Spanish Language and Culture Major
Learn to communicate with over half a billion people while accessing career paths in the U.S. and around the world.
College of Arts & Sciences | On-Campus
Program Options
Undergraduate students from any school or college can declare a major or minor in Spanish. In addition to language proficiency, you’ll also develop cultural understanding and grow into a responsible global citizen.
B.A. in Spanish
Spanish majors must take 24 hours of courses at or above an intermediate level, as well as six hours of electives that can be taught in English. Approved courses taken abroad can count toward the total.
Minor in Spanish for the Medical and Health Professions
Prepare to connect with Spanish-speaking patients and co-workers in this minor, designed for students interested in pursuing careers in medicine, public health, pharmacy, and related occupations. This minor is open to students majoring in Spanish.
Spanish Language and Culture Minor
Develop your language skills and prepare to study or live in another country in this 18-credit minor. Work closely with faculty who will guide your progression, while electives address topics such as history, Latino/a literature, and border politics.
Latin American Studies Minor
Study Spanish while emphasizing both contemporary and historical topics. You’ll work closely with an advisor to select classes that equip you for an international experience. In the process, you’ll investigate developing economies, ethnography, literature, film, and Aztec, Incan, and Mayan societies.
Language Teaching Endorsement
Infuse classroom instructional methods into your exploration of the Spanish language and its diverse cultures to earn an endorsement that’s essential for teaching in K-12 schools. Offered through a partnership with the School of Education.
Meet the Faculty
Faculty across the Department of World Languages and Cultures commit not just to teaching you Spanish but also to providing a welcoming and holistic learning environment. They’ll be your guides as you immerse yourself in new cultures and develop into a true global citizen.
Dr. Eduardo García-Villada
Associate Professor, Second Language Acquisition; Department Co-Chair, World Languages and Cultures
Outside the Classroom
Don’t just study Spanish—live it. As a Spanish major at Drake, you’ll find that your most meaningful learning happens outside of the classroom, whether you’re participating in a weekly conversation table or engaging your language skills thousands of miles from home.
Study Abroad and Exchange Opportunities
You might study at a partner institution in Mexico, Chile, or Spain, join Drake professors for a semester abroad, or attend a J-Term seminar while gaining a life-changing perspective on different cultures.
Field-Specific Courses
Many field-specific courses from other disciplines, which are taught in English, serve as introductions to popular careers. Students interested in human rights might study Detention and Deportation Systems, for instance, while prospective educators may be interested in Urban Education Immigration.
Service Learning and Project Design
We foster cultural connections and global citizenship by encouraging our students to serve our community and the world beyond. Spanish majors learn to adapt to different audiences in an array of meaningful experiences with local, national, and international organizations.
Conversation Hours
Practice Spanish at any level with learners and native speakers in an informal setting. Regular sessions welcome all abilities. Improve your proficiency while diving deeper into Spanish and Latin American culture.
Research
Department faculty are active researchers, paying particular attention to learner motivation, language acquisition, and proficiency assessment. Drake undergraduates often participate in their projects or design their own.
Student Organizations and Events
Perceive culture from a personal perspective while getting closer to Des Moines’ Latino community in groups such as La Fuerza Latina, the African & Caribbean Student Association, and the International Student Association. Attend networking events, visit area schools, volunteer in the community, participate in cultural festivals, and more.
Careers & Skills
Empowering future students or clients. Crafting accurate and engaging communication. Developing policies that benefit everyone. For these and more job responsibilities, Spanish-language and cultural proficiency enables you to engage with a large and diverse segment of the world’s population, including in the U.S. and overseas.
It also paves the way to more advanced studies, either in Spanish or a related area.
Reflecting these possibilities, our alumni have pursued careers in healthcare, immigration law, politics, education, social services, environmental conservation, and communication. Based on education, they’ve secured positions as therapists, pharmacists, medics, or bilingual educators or have received Fulbright Scholarships.
As a graduate, you won’t just be able to speak, read, and write Spanish. You’ll also be ready to interact with native speakers, analyze authentic texts, and think critically in a new language—all assets that can accelerate your professional growth.
Opportunities
- Ministry of Culture in Spain
- Peace Corps
- AmeriCorps
- North American Language and Culture Assistants Program (NACALP)
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
- Iowa Legal Aid
- PROTEUS
- Polk County Health Department
- Primary Healthcare
- Public and private schools
- Graduate studies
Skills
- Writing, speaking, listening, and reading proficiency
- Critical thinking, evaluation, research, and analysis skills
- An understanding of Spanish and Latin American social, historical, political, and cultural contexts
- A less ethnocentric perspective while recognizing the relationship between language, culture, and identity
Take the Next Step
Becoming a proficient communicator in Spanish can lead to careers all over the globe, in all kinds of fields. See how far a degree from Drake can take you.
