Department of Spanish and Portuguese: Indiana University

General Information

Undergraduate Studies The Department of Spanish and Portuguese offers courses at all levels, elementary through graduate, in the language and literature of Spain and Spanish America; Portugal, Brazil, and Lusophone Africa; and Catalonia.

The department offers a B.A. in Spanish and a B.A. in Portuguese, as well as official minors in both languages. After meeting certain prerequisites, some students may choose to earn a B.A. with honors in Spanish or Portuguese.

The department is highly regarded in national rankings. In the most recent Gourman report, the Spanish undergraduate program ranked 11th (out of 479 undergraduate programs) in the country, and the Portuguese undergraduate program ranked 10th (out of 33 programs).

The department participates in the programs offered by Comparative Literature, Film Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Linguistics, Medieval Studies Institute, Renaissance Studies, West European Studies, School of Business, School of Journalism, and Women's Studies. The department also works with the School of Education to prepare students who wish to qualify for teacher certification.

Degree Information

In addition to the degree requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences, the following are the requirements for the major in Spanish or Portuguese:

Spanish Major

S250: Second-Year Spanish
S275: Introduction to Hispanic Culture. This course is waived for students who place into 300 level, although the credits must be replaced.
S310, S312: Spanish Grammar & Composition, Expository Writing in Spanish
S326: Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics
S331 & S332 or S333: The Hispanic World-- literature courses, Spanish America and Spain
One additional three-credit hour elective at the 300/400 level. The following may not be used to fulfill this requirement: S488, S421 or S494. P135 and C400 may be used to fulfill this requirement.
Nine credit hours at the 400 level (1 literature, 1 additional course in either literature or linguistics, and one 400-level elective). The 9 hours must include at least one three-credit hour course taken on the Bloomington campus.
Spanish majors must complete a minor of at least 15 credit hours of course work. A minor field of study may be selected from another department of the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business, or the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Students should consult with a faculty adviser in the minor field of study, and students choosing a minor field outside the College of Arts and Sciences should review policies on outside credit hours (see "Approved Courses Outside the College of Arts and Sciences" in the COAS Bulletin).
If a department offers a minor approved by the college, Spanish majors must follow the specified requirements and be approved by the department. If majors choose a field that does not specify a minor, the requirements include at least 15 credit hours in a single department with at least 9 credit hours at the 300 level or above. Foreign language work at the 100-level will not count for the minor. The minor requirement is waived for students who complete a double major.

Spanish Minor

Did you know that after S250 you would only need 4 more classes to receive your minor?

The Spanish minor is 15 hours at or above the 250 level: S250, S275, S310, and two additional courses at the 300 or 400 level

Portuguese Major

25 credit hours in courses beyond P100-150
12 credit hours of the 25 will be in 400-level courses, including 6 hours in literature. The 12 hours must include at least one three-credit hour course taken on the Bloomington campus.
Portuguese majors must complete a minor of at least 15 credit hours of course work. A minor field of study may be selected from another department of the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business, or the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Sutdents should consult with a faculty adviser in the minor field of study, and students choosing a minor field outside the College of Arts and Sciences should review policies on outside credit hours (see "Approved Courses Outside the College of Arts and Sciences" in the COAS Bulletin).
If a department offers a minor approved by the college, Portuguese majors must follow the specified requirements and be approved by the department. If majors choose a field that does not specify a minor, the requirements include at least 15 credit hours in a single department with at least 9 credit hours at the 300 level or above. Foreign language work at the 100-level will not count for the minor. The minor requirement is waived for students who complete a double major.

Portuguese Minor

Did you know that you can take two years of Portuguese in two semesters? Students with a background in Spanish or another Romance language can enroll in P135 (Intensive Portuguese) in the Fall and proceed to P250 (Second-Year Portuguese II) in the Spring semester. After completing P135 and P250 with a grade of C- or better, students may claim special credit for P100 and P200. After this, the student will have earned 14 credit hours (although only courses at the 200 level and above count toward the major or minor). To minor in Portuguese, students would then need to complete P311, P317, and one 400-level course, for a total of 15 credit hours at the 200 level and above.

The Portuguese minor is 15 credit hours of course work at or above the 200 level, including: P200-250, P311, P317, and a 400-level course or P290 with permission of the department.

For further information contact:
Karla Allgood, Undergraduate Secretary, or
Carl Good , Director of Undergraduate Studies.