About the Program
Gain advanced proficiency in Spanish and a deep understanding of the diverse cultural landscape of the Spanish-speaking world. Learn how the Spanish language works, its linguistic diversity, and its role in bilingualism, communication, education, and literacy. Through courses in creative and academic writing, translation, literature, and media, you will develop critical reading, cultural competency, writing, and analytical skills along the way. You will be empowered to connect meaningfully with diverse communities here and abroad in an increasingly interconnected world.
The Polytechnic Approach
Put your knowledge to work through a series of hands-on experiences unlike in any other CSU. Prepare yourself for a Spanish teaching credential through teaching practicum. Create medical, legal, and literary translations for community projects. Produce creative texts, podcasts, and videos. Discuss business cases from the Spanish-speaking business world. Converse with actors, directors, producers, and creators from the Hispanic world. Present your creative and research projects in undergraduate conferences.
Career Outcomes
Courses
Our Spanish program trains you in the key knowledge areas of literary studies, linguistics and intercultural competence, and it hones the essential skills of critical thinking, writing and argument, teamwork, communication, and public speaking. The internship program offered by the department, as well as its literary and cultural journal, study abroad opportunities, and emphasis on undergraduate research, set students on a course for community and global engagement. As a degree in literature and linguistics, the Spanish major directly prepares students for careers in education, translation/interpretation, and for entering M.A. and Ph.D. programs in linguistics, Spanish/Latin American literature, Latinx and Chicanx Studies, Latin American Studies and related academic fields. Students with a Spanish major are likewise prepared to enter M.A.-level professional programs in international business, journalism, social work, speech pathology or speech therapy, law, law enforcement and many other fields. The federal government seeks Spanish-speaking graduates for employment in civil service and diplomatic posts.
Scholarships and Contests
Spanish Teaching Credential Scholarship
A scholarship for a student who will be pursuing a Spanish Teaching Credential at Cal Poly Pomona.
Featured Faculty
Language is all around us ... and within us, ingrained in our daily lives, relationships, and emotions. This is why we don't even notice it. In my classes, my goal is to turn our eyes (and ears) towards it and notice its patterns and all the interesting things...Amàlia Llombart Professor, Spanish Linguistics
English and Modern Languages Department
Beyond the Classroom: Study Abroad
Immerse yourself in another culture through our study abroad programs. Learn international business alongside Mexican university students local students in Mexico. Or, try tapas restaurants with a host family in Spain. experience the rhythms of urban life with a host family in Madrid. Improve your language skills, experience a new way of life, and transform how you see the world.
