Spanish, Portuguese, and Catalan Studies
Study an exciting range of languages, cultures, and literatures.
Studying Spanish, Portuguese, or Catalan at UMass Amherst, you’ll gain exceptional communication and critical thinking skills. You’ll also be exposed to many of the world’s most exciting literatures and cultures.
If you are an undergraduate, you can choose to major in either Spanish or Portuguese. These undergraduate majors combine the study of language with literature, culture, and linguistics. We offer elementary, intermediate, and advanced language classes and a wide range of activities and study abroad programs. You can also choose among minors in Spanish, Portuguese, and Catalan.
Graduate programs in Hispanic literatures and linguistics lead towards MA, MAT, and PhD degrees. The MA is geared toward recent graduates and professionals seeking to enhance their professional opportunities in Spanish and Portuguese. The MAT program aims to prepare you to obtain a teaching license.
Our PhD is for those interested in becoming faculty in higher education. You can choose among concentrations in Iberian studies, Hispanic linguistics, Latin American and Latinx studies, Portuguese and Brazilian studies, and translation in the Hispanic and Lusophone world.
Explore our programs
Undergraduate
Alumni spotlight
In the spotlight
“The classes at UMass really taught me how diverse I am as a bilingual speaker. There is so much more to the language, like the grammar, the different levels of formality, the different ways of speaking it. Because I was coming in as a Spanish speaker, I had so much to offer, and I didn’t even know that.”
Featured faculty
David Rodríguez-Solás
Associate Professor
David Rodríguez-Solás is an associate professor of the literatures and cultures of Spain.
Patricia Gubitosi
Undergraduate Program Director, Spanish and Portuguese Studies
Professor
Patricia Gubitosi is a professor of Hispanic linguistics.
Guillem Molla
Senior Lecturer
Guillem Molla is senior lecturer of Spanish studies and the Catalan language program director at UMass Amherst.
Carole Cloutier
Carole Cloutier currently holds the position of Spanish language program director.
Luiz Amaral
Associate Professor
Luiz Amaral is an associate professor of Hispanic linguistics. His work on native Brazilian languages focuses on the acquisition process of bilingual speakers.
In the news
Hispanic Linguistics PhD Student Claudia Matachana is Breaking Down Language Barriers through Research
Claudia Matachana, PhD student in Hispanic linguistics, researches language beliefs and discrimination as experienced by young Puerto Rican Spanish speakers.
Aretha Miller '92: A Legacy of Lifting Others Up
Spanish alumna Aretha Miller ’92 talks about how she's leaving a legacy of uplifting others at UMass Amherst.
General Consul of Portugal Visits Campus to Attend Film Festival, Meet with HFA Community Members
Tiago Araujo, the General Consul of Portugal in Boston, visited campus to participate in the 2nd Lusophone Film Festival and meet with the HFA community.