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.

Spanish, B.A.

Where You'll Go

With fluency in another language—and the cultural connections that are inextricably linked to it—you will not only travel the world with more confidence, you’ll also become a very desirable candidate for careers in almost any position imaginable. A major in Spanish will give you a solid background in the language, literature, and culture that could lead to a rewarding career in international affairs, business, government, or teaching, and to studies at the graduate level in a variety of fields.

Major Details

The program information listed here reflects the approved curriculum for the 2024–25 academic year per the Brooklyn College Bulletin. Bulletins from past academic years can be found here.

Major Requirements (36–38 Credits)

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, or 3525.

The remaining courses are to be selected from Spanish 1030 and above.

There are four tracks for this major:

  • Hispanic Linguistics
  • Spanish and Latin American Literature and Culture
  • Spanish Language and Business
  • Spanish Translation

For all tracks, two courses in Modern Languages and Literatures (MLAN) 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, English, History, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy, Psychology, Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, Communication Arts, Sciences, and Disorders, Computer Information Science).

Knowledge of Latin and/or another language other than English is also helpful.

The department chair, 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.

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.

Contact

Alejandro Alonso

4231 Boylan Hall
E: alonso@brooklyn.cuny.edu
P: 718.951.5451

Or contact:

Office of Undergraduate Admissions

222 West Quad Center
2900 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11210
E: adminqry@brooklyn.cuny.edu

To make an appointment with an undergraduate admissions counselor, visit:

Virtual Admissions Counselor Appointments

Tracks

Hispanic Linguistics

Students should complete three of the following as part of the requirements listed above: Spanish 3320, or 3390, or Modern Languages and Literatures 3360, or Linguistics 2001.

Spanish and Latin American Literature and Culture

Students should complete the major requirements listed above.

Spanish Language and Business

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.

Spanish Translation

Students should complete three of the following as part of the requirements listed above: Spanish 3240, or 3260, or 3290, or Modern Languages and Literatures 4500.

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
  • Neighborhood Charter Schools
  • New York City Department of Education
  • New York City Human Resources Administration
  • New York City Teaching Fellows
  • New York Presbyterian Hospital
  • Queens District Attorney’s Office
  • Sanctuary for Families
  • United Nations
  • United States Army

Learn More

Brooklyn. All in.

Brooklyn. All in.