Spanish Studies

College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences
Four students in a Spanish class

Degree Options

  • B.A. in Spanish
  • B.A. in Spanish Teaching
  • Minor in Spanish
  • Certificate in Spanish

Who Would be Interested in Spanish Studies?

Every area of daily life and career opportunities can be enhanced by the study of Spanish:

  • Medical, Police and Military, Service fields
  • Manufacturing, Business, Retail, and Art
  • Telecommunications, Social Services and Education, Television, Movies, and Journalism Media
  • Agriculture and Environmental Conservation

Why Spanish Studies?

  • Spanish Studies involves not just memorization of facts and grammar, but the development of applicable linguistic and cultural skills that last a lifetime.
  • Learning Spanish opens so many doors. From a practical side, learning additional languages is medically proven to strengthen the mind throughout your lifetime. It enhances memory, logic, and mental agility as well as sharpening your critical thinking. It provides the tools to be a global citizen through engagement with locals in their native tongue through travel and study abroad.
  • From a career perspective, Spanish is a business, cultural, and linguistic necessity! More than 350 million people worldwide speak Spanish. Of that, roughly 35 million live in the United States. Knowledge of the Spanish language and Hispanic/Latino cultures gives you a major boost to any career choice you make. Fields include but are not limited to interpretation/translation, education, business, government, diplomacy, social services and artistic media. Spanish is the third most spoken language worldwide.
  • Best of all, when you study Spanish at EKU, all Major and Minor courses are taught by fully qualified professors, no teaching assistants.
  • Upper-level classes are small, so students have the opportunity to develop one-on-one relationships with their instructors in order to develop language skills in an immersion-like environment.
  • Students gain practical skills by engaging with the local Latino community through Service-Learning, Cooperative-Opportunity Programs, and first-hand experiences in their field to prepare them for employment opportunities upon graduation or further study in graduate level educational programs.

What Are the Requirements to be Admitted to the Program?

Students can declare a Spanish program upon applying to EKU.

Program course requirements begin at the 200-level

  • SPA 101 and 102 are considered prerequisites to begin a program
  • Retro-credit is available for those who qualify to begin at a higher level due to prior high school courses or equivalent. Speak to an adviser for more information on retro-credit opportunities.

Where Are Recent Graduates Employed?

  • Spanish Language/Culture Teachers at public and private primary school systems worldwide
  • Interpreter/Translator at Maxwell Street Legal Clinic, Lexington, KY
  • Interpreter-Translator at Bluegrass Farm Workers Health Clinic

How Do I Get More Information?

https://lcas.eku.edu/spanish-studies
Contact any of the following Spanish Program Advisors:
Manuel Cortés-Castañeda
McCreary Building, Room 215
859-622-1536
manuel.cortes-castaneda@eku.edu

Abbey Poffenberger
McCreary Building, Room 114
859-622-2996
abbey.poffenberger@eku.edu

Socorro Zaragoza
McCreary Building, Room 213
859-622-6435
socorro.zaragoza@eku.edu

Are There Scholarship Opportunities?

  • Sigma Delta Pi Spanish Honor Society Summer Study Abroad Scholarships
  • Alpha Mu Gamma Foreign Language Honor Society Scholarships
  • Leslie Parrish Memorial Scholarship for Study Abroad