledge of fundamental concepts in the fields of Hispanic and Applied Linguistics, and are able to apply them in the completion of research papers and data-driven small-scale research studies pertaining current issues in these areas.
Students develop a reasonable understanding of the ways of thinking (ideas, beliefs, attitudes, values, philosophies), the behavioral practices (patterns of social interactions), and the cultural products – both tangible and intangible (for example, art, history, literature, music) — of Hispanic societies.
4.1 Students describe concepts of culture and use that understanding in their comparison of Hispanic cultures with a second culture other than those.
4.2 Students will analyze and make connections between the perspectives, ways of thinking, behavioral practices, and cultural products of a second culture other than Hispanic cultures.
Students demonstrate that they have actively immersed themselves in authentic Hispanic cultural and linguistic environments and have internalized the language and cultural experience, from which they have developed personal understanding and new perspectives of Hispanic communities.
Note: Students develop intercultural communication skills and strategies, and learn to adapt and respond in effective ways. This MLO may be fulfilled by a study abroad experience or equivalent. Courses taken in a study abroad program may count toward another MLO. Students who choose Pathway 2 will be working on a community project to fulfill this requirement.
6.1 Students gain knowledge of appropriate research methodologies and are able to apply them in their studies.
6.2 Students use appropriate technology in research studies relative to Spanish Language and Hispanic Cultures.
6.3 Students collect, manage, and analyze current and emerging technology-based resources to develop and produce their scholarly work.
These pathways are examples of how you might complete all the requirements for your degree in an order that makes sense given prerequisites. They are meant to give you a general sense of what your education will look like.
Your own unique situation and a number of other factors may mean your actual pathway is different. Perhaps you'll need an extra math or language class, or one of the courses we've listed isn't offered in a particular semester. Don't worry - there is flexibility built into the curriculum. You'll want to work closely with an advisor and use the academic advisement report to take all that into account and develop a pathway that's customized for you.
In the meantime, use this example as a starting point for choosing classes or discussing your plans with an advisor. Your advisor is your best resource when it comes to figuring out how to fit all the courses you need, in the right sequence, into your personal academic plan.
* This FYS class is just an example. The FYS class you choose might meet a different GE area, so you would have to adjust your actual pathway accordingly.