Program: Spanish for Safety Sciences Certificate - Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Apr 05, 2025

2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog

The Certificate in Spanish for Safety Sciences is an 18-21-credit program aimed at those who want to better prepare themselves to work in safety, health, and environmental applied science fields alongside the growing number of Spanish-speaking individuals entering the U.S. workforce. The certificate builds oral and written Spanish skills to communicate in safety science professions.

The Certificate in Spanish for Safety Sciences offers students a variety of options for fulfilling requirements. In addition to completing the course sequence, students may earn credits towards the Certificate by taking an Advanced Placement Exam, or they may earn IUP course credits for oral proficiency levels in Spanish through the American Council on Education (ACE). (An explanation of how to obtain ACE credits is given in the Undergraduate Catalog in the Spanish, BA section of the Department of Foreign Languages). Students with previous foreign language experience who do not earn credits through Advanced Placement or ACE are required to take a departmentally-approved language placement exam for possible exemption from some courses. Students in the Certificate in Spanish for Safety Sciences can only be exempted from up to 12 credits in the initial Language Sequence and must take at least 6 credits of coursework.

Initial Language Sequence: 12

Courses with these numbers are offered in Spanish as part of the three-semester core language

SPAN 101 - Elementary Spanish I Credits: 4
SPAN 102 - Elementary Spanish II Credits: 4
SPAN 201 - Intermediate Spanish Credits: 4

Intermediate Spanish for the Safety Sciences Sequence: 6

(1)

SPAN 221 - Oral Communication in Spanish for Safety and Health Credits: 3
or
SAFE 221 - Oral Communication in Spanish for Safety and Health Credits: 3
SPAN 231 - Safety and Health Technical Reading and Writing in Spanish Credits: 3
or
SAFE 231 - Safety and Health Technical Reading and Writing in Spanish Credits: 3

Total Certificate Requirements: 18-21

(1) SAFE 101 or SAFE 111 is a required prerequisite or corequisite for non-SAFE majors

In the intermediate-level courses, the safety sciences concepts will be taught in English by an instructor from the Department of Safety Sciences, and Spanish communication skills will be taught in Spanish by an instructor from the Department of Foreign Languages.

Credits taken in a study abroad context may also count toward the Certificate. Transfer credit received through study abroad experiences must be approved by the Chairperson of the Department of Foreign Languages or the Chairperson’s designee or previously approved through the Transfer Credit Office.

Oral Proficiency Interview Exam
Between the midterm and the completion of the final semester of coursework in the certificate, students will be required to complete the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) in person, or the Oral Proficiency Interview by Computer (OPIc) administered by Language Testing International (LTI). Both the OPI and OPIc issue a reliable rating on the oral proficiency level based on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. Students receive official documentation of their oral proficiency rating after completing this oral assessment. The OPI or the OPIc ratings are valid for two years and can be used for employment purposes. There is a fee associated with taking the OPI or OPIc, for which students are responsible.