About Us

Studying the diverse cultural heritage of Spanish and Portuguese speakers in the Americas, Europe, and Africa— including the Latino communities of the United States and Canada—opens an alternative path to a global view of the world that is a fundamental component of a well-rounded education.  

Our undergraduate programs in Spanish and Portuguese studies combine the study of language with literature, culture, and linguistics. We offer elementary, intermediate, and advanced language classes, Spanish and Portuguese for business as well as for the medical and service professions. You can choose from different international programs, and complete your major and minor requirements by studying abroad. Over the academic year, you'll have opportunities to participate in many activities, including conversation hours for students of Spanish, Portuguese, and Catalan; film festivals; and talks given by exciting guest speakers. You can also participate in the undergraduate research program and many other opportunities for professional development.

Our graduate programs lead towards MA, MAT, and PhD degrees. 

Our MA is geared towards recent graduates and professionals seeking to further their knowledge of and enhance their professional opportunities in the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world. We also offer an accelerated MA to which Spanish majors can access before graduating with their BA.

The MAT aims to prepare future teachers to obtain a teaching licensure.

Our PhD is for those interested in becoming higher-education teachers and scholars. The doctoral program has five different concentrations, offering the opportunity to specialize in:

• Iberian Studies
• Hispanic Linguistics
• Latin American and Latinx Studies
• Portuguese and Brazilian Studies
• Translation in the Hispanic and Lusophone World

About Spanish at UMass Amherst

A major in Spanish, one of the most widely spoken languages globally, provides you with communication skills and integrative and cross-disciplinary exposure to a wide variety of literature and cultures within the Spanish-speaking world: the regions of Spain influenced by Christian, Islamic, and Jewish traditions; the many countries of Latin America where European, African and Amerindian peoples interacted to form rich and complex cultures; and the Latino communities in the United States and Canada with their rapidly growing populations and increasing prominence.

The faculty is fully committed to passing on to you the intellectual benefits gained from comprehensive knowledge of these diverse cultures, which have contributed greatly to the ideas, values, and accomplishments that have profoundly shaped the global community.

About Portuguese at UMass Amherst

Gain cultural and linguistic knowledge of Portuguese, the sixth most spoken language in the world. It is the language of over 200 million people in many different countries, such as Brazil, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, East Timor, and parts of India and China. Portuguese is the language of Nobel Prize winner José Saramago and of Machado de Assis, the most famous Brazilian writer. It's also the language of world-famous Brazilian musicians, sports figures, and filmmakers.

There are important communities of Portuguese speakers in various regions of the United States. Luso-Americans (Americans with Portuguese, Brazilian, or Luso-African origin) can be found in all states and there are sizable Luso-American communities in Massachusetts (where Portuguese is the second most widely spoken language after English), and also in California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New York, Hawaii, Florida, Delaware, and Virginia. 

About Catalan at UMass Amherst

Catalan is one of the four largest languages of Spain (together with Castilian, Euskera, and Galician). It's the national and official language of Andorra and the co-official language of Catalonia, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands. It is also spoken without official recognition in Southern France, in Aragon (in La Franja), and in the Italian island of Sardinia (in the city of Alghero). About 10 million people speak Catalan.

Our minor in Catalan studies offers an opportunity to reflect upon the multiculturalism of Spain. Spain is not one, but multiple, and Catalan is an important aspect of its culture. Even for students who focus exclusively on improving their competence in Spanish, a first-hand encounter with a non-Castilian culture enhances their understanding of Spanish society and history.

Furthermore, Catalan is an important tool for students who are specializing in Romance literature. In the Middle Ages, Catalan was closely related to Occitan; the vehicle for the poetry of the troubadours. To students of Hispanic linguistics, the knowledge of another Iberian language allows them to undertake research projects that compare and contrast different structures of those languages.