Spanish, BA

The department offers a varied curriculum to provide not only basic language instruction in Spanish, but also the more advanced competencies needed by language specialists and students hoping to take advantage of an international study experience. For the undergraduate Spanish major, the department has two degree programs: the BSEd and the BA program with a major in Spanish.

Students majoring in Spanish will acquire proficiency in all phases of the language and enter more deeply into the history, culture, and literature of Spanish-speaking countries. Spanish majors generally find employment in government work, librarianship, journalism and public relations, foreign trade, airlines, tourism, business, criminology, and teaching. Students choosing careers as secondary school teachers will find the close supervision and advanced methodology offered by the department a distinct asset.

Placement

Students with previous Spanish study in high school will be placed into the appropriate course levels by means of a written departmental exam, administered before the beginning of the semester. In addition, students judged to be native or heritage speakers (either through the written placement exam or by classroom instructors), will have their speaking proficiency assessed by an oral proficiency tester in the Department of Foreign Languages who is currently certified by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Students who receive an advisory oral proficiency rating of Advanced Low level on the oral proficiency scale developed by ACTFL will not be permitted to enroll in SPAN 101 , SPAN 102 , SPAN 201 , or SPAN 220 . Students who receive an advisory oral proficiency rating of Advanced-Mid level or higher will not be permitted to enroll in SPAN 101 , SPAN 102 , SPAN 201 , SPAN 220 , SPAN 350 , or SPAN 450 . Students who are rated in the advanced range are encouraged to seek course credit for their oral proficiency levels by applying through the American Council on Education (ACE) Credit Recommendation Service in conjunction with Language Testing International (LTI) (see next section). In the case of Spanish majors and minors who place out of the courses listed as a result of having the advanced-level oral proficiency and choose NOT to pursue ACE credits, SPAN 201 will be waived (no credits granted), and students will need to seek other Spanish classes in place of the required SPAN 220 and SPAN 350 courses.

No student will be permitted to register for or take a D/F repeat in SPAN 101 , SPAN 102 , or SPAN 201 when credit has already been received for a higher-numbered course. No student will be permitted to register for or take a D/F repeat in SPAN 220 when credit has already been received for SPAN 350 and/or SPAN 450 .

Course Credit for Oral Proficiency Levels

Incoming students may receive course credit for their oral proficiency levels in Spanish through the American Council on Education (ACE) Credit Recommendation Service and Language Testing International (LTI), the assessment agency for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Students who have taken an ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) through LTI, received a proficiency rating by LTI, and received credit recommendation by ACE may receive the following course credits in Spanish at IUP:

ACTFL Oral Proficiency Ratings (rated by LTI)	ACE Credit Recommendations	IUP Spanish Course Equivalencies
Intermediate-Mid	4 Lower Division credits	Either SPAN 102 or SPAN 201 , depending on placement on departmental written exam
Intermediate-High/Advanced Low	8 Lower Division credits	SPAN 201 and SPAN 220
Advanced-Mid	10 Lower Division credits	SPAN 201 and SPAN 220 and SPAN 350
Advanced-High/Superior	10 Lower Division credits and 3 Upper Division credits	SPAN 201 and SPAN 220 and SPAN 350 and SPAN 450

To begin the process, students must contact LTI by e-mail (testing@languagetesting.com) to request an ACE College Credit Recommendation by OPI Examination information package and application. There is a fee for the OPI and an ACE application fee.

Study Abroad

Study Abroad: The university has established study-abroad centers in Spain, Mexico, France, and Costa Rica. The program in Valladolid, Spain, is a second-semester-only program, whereas the ones in Mexico and Costa Rica are summer programs. All majors are required to participate in study abroad; nonmajors are also accepted into these programs. The 18 credits in Spain, 7 credits in Mexico, 6 credits in France, or 4 credits in Costa Rica are applicable, all or in part, to a major, minor, or certificate in Spanish and French (as applicable). Students interested in more information should contact the department.

Liberal Studies:46-48

As outlined in the Liberal Studies Requirements with the following specifications:

Mathematics: 3

Liberal Studies Social Science: 9

ANTH 110 - Contemporary Anthropology Credits: 3 (1)
PSYC 101 - General Psychology Credits: 3 (1)
One additional LS Social Science course with any prefix, except ANTH and PSYC.

Liberal Studies Electives: 6 (2)

One LS Elective MATH course.
One additional LS Elective with any prefix, except MATH or SPAN.

Major: 33-37

Study Abroad (3)

Required Courses:

SPAN 201 - Intermediate Spanish Credits: 4 (4)
SPAN 220 - Intermediate Spanish Conversation Credits: 3
SPAN 230 - Intermediate Spanish Composition and Grammar Credits: 3
SPAN 260 - Introduction to Hispanic Literature Credits: 3
SPAN 330 - Advanced Spanish Composition and Grammar Credits: 3
SPAN 340 - Hispanic Cultures into the 19th Century Credits: 3
SPAN 342 - Spanish Cultures from the 19th Century to the Present Credits: 3
or
SPAN 344 - Spanish-American Cultures from the 19th Century to the Present Credits: 3
SPAN 350 - Advanced Spanish Conversation Credits: 3
SPAN 362 - Survey of Peninsular Literature Credits: 3
or
SPAN 364 - Survey of Spanish-American Literature Credits: 3

Controlled Electives (5):

Any two courses from those numbered 400-431 Credits: 6 (6)
Any 3cr in SPAN courses 342 or above except SPAN 390 Credits: 3

Spanish Education PK-12 Certificate Option: 34 (7)

Please refer to the Spanish Education PK-12 Certificate for the list of detailed requrements.

Free Electives: 1-41

Total Degree Requirements: 120

Students pursuing the PK-12 Spanish Education Certificate must take this course.
MATH 217 – Probability and Statistics is highly recommended for students pursuing the PK-12 Spanish Education Certificate.Students who prefer not to take a MATH LS Elective must still take a second math course (101 or higher).
Students must successfully complete a program of language study in a Spanish-speaking country. This program must, as a minimum, last four weeks and carry 3 or more credits extending beyond the intermediate level. Students may fulfill this requirement by participating in any of the programs primarily administrated by faculty of IUP’s Department of Foreign Languages. Students wishing to fulfill this requirement through any other study abroad program must obtain prior approval from the Requests for exemptions to this requirement must be initiated by the student in writing and submitted to the department chair.
Students for whom SPAN 201 is waived (by means of placement tests) only need 33 credits in Spanish courses.
Courses with a prefix other than SPAN taken to meet these requirements must be approved by the department chair.
Students pursuing the Certificate in PK-12 Spanish Education must take SPAN 454 - Spanish in Four Dimensions.
Students pursuing this certificate must meet all requirements for the Spanish BA with specified Liberal Studies requirements. They take the Pre-professional and Professional sequences as part of their free electives. They must also meet these requirements for the certificate: the Mid-program Review, Admission to Student Teaching, and the Three-Step Process.