The Declaration Process

Students who are interested in majoring in Spanish should begin by reviewing the requirements for the major described below. Students may NOT declare a Spanish major along with a Spanish minor or a Business Spanish minor.

This department does not assign major advisors:

• When classes are not in session
• During the first three (3) weeks of the Fall and Spring semesters
• During Summer Session

When you are ready to declare, please do the following:

 To start the process email Linda Newman at lgn3e@virginia.edu – she will assign you an advisor and email you instructions on your next step.

 To complete your Declaration of Major Form - When declaring the Spanish major, students will be required to choose one of the three concentrations — General, Literature & Culture, or Language & Linguistics— to give structure to their Spanish studies. Your concentration must be indicated on your declaration form. The specific course requirements for each concentration are listed below in the Spanish Major Concentrations section. Use the Spanish Major Requirements by Concentration and Course Grid to guide you in choosing a concentration.

Declaration Deadline

Deadline to be Assigned to a SPAN Major Advisor during Fall: November 22.

The last day to be assigned an advisor is two weeks before the last day of classes. Since advisors don't hold office hours after classes end, the deadline ensures that students have two weeks to meet with an advisor and complete the declaration process.

This department does not assign major advisors:

• When classes are not in session
• During the first three (3) weeks of the Fall and Spring semesters
• During Summer Session

Major Declaration Workshop (Each Fall & Spring)

Fall 2024 Spanish Major Declaration Workshop: October 1.

 Email Linda Newman at lgn3e@virginia.edu to preregister for the Workshop. This workshop will be held on in person. 

Spanish major advising workshops are held in the early weeks of the Fall and Spring semesters. Declaration of Major forms will be sent electronically during the workshop. 

The workshops are presided over by Spanish Faculty Advisors who will review the highlights of declaring a Spanish major, answer questions from students, assign advisors, and sign major declaration forms during the workshop. All students are welcome to attend to get more information about the Spanish program. Beginning 2024 Spring semester those who have completed SPAN 2020, with a grade of C or better, are eligible to declare. Students who placed out of SPAN 2020 with exam scores (AP Exam, SAT II, IB Exam (A1 or A2) or the UVa Placement Exam) are also eligible to declare. You will need to attach proof of placement to the Declaration of Major form. 

What if I can't attend the Declaration Workshop? 

One advantage of attending an advising workshop is that the declaration process is completed during the workshop. Students who are unable to attend should visit our website on The Declaration Process for details..

Prerequisite for Majoring in Spanish

In order to declare a major in Spanish, a student must have completed SPAN 2020 (Advanced Intermediate Spanish) or the equivalent, with a grade of C or better. A C- is insufficient. Using SPAN 2020 as the prerequisite to declare is effective Spring semester 2024 and forward. 

Students who have scored a 4 on the Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish Language exam will proceed directly to SPAN 3010. Students who have scored 5 on the AP Spanish Language exam place out of SPAN 3010 and may not take it for credit. Students who place out of SPAN 3010, in any way are eligible to enroll in any SPAN class for which 3010 is the sole co-requisite. These include SPAN 3000, 3020, 3030, 3031, 3032, 3040, 3050, 3060, 3070, 3200, and 3300 (which requires 3010 or equivalent before). You will need to attach proof of placement to your Declaration of Major.

Requirements for a Major in Spanish

Overview

The Spanish major consists of thirty (30) credits completed above SPAN 2020 with a grade of C or better. Note: SPAN 2020 or equivalent is the prerequisite for declaring a major in Spanish (effective 2024 Spring semester and forward).

• Courses in which a student receives a C- or less will not count toward the major.
• As in the case of any major in the College of Arts and Sciences, only courses taken for a grade will count for the major.
• When declaring the Spanish major, all students are required to choose one of the three concentrations (General, Literature & Culture, or Language & Linguistics) to give structure to their Spanish studies. The specific course requirements for each concentration are listed below in the Spanish Major Concentrations section.

Course Sequence

Students are expected to take courses in the sequence indicated below for each concentration. Students are reminded that:

Spanish majors may not take a survey course (3400 through 3430) during their fourth year, unless:

1. they are on the Language & Linguistics track; OR
2. they began upper level Spanish study late enough that it would have been impossible to have taken the survey course any earlier, including the summer before their 4th year.

If these circumstances do not apply, then the student must take an additional 4000-level literature and culture course as a substitute for the missing survey.

The substitute course must be in the same area as the survey being replaced (i.e. a Latin American literature and culture course for a Latin American literature and culture survey, or a Spanish literature and culture course for a Spanish literature and culture survey).

AP Scores

Students with a score of 4 on the AP Spanish Literature exam place out of SPAN 3010 and place into SPAN 3300; they may not take SPAN 3010 for credit. Additionally, they must take another 3000 language elective in its place (SPAN 3000, 3200, 3020, 3040, 3050, 3060 OR 3070). Students with a score of 5 on the AP Spanish Literature exam place out of SPAN 3010 and 3300 and they may proceed to any SPAN course at the 3000 level, EXCEPT 3010 and 3300. 

• Students who are placed out of SPAN 3300 must still earn 30 credits of upper-division Spanish to complete the major, substituting another literature and culture course for SPAN 3300. A survey of literature and culture course (SPAN 3400-3430) may substitute for 3300 as long as it is not used to count as one of the required surveys.

• All students who place themselves incorrectly may lose credit for the courses in which they enroll without departmental permission.

• Only one conversation course may be counted toward the major.

• Native speakers of Spanish may not enroll in conversation courses.

Study Abroad

It is expected, but not required, that all Spanish majors will complete at least a summer of study abroad. All are highly encouraged to study abroad for a semester or a year. The department distinguishes between Recommended Study Abroad programs and Approved Study Abroad programs. (Please see the Study Abroad section below for distinction.)

Study Abroad Credit

All study abroad courses taken for major credit must be taught in Spanish, but the language of instruction alone does not qualify any course for credit for the Spanish major.

Students who study in a recommended program may count the following number of credits toward their Spanish major:

• Up to 15 credits per semester of study abroad

• Up to 24 credits per year of study abroad

Students who study in an approved program in Spain or Latin America may count the following number of credits toward their Spanish major:

• Up to 9 credits for a semester of study abroad

• Up to 15 credits for a year of study abroad

Concentrations in the Spanish Major

When declaring the Spanish major, students are required to choose one of the three concentrations listed below to give structure to their Spanish studies. Students who wish to change their Spanish major concentration must get permission, in writing, from their assigned major advisor. The department will forward the approval to the registrar of the student's School, so that it can be updated in SIS.

General Concentration

The Spanish major (General Concentration) consists of prerequisite coursework (SPAN 2020, Advanced Intermediate Spanish or equivalent ), and an additional ten additional courses at the 3000- and 4000-level. Please note that the prerequisite must be satisfied before declaring the major (SPAN 2020 as the prerequisite is effective 2024 Spring semester and forward).

To download a pdf of the requirements for the General Concentration, please click here: General Concentration Requirements & Course Grid.

Each course in the major consists of three credit hours. These courses are:

• Finding Your Voice in Spanish (SPAN 3010) Note: SPAN 3010 is required and can be taken simultaneously with other language/linguistics electives at the 3000 level: 3000, 3200, 3040, 3050, 3060 or 3070.
• Texts & Interpretation (SPAN 3300)   Note: SPAN 3300 must be taken at UVa or through a recommended study abroad program. It must be satisfied before continuing to survey or literature courses.
• One (1) Language or Linguistics Courses at the 3000 level
• One (1) Linguistics course at the 3000 or 4000 level
• One (1)  Survey of Spanish Literature and Culture Course (3400 or 3410)
• One (1)  Survey of Latin American Literature and Culture Course (3420 or 3430)
• Two (2)  Literature and Culture Courses at the 4000-level
• Two (2)  Electives at the 4000-level

Literature & Culture Concentration

The Spanish major (Literature & Culture Concentration) consists of prerequisite coursework (SPAN 2020, Advanced Intermediate Spanish or equivalent), and an additional ten additional courses at the 3000- and 4000-level. Please note that the prerequisite must be satisfied before declaring the major. (SPAN 2020 as the prerequisite is effective 2024 Spring semester and forward).

To download a pdf of the requirements for the Literature & Culture concentration, please click here: Literature and Culture Concentration Requirements & Course Grid

Each course in the major consists of three credit hours. These courses are:

• Finding Your Voice in Spanish (SPAN 3010) Note: SPAN 3010 is required and can be taken simultaneously with other language/linguistics electives at the 3000 level: 3000, 3200, 3040, 3050, 3060 or 3070.
• Texts & Interpretation (SPAN 3300)  Note: SPAN 3300 must be taken at UVa or through a recommended study abroad program. It must be satisfied before continuing to survey or literature courses.
• One (1)  Survey of Spanish Literature and Culture Course (SPAN 3400 or 3410)
• One (1)  Survey of Latin American Literature and Culture Course (SPAN 3420 or 3430)
• Six (6)  Literature and Culture Courses at the 4000-level

Language & Linguistics Concentration

The Spanish major (Language & Linguistics Concentration) consists of prerequisite coursework (SPAN 2020 Advanced Intermediate Spanish or equivalent), and an additional ten additional courses at the 3000- and 4000-level. Please note that the prerequisite must be satisfied before declaring the major. (SPAN 2020 as the prerequisite is effective 2024 Spring semester and forward).

To download a pdf of the requirements for the Language & Linguistics concentration, please click here: Language & Linguistics Requirements & Course Grid

Each course in the major consists of three credit hours. These courses are:

Please note: To declare this concentration, students must get approval from the linguistics advisor, Joel Rini.

• Finding Your Voice in Spanish (SPAN 3010) Note: SPAN 3010 is required and can be taken simultaneously with SPAN 3000 and 3200.
• Phonetics: The Sounds of Spanish (SPAN 3000)
• Grammar & Composition II (SPAN 3020 if the student has placed out of SPAN 3010)
• A Linguistic Overview of Spanish (SPAN 3200)
• Texts & Interpretation (SPAN 3300)
• Spain: From Kingdom to Empire (1200-1700) (SPAN 3400)
• The Origin of Spanish and its Transformation (SPAN 4200)  
• The Spanish Language and its Societies (SPAN 4202)
• Foundationals Structures of Spanish (SPAN 4203)
• Historical Panorama of the Spanish Language (SPAN 4210)
• Seminar (SPAN 4530)

Distinguished Major Program (DMP) Requirements

Distinguished Majors must complete 12 courses post-high school (10 courses in the major, and an additional two courses). In other words, AP credit does not count as one of these 12 courses; neither does SPAN 2020.

• DMP Colloquium (SPAN 4980) - This course is taken during the Fall semester of the 4th year, as Credit/No Credit for 3 credit hours, with the DMP Advisor as the instructor.
• DMP Thesis (SPAN 4989) - This course is taken during the Spring semester of the 4th year, as Graded Option for 3 credit hours, with your thesis advisor is the instructor.

For additional information about the Distinguished Major Program, please click here.

Transfer Credit

With approval from the Department, a student who transfers to UVa from another college or university may apply up to 12 credit hours towards the major requirements.

Waitlist and Course Permissions

The Department of Spanish, Italian & Portuguese uses wait lists and permission lists, through the Student Information System (SIS), for course enrollment. The department does not accept course action forms. For guidance with getting on a wait list or permission list, please visit the SIS Help Center.

If a course is full, please use the wait list or permission list through SIS. Please do no contact the professor.

Study Abroad

Spanish majors are very strongly encouraged to study abroad for a summer, a semester, or preferably a year. This work must be carried out either in a recommended UVa program or in a program approved by the Spanish faculty.

The recommended program is UVa in Valencia (summer & semester).

The approved programs are those that have been reviewed and approved by the Spanish faculty, the International Studies Office (ISO), and the College of Arts and Sciences (CLAS). These are all of the other programs mentioned on this site, and on the Study Abroad website. Students who wish to study in a program that does not appear on this list must go through the petition process administered by the ISO and provide a compelling academic reason for studying in a non-approved program.

Please note that while there are many other programs approved by the ISO for study in Spain, Central and South America, not all of these are approved for Spanish MAJOR credit by the Spanish faculty. Students may still pursue the other program options on the ISO website for elective credit or for another major without a petition to the Spanish program.

For more details about how to study abroad for your Spanish major, please click here.

Independent Study

Independent study with a faculty advisor is available to advanced students who wish to pursue specific areas in depth that are not included in the regular curriculum. All of these courses are taught in Spanish. For an independent study course to count for the Spanish major it must be taken for a grade.

Grants & Awards

Each year, the Department rewards excellence in Undergraduate and Graduate studies by awarding the following fellowships and awards (see Department Chair for details):

Hispanic Studies Program Award: This award is given to an undergraduate student who has contributed to the UVa Hispanic Studies Program in Valencia.

Virginia Louise Garth Scholarship: This scholarship is offered to an undergraduate student from Virginia who has demonstrated outstanding academic performance and who has contributed to the life and well-being of the Spanish Department. This scholarship is offered by the Garth family in honor of their late daughter.

Marie M. Giuliano Award: This award is given to a fourth-year graduating student on the basis of demonstrated academic excellence in Spanish or Italian language study and a contribution to the growth and nurturing of Spanish or Italian at the University.

Major or Minor in Latin American Studies

For major and minor requirements please go to the Latin American Studies homepage.

For more information, please contact Professor David Nemer, Department of Media Studies, 203 Wilson, (434) 243-1823.