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         Portuguese Major
         Portuguese Minor
         Spanish Major
         Spanish Minor

Important Links

List of Undergraduate Advisors

Undergraduate Program Inquiries

Mary Ellen White Maynard
Undergraduate Program
Herter 418
(413) 545-2807
maynard@german.umass.edu

 

Undergraduate Programs

Spanish and Portuguese combines strong academic programs with personalized advising to attract a rapidly growing number of majors and minors. Spanish is a particularly popular choice of today's students. Many also work toward dual degrees, combining a major in Spanish or Portuguese with majors in a wide variety of fields. With careful planning, most students find ample time to fulfill requirements for a double major. For majors with regional or global interests, additional certificate work in Latin American Studies or International Relations is an attractive option. Besides offering an array of language, literature, and culture courses, the department hosts numerous activities for its majors throughout the year. The department offers a summer program in Salamanca, Spain; a spring semester program in Oviedo, Spain; a fall semester program in Granada, Spain; and a program in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since 2005, the Institut Ramon Llull has sponsored Catalan language and cultural coursework offerings through the Spanish & Portuguese Department.

General information

Besides offering an array of language, literature, and culture courses, the department hosts numerous activities for its majors throughout the year. These include a beginning-of-year reception, career and study abroad nights, and an end-of-year reception and awards ceremony for graduating majors. The Spanish Club, open to all students, promotes movies, dinners, and other opportunities to hear and speak Spanish.

Study abroad is also an important component of undergraduate study, with most majors and minors arranging to participate in a semester- or year-long program. The department offers a summer program in Salamanca, Spain; a spring semester program in Oviedo, Spain; a fall semester program in Granada, Spain; and a program in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Information about these programs is provided elsewhere in this website. The International Programs office, tel. 545-2710, has information about many other programs in Spain and Latin America. The faculty encourage everyone interested in the programs described in this page to contact an advisor in the department.

Career Opportunities

Spanish and Portuguese majors develop foreign language skills that are increasingly in demand in today's global economy. University graduates hold a variety of positions in a wide range of fields but most have found employment in one of the following areas:

Teaching

With Spanish now the foreign language of choice for the majority of U.S. schoolchildren, there is a growing demand for Spanish graduates certified to teach. Some graduates also find career opportunities in English as a Second Language (ESL) or Bilingual Education. Elementary teachers in schools with large concentrations of Hispanic/Latino students find their knowledge of Spanish helpful in teaching youngsters not yet proficient in English. Do you want to be a Spanish teacher? Apply to the Spanish Secondary Teaching Education Program.

Banking and Financial Services

The explosion of international business activity has led to a tremendous need for many banks to hire bi- or multilingual overseas representatives and international officers, and for domestic banks to hire similarly skilled staff to assist non-English-speaking customers.

Government Jobs

Many UMass graduates work for the local, state or federal government as administrators, teachers, counselors, and social workers. Foreign language skills are essential for a wide range of federal government positions, especially in the State Department, the International Communication Agency, the National Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Naturalization Services, the Peace Corps, Head Start, the Office of Economic Opportunity, and VISTA.

Other Fields

Many graduates of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese bring skills gained from study and their experiences abroad to such fields as social work, international law and other areas of the legal profession, the print and broadcast media, health care services, advertising and sales, publishing, translating, travel and tourism, teaching and research at colleges and universities, and consulting firms.

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Requirements for the Portuguese Major

(36 CREDITS) A grade of C or better must be earned in every course.

I. Pre-Major Preparation (6 credits)

PORT 301 Conversational Portuguese
PORT 311 Advanced Portuguese

II. Major Core (9 credits)

1. Choose one of the following courses:
PORT 315 Portuguese Civilization or PORT 316 Brazilian Civilization
(Students who take 315 to fulfill the culture requirement can take 316 as an upper-level requirement, and vice versa.)
2. Choose two of the following courses:
PORT 320 Introduction to Portuguese Literature I
PORT 321 Introduction to Portuguese Literature II
PORT 322 Introduction to Brazilian Literature

III. Upper-Level Courses (18 credits)

To complete the Major in Portuguese, students are required to take six upper-level courses, chosen with the adviser's approval. Two of these courses may be taken in areas related to the major (History, Anthropology, Art, etc.). Courses taken outside of the department must be at the 300 level or above.

IV. Junior Writing requirement (3 credits)

Requirements for the Portuguese Minor

(15 CREDITS) At least 6 of the 15 credits must be taken within the department, and a grade of C or better must be earned in every course.

I. Pre-Minor Preparation (6 credits)

Choose two of the following:
PORT 301 Conversational Portuguese I or PORT 302 Conversational Portuguese II
PORT 311 Advanced Grammar
PORT 312 Advanced Composition
The advisor may waive the above requirements in the case of native speakers, but every student has to take 15 credits in order to receive the Minor in Portuguese.

II. Minor Core (6 credits)

Choose two of the following courses:
PORT 320 Introduction to Portuguese Literature I
PORT 321 Introduction to Portuguese Literature II
PORT 322 Introduction to Brazilian Literature

III. Upper-Level Course (3 credits)

One upper-level elective, above the 300 level, chosen with the adviser's approval.

Important Note:

During their final semester at the University, students MUST present an unofficial transcript to their advisers, in order to have their Portuguese Minor declaration form signed. Only when this form is signed and received by the Records Office will students receive their Minor in Portuguese.

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Requirements for the Spanish Major

(36 CREDITS) A minimum of fifteen units counted toward the major must be earned in courses taught at the University or in programs abroad sponsored by the SpanPort unit, and a grade of C or better must be earned in every course.

I. Pre-Major Preparation (9 credits)

SPAN 311 Advanced Grammar (SPAN 354 recommended for Native Speakers)
SPAN 312 Oral and Written Expression
SPAN 378 Spanish Phonetics
The advisor may waive some of the above requirements, but every student has to take 36 credits in order to receive the Major in Spanish.

II. Major Core (12 credits)

1. Choose two of the following courses:
SPAN 320 Literature of Spain I (to the 17th century)
SPAN 321 Literature of Spain II (18th to 20th century)
SPAN 322 Spanish American Literature I (to the 19th century)
SPAN 323 Spanish American Literature II (20th century)
2. Choose one of the following courses:
SPAN 415 Culture and Civilization of Spain
SPAN 417 Culture and Civilization of Spanish America
(Students who take 415 to fulfill the culture requirement can take 417 as an upper-level requirement, and vice versa.)
3. Take: SPAN 470 General View of Hispanic Linguistics

III. Upper-Level Courses (12 credits)

1. Two of these courses must be Spanish classes at 400 level or above.
2. The two remaining courses may be taken either in Spanish (above 323) or in areas related to the major (History, Anthropology, Art, Political Sceines, etc.) at the 300 level or above.
Note: Majors must have advisor's approval for all upper-level courses.

IV. Integrative Experience (Primary majors only)

1.SPAN 394 (sophomore/junior year)
2.SPAN 494 (junior/senior year)

V. Junior Writing requirement (Primary Majors only)

SPAN 313

Requirements for the Spanish Minor

(15 CREDITS) At least 6 of the 15 credits must be taken within the program, and a grade of C or better must be earned in every course.

I. Pre-Minor Preparation (6 credits)

1. SPAN 311 Advanced Grammar. (SPAN 354 recommended for Native Speakers)
2. SPAN 312 Oral and Written Expression

II. Minor Core (6 credits)

Choose two from the following courses:
SPAN 320 Literature of Spain I (to the 17th century)
SPAN 321 Literature of Spain II (18th to 20th century)
SPAN 322 Spanish American Literature I (to the 19th century)
SPAN 323 Spanish American Literature II (20th century)

III. Upper-Level Course (3 credits)

One upper-level elective numbered 400 or above, taught in Spanish, and chosen with the adviser's approval.

Important Note:

During their final semester at the University, students MUST present an unofficial transcript to their advisers, in order to have their Spanish Minor declaration form signed. Only when this form is signed and received by the Records Office will students receive their Minor in Spanish.

The advisor may waive some of the above requirements, but every student has to take 15 credits in order to receive the Minor in Spanish.

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Undergraduate Advisors

Undergraduate Program Director: Luis Marentes

Minor Advisors: A-L Alberto Ameal-Perez
                                      M-Z Margara Russotto

Major Advisors
Class of 2012 Patricia Guibitosi
Class of 2013 Emma Rivera-Rabago
Class of 2014 Jose Ornelas
Class of 2015 Luis Marentes
Class of 2016 Albert Lloret