BA in Spanish

Your Spanish proficiency level determines the 120-credit bachelor’s degree curriculum and the intermediate and advanced Spanish courses you need to take. Then, in addition to core major coursework and general education classes, you’ll be able to explore various areas of study with electives, including Spanish for healthcare professions, business, writing, media, and international outreach work.

Spanish learners and heritage speakers can take the Spanish Placement Exam to earn course credit toward the Spanish major or minor requirements. Email us for more information about Spanish placement exams for credit.

Degree Plan

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Courses

As a Spanish major, you’ll explore courses in linguistics, literature, culture and professional Spanish language use. These courses prepare students for a variety of career paths.

You may take courses including:

• Advanced Spanish Grammar
• The Art of Translation
• Business Spanish
• Hispanic Literature
• Medical Spanish
• Spanish Film Studies

Spanish Minor

Add our Spanish minor to a different primary area of study at HCU to enhance your cross-cultural communication skills and broaden your career prospects in nearly every field and industry. The Spanish Placement Exam can seamlessly help you earn credits toward the Spanish minor, not just the major.

View minor page

Review minor requirements

Students can leverage bilingual skills ,combined with the ability to speak confidently, read with comprehension, and write effectively in fields ranging from the hospitality industry to business and marketing to medicine, law, ministry, education and more.

Whether you see yourself serving Spanish-speaking communities, traveling internationally for work opportunities, or pursuing graduate training, our Spanish major equips you to use your toolset immediately in professional roles and to pursue further education to teach and research using the Spanish language to teach, communicate and research using the Spanish language.

Career and Salary Outcomes

Armed with language proficiency and cultural understanding, critical thinking skills, and specialized studies, our Spanish program graduates thrive in numerous career paths that value effective communication, global awareness, and speaking more than one language.

Careers you can pursue with a Spanish major include:

• Diplomacy and international relations
• Education
• Healthcare
• International business
• Journalism and media
• Ministry
• Nonprofit and community organizations
• Law and advocacy
• Public relations
• Translation and interpretation
• Tourism and hospitality

Excel in careers that earn rewarding salaries across these industries and more, in settings from courtrooms to hospitals to international businesses. Translation and interpretation careers reported an average annual salary of $57,090 in 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Similarly, the BLS reports technical writing roles where Spanish majors can communicate complex information bilingually can average an $80,050 yearly salary. In 2023, public relations specialists earned an average annual salary of $66,750, while market research analysts reported an average yearly wage of $75,680, according to the BLS.

Whether you choose a career directly related to the Spanish language or apply your skills in interdisciplinary fields like global business or healthcare, opportunities abound in government, community and social services, education, medicine, business, and foreign and domestic ministry.

Study Abroad in Spain

True cultural immersion is how you become confident in speaking Spanish personally, academically, and professionally. Join students of all majors on our annual travel programs to partner institutions for a summer of study, visiting places like the University of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. Take Spanish classes at one of the oldest universities in Europe and connect with other students, faculty, your host family, and the surrounding community through built-in daily excursions and activities. Pell Grant recipients are eligible to apply for financial aid for our study abroad in Spain.

Learn more about studying in Spain and study abroad opportunities at HCU.

Internships and Professional Experiences

In addition to time spent studying, your optional summer in Spain can include an international internship tailored to your career aspirations, including medicine, business, and church ministry. We think hands-on experience is vital to a well-rounded education, so whether you complete an internship here in Houston or abroad or take advantage of our numerous service learning opportunities, as a Spanish major you’ll demonstrate real-world experience in putting your Spanish skills and communication skills to work.

Learn From Expert Faculty

Our expert Spanish language faculty have experience speaking, teaching, and researching Spanish across various professional contexts and publish cutting-edge research in Spanish language learning and other topics. Your professors’ vast network of contacts in international business, language, linguistics, healthcare and translation provides a framework of support for your post-graduation endeavors, no matter how ambitious.