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BA in Romance Languages with Emphasis in Spanish

Degree Program Description

The BA in Romance Languages with an emphasis in Spanish is the exploration of the language, literature, and culture of Spanish-speaking countries. The degree requires a minimum of 30 hours of Spanish beyond SPAN 2100. Faculty strongly encourages all majors to spend at least one semester (or summer) studying abroad, preferably after their second year of the language. Given the liberal arts foundation of a degree in Spanish students pursue careers in a variety of fields or continue their studies. Graduates have pursued careers in journalism, tourism, diplomacy, and education.

Major Program Requirements

Course work must be completed with a grade in the C range or higher in each of the required courses and students must maintain a 2.0 GPA in the major. In addition to University, general education, and College of Arts and Science requirements, students must also meet the following major program requirements. All major requirements in the College of Arts and Science must be completed with grades of C- or higher unless otherwise indicated.

Students who work toward a double major (two BA degrees within the College of Arts and Science) may be able to complete the majors with a minimum of 120 credits.

To obtain the BA degree in Romance Languages with an emphasis in Spanish, the following courses, or their equivalents, must be included in the graduation plan (numbers in parentheses indicate prerequisite courses):

Major core requirements
SPAN 2160Intermediate Spanish Composition and Conversation3
SPAN 3150Advanced Spanish Conversation3
or SPAN 3721 Spanish Phonetics
SPAN 3160Advanced Spanish Composition3
or SPAN 3280 Commercial Spanish
SPAN 3420Introduction to Hispanic Literature I3
SPAN 3430Introduction to Hispanic Literature II3

Additional Requirements

Students must complete five 4000-level courses selected with the advisor’s approval. 

  • Required courses: one peninsular lit., one Spanish-American lit., three courses of choice.
  • Up to 12 credits of SPAN 4980 may be counted toward fulfillment of major requirements.
     
Peninsular
SPAN 4410Spanish Medieval Literature3
SPAN 4420Golden Age Poetry3
SPAN 4421Renaissance and Golden Age Prose3
SPAN 4422Spanish Theatre in the Golden Age3
SPAN 4423Don Quijote3
SPAN 4441Twentieth-Century Spanish Novel3
SPAN 4490Hispanic Oral Traditions3
Spanish American Literature
SPAN 4450Hispanic Literature of Resistance3
SPAN 4470Survey of Spanish American Literature I3
SPAN 4471Survey of Spanish American Literature II3
SPAN 4480Mexican Literature3
SPAN 4520Modernista and Contemporary Poetry3
SPAN 4530The Spanish American Theatre3
SPAN 4540Afro-Hispanic Literature3
SPAN 4550Nobel Laureates in Spanish American Literature3
Other
SPAN 4130Stylistics3
SPAN 4442Advanced Contemporary Culture of Spain3
SPAN 4460Advanced Contemporary Culture of Spanish America3
SPAN 4461Advanced Spanish Civilization3
SPAN 4530The Spanish American Theatre3
SPAN 4711History of the Spanish Language3
SPAN 4721Structure of Modern Spanish3
SPAN 4722Spanish Across the Continents3
SPAN 4723Language and Society: Spanish in the U.S.3
SPAN 4980Special Themes in Spanish3
SPAN 4993The Capstone Experience in Spanish3

It should be noted that SPAN 4960 Special Readings in Spanish cannot be used to fulfill this requirement except by permission of the department chair. Students who plan to teach at any level should include courses SPAN 3160 and SPAN 3721, rather than their alternates.

  • Students beginning at a level higher than SPAN 2160 due to placement testing must still complete 30 credits in order to receive the major.
  • In addition, the student is required to take a Writing Intensive course in the major, normally designated sections of SPAN 3420 or SPAN 3430.
  • It is highly recommended (not required) that students study for a summer, a semester or a full year in a Spanish-speaking country. 

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Semester Plan

Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available.

First Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
SPAN 21603SPAN 3150 or 37213
ENGLSH 10003Science/Science Lab5
MATH 1050, 1100, or STAT 12003Behavioral Science3
Social Science3Social Science3
Second major/minor/elective coursework3 
 15 14
Second Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
Science3SPAN 3420 or 34303
SPAN 3160 or 32803Science3
Humanities3Humanities3
Behavioral Science3Humanities3
Second major/minor/elective coursework3Second major/minor/elective coursework3
 15 15
Third Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
SPAN 3420 or 34303SPAN 4000-level3
Social Science3SPAN 41303
Second major/minor/elective coursework9Second major/minor/elective coursework9
 15 15
Fourth Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
SPAN 4000-level3SPAN 49933
SPAN 4000-level3Second major/minor/elective coursework9
Second major/minor/elective coursework10Humanities3
 16 15
Total Credits: 120

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Degree Audit

The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree. 

MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.

Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.

Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.

For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.

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Major and Career Exploration

The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.

  • If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.

  • If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major

  • If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.

For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.

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