Spanish, B.A.
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Program Overview
Knowing another language is one of the most valuable skills you can possess, and learning it at Brooklyn College—located in one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in the world—is a wise choice. As a Spanish major, you can choose from four tracks: Spanish Language and Business, Spanish and Latin American Literature and Culture, Hispanic Linguistics, or Spanish Translation.
Major Details
The program information listed here reflects the approved curriculum for the 2026–27 academic year per the Brooklyn College Bulletin. Bulletins from past academic years can be found here.
Major Requirements (36–38 Credits)
NYSED Program Code: 02034
Option 1: Spanish and Latin American Language, Literature, and Culture
The following are required (36–38 credits in advanced courses):
- Spanish 2030W and 3610
- At least one of the following culture courses: Spanish 3510, 3515, 3520, 3525, 7510X, 7520X, or 7590X
- The remaining courses are to be selected from Spanish 1030 and above.
There may concentrate in:
- Literature and Culture
- Translation
- Hispanic Linguistics
Literature and Culture
Students should complete the major requirements listed above.
Linguistics
Students should complete three of the following as part of the requirements listed above:
Translation
Students should complete three of the following as part of the requirements listed above:
For all tracks, two courses in Global Languages, Literatures, and Cultures may be applied to the major.
With permission of the chair, one course may be in an allied discipline (Africana Studies, American Studies, Anthropology, Art, Classics, Computer Information Science, English, History, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy, Psychology, Puerto Rican and Latinx Studies, or Communication Arts, Sciences, and Disorders).
Knowledge of Latin and/or another language other than English is also helpful.
Option II: Language and Business (36 credits)
- All of the following: Spanish 2024 or 2030W; 2432; 3610; 3515 or 3525
- Four additional courses to be selected from Spanish 1030 and above
- Both of the following: Business 3100 and 3170
- Two of the following: Business 3240, 3200, 3210, 3230, 3130, 3140
The “W” designates a writing intensive course.
The department chairperson, with the approval of the department’s curriculum committee, may allow substitutions for one or more of the requirements consistent with the educational goals of the program.
Accelerated Master’s
Undergraduates who take graduate courses will receive credit for both their undergraduate and a subsequent graduate degree.
In either Option I or Option II, undergraduates of senior standing with a minimum GPA of 3.0 may take up to 12 subject-area credits at the graduate level, in courses numbered SPAN 7010X through SPAN 7710X.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Express ideas cogently and persuasively orally and in writing in Spanish at the high intermediate level and above (as defined by the ACTFL standards).
- Explain the Spanish-speaking world’s linguistic and cultural diversity through analysis and discussion of Spanish as it is used in a variety of real-world situations and discursive modes. Describe its historical, regional, and social variations.
- Identify and summarize the defining characteristics of major literary movements, genres, and authors of Spanish and Latin American literature, using the critical vocabulary for the study of literature.
- Use modes of analysis and ways of critical, interpretive, and creative thinking that may be applied to a variety of career paths.
- Formulate complex questions about one’s own culture and the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Articulate answers to these questions that include varied perspectives about cultural norms and biases.
- Define key diversity concepts such as privilege, power, and access, and compare and contrast how these concepts impact their own lives and those of others in hispanophone communities in the United States and around the world.
- Analyze business activities that occur between people or organizations from different countries and cultures.
Degree Maps
To help you pursue your studies in the most efficient manner, and to maximize your efforts to graduate in four years, Brooklyn College has created four-year degree maps for all its majors.
View degree maps for this major and others.
The Support You’ll Find
Brooklyn College is an integral part of the cultural and artistic energy of New York City. Our faculty members in the Department of Global Languages, Literatures, and Cultures offer incomparable expertise and tremendous talent, and each brings a unique perspective to their teaching and mentoring in and out of the classroom.
Internships and Employers
Through job fairs, the internship database, and internship panels, the Magner Career Center gives students in the Spanish B.A. program access to career opportunities at a wide variety of employers, including:
- Coalition for Hispanic Family Services
- Fidelis Care
- Major League Baseball
- McGraw Hill
- Mount Sinai Health System
- New York City Department of Education
- New York Presbyterian Hospital
- Queens District Attorney’s Office
- Sanctuary for Families
- United Nations
