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Spanish, BA

Learn the Spanish language and explore the traditions, arts and culture of Spanish-speaking countries with a Spanish major at Seattle University.

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About this Program

Unlock Cultural Connections and Diverse Careers with a Spanish Major

More than 400 million people are native speakers of Spanish, making it the second most popular language—after Mandarin—globally.

An official language of the United Nations and the European Union, Spanish is also the most popular second language learned by native American English speakers.

We are deeply invested in the professional formation of our students, and that is why we have advanced classes focused on translation and interpretation, methodology for teaching Spanish as well as other courses that will hone your skills in the language and cross-cultural competency.

Our Spanish major gives you the opportunity to learn the Spanish language and explore the traditions, literature, film and arts of Spanish speaking countries in the classroom, on campus and abroad.

Our mission is to create future professionals concerned with social justice and equip them with adequate skills for its practice domestically and abroad.

We seek to educate multicultural, responsible leaders, who are engaged with empowering traditionally marginalized communities and pursuing the common good of diverse peoples.

Spanish Language Degree at a Glance

Learn how this degree from the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures will contribute to your career goals. Then, explore course requirements and see how impactful a Seattle University degree can be.

This program allows you to gain fluency in Spanish while learning more about various cultures that speak Spanish. This major requires a learning program in a Spanish-speaking country. A study abroad program will normally encompass 30 quarter credits of work, but no less than 20 credits in Spanish. The Spanish major requires a minimum of 20 credits of Seattle University courses.

Add a minor in Spanish to broaden your impact and complement your major. The minor in Spanish requires a minimum of 20 credits of Seattle University courses, as well as a learning program in a Spanish-speaking country for the equivalent of 15 quarter credits and with a minimum duration of eleven weeks.

At Seattle University, we take your career readiness seriously, so we’ve created an inventory and program-level map for you to help you see what skills you’re likely to practice in your major or, as in this case, as you study your first year of a language.

The various transferable skills are grouped into five clusters:

  • Intellectual
  • Interpersonal/Social
  • Personal/Internal
  • Creative
  • Technical

For each of those clusters, we list multiple components along with definitions to help you see what each of the skills means to employers and organizations. 

Your faculty have examined the first-year courses of your chosen language and have rated the extent to which you are likely to practice and be able to demonstrate your abilities after taking those three courses. This gives you a sense of the kinds of skills you’re likely to develop in your first year studying a modern language.

Career Readiness Map

If you’re planning on attending law school in the future, consider our Bachelor/JD Accelerated 3+3 Program. This degree plan allows you to finish both a law degree and a bachelor’s degree in six years. For more information, visit the Bachelor/JD Accelerated 3+3 Program Admission page.

What You’ll Learn

Learn about the classes you’ll take as a student here.

Students in the LASP program

Study Abroad: Latin American Studies Program

The Latin American Studies Program (LASP) has been successfully led by our faculty since 1990, and more than 500 students have seen their lives transformed through immersive learning trips to Puebla, Mexico. Being a part of LASP means to cross the border to go meet your neighbor and establish meaningful personal and intellectual connections with their people and culture.

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Pathways to Professional Formation

The College of Arts & Sciences is committed to helping you through your lifetime journey of professional formation and discernment. We offer opportunities to deepen and broaden your understanding of your professional identity.

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Student sitting during an adivising session

Arts and Sciences Advising Center

Our advising center is dedicated to your holistic academic and professional through academic advising and promotion of academic excellence. We work to solve problems, provide navigational guidance and build connections.

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Popular Careers for Spanish Majors

Career opportunities involving modern languages are ever expanding. Openings exist in the following areas:

  • foreign trade
  • foreign service
  • Health care services
  • international business
  • media
  • translation and interpretation
  • nonprofit organizations
  • librarianship
  • social work
  • teaching
  • tourism industry

Additionally, mastery of a modern language is a requirement for many graduate programs across various disciplines.

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