Department Website
Program Description
The Department of Spanish and Portuguese is an interdisciplinary department focused on the language, cultural formations, and critical thought emerging from Latin America, the Caribbean, the Iberian Peninsula, and the Luso-Afro-Brazilian world. Spanish and Portuguese are among the world’s leading languages of culture, sociopolitics, and commerce. Once languages of empire, Spanish and Portuguese are now the lingua franca of important sectors of the Global South, and Spanish is the growing second language of the United States. Through a minor in Spanish, students encounter courses in applied language (including translation, creative writing, and Spanish for the Professions); courses on film, literature, performance, music, and/or visual art; courses that engage history, memory, and archives; and which center debates in philosophy and critical and social thought, including Black and Indigenous perspectives. Students pursuing the minor are encouraged to study away at NYU Madrid or NYU Buenos Aires, where they may complete a significant portion of the minor through site-specific classes and immersive experiences. In addition, minors may participate in internships and collaborate on the online undergraduate journal, Esferas. Students interested in the major track in Spanish should consult the program page for Spanish and Portuguese (BA).
Admissions
New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU. For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply.
Program Requirements
The minor requires the completion of five 4-credit courses (20 credits) above the intermediate level with a grade of C or higher; four of these courses must be taught in the Spanish language.
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| 4 |
| Advanced Spanish | |
| Advanced Spanish for Spanish-Speaking Students | |
| 1 | |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| Total Credits | 20 |
Course Numbering System
Effective fall 2020, the department has extensively renumbered and reorganized many of its courses. Courses in Spanish (with the designator SPAN-UA) and Portuguese (with the designator PORT-UA) above the intermediate level fall into the following categories:
Courses numbered in the 50/60-range are bridge courses focusing on the acquisition of oral and written language skills that facilitate the transition from basic language courses to the major.
Courses numbered in the 100-range are applied language courses in which students practice language in specific contexts, including translation, creative writing, and the study of language for professional settings, while they reinforce and deepen their linguistic proficiency. The 100-level also includes courses in experiential learning, including internships.
Courses numbered in the 200-range are the foundation courses for the major, including Key Works, Key Words, and courses in Cultural History. They are taught in Spanish, English, or Portuguese depending on the semester and course.
Courses numbered in the 300-range combine the acquisition of critical and methodological skills with a writing-intensive component, offering students the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the field as they develop greater proficiency in writing. These courses are taught only in Spanish or Portuguese.
Courses numbered in the 400-range are advanced electives usually taught in Spanish or Portuguese. These courses showcase the interdisciplinarity of our field and focus on critical and comparative approaches to literature, visual art, performance, music, and film; on historiographic engagements with memory and archives; and/or focus on contemporary debates in philosophy and critical and social thought.
Courses numbered in the 500-range are advanced electives usually taught in English. These courses showcase the interdisciplinarity of our field and focus on critical and comparative approaches to literature, visual art, performance, music, and film; on historiographic engagements with memory and archives; and/or focus on contemporary debates in philosophy and critical and social thought.
Admission to Courses above Intermediate Spanish
Students who have completed SPAN-UA 4 Intermediate Spanish II or SPAN-UA 20 Intens Intermed Spanish must take SPAN-UA 50 Advanced Spanish as a prerequisite for upper-level courses, unless otherwise noted in course descriptions.
Policies
Program Policies
Department of Spanish and Portuguese: Policies Applying to All Minors
Students who wish to minor must declare with the department and select courses in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies. All minor courses must be completed with a grade of C or better (Pass/Fail grades do not count). Transfer students must complete at least half the courses for their minor (three courses for a five-course minor) in residence at NYU.
Double-Counting of Courses
Minors may share (double-count) one course with a major or a second minor, with permission from the other department/program.
Placement in Spanish Language Courses
To enroll in one's first Spanish language course at NYU, one must present either a. advanced standing credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, A Levels, or equivalent, or b. results of the online placement examination administered by the College. The exception is students with no previous study of Spanish or who took no more than one year of Spanish in high school, who may enroll in SPAN-UA 1 Spanish for Beginners- Level I. Students from a Spanish-speaking background who wish to study the language may not enroll in any level of Spanish for Beginners (SPAN-UA 1, SPAN-UA 2, and SPAN-UA 10) or Intermediate Spanish (SPAN-UA 3, SPAN-UA 4, and SPAN-UA 20), but must instead enroll in SPAN-UA 11 Intermediate Spanish for Spanish Speakers or SPAN-UA 51 Advanced Spanish for Spanish-Speaking Students after taking a special written placement test in the department. Students with transfer credit in Spanish must take a placement test if they intend to register for the language in CAS. Note that after 18 months, a completed SPAN-UA course no longer serves as a prerequisite for more advanced courses; students must take or retake the placement exam. In addition, test scores are valid for only 18 months.
For more information and tables showing appropriate course placement for specific test scores, consult the section on language placement at the department's website. To contact the director of the language program (DLP), write to spanish.dlp@nyu.edu.
Advanced Placement Policies
Students who score a 4 or 5 on the Spanish Language AP exam earn 4 credits for SPAN-UA 4 Intermediate Spanish II and are exempt from the College's language requirement.
Students who are not native speakers, who earned a 4 on the Spanish Language AP exam, and who intend to continue studying Spanish are required to take the CAS online language placement exam to confirm placement into SPAN-UA 50 Advanced Spanish. Students who score less than 59 on the online test will be required to take SPAN-UA 60 Advanced Conversation before enrolling in SPAN-UA 50 Advanced Spanish. On the first day of classes they will also take an in-class exam to finalize proper course placement. This may result in dropping to a lower level and losing the AP credit. AP scores over 18 months old cannot be used for placement. Native speakers who earned a 4 on the Spanish Language AP exam and intend to continue studying Spanish will need to take a written assessment with the director of the language program (spanish.dlp@nyu.edu) to finalize placement.
Students who are not native speakers, who earned a 5 on the Spanish Language AP exam, and who intend to continue studying Spanish may register for Advanced Spanish (SPAN-UA 50). On the first day of classes they will take an in-class exam to finalize proper course placement. This may result in dropping to a lower level and losing the AP credit. AP scores over 18 months old cannot be used for placement. Native speakers who earned a 5 on the Spanish Language AP exam and intend to continue studying Spanish will need to take a written assessment with the director of the language program (spanish.dlp@nyu.edu) to finalize placement.
Students who obtain a score of 4 or 5 on the Spanish Literature exam receive 4 credits for SPAN-UA 50 Advanced Spanish and satisfy the Core language requirement. If they wish to continue taking Spanish classes, they must take a special, advanced language placement evaluation at the Spanish department (not the online placement or usual written exemption exam) and consult with the director of the Spanish language program (spanish.dlp@nyu.edu).
International Baccalaureate (IB) and Advanced Level (A Level) Examinations Policies
Students who present a score of 6 or 7 on the High Level International Baccalaureate exam in Spanish "B," or who present a score of B or higher on the Advanced Level exam in Spanish, earn 8 credits for Intermediate Spanish I and II (SPAN-UA 3 and 4) and are exempt from the College's language requirement.
Students in these two categories who are not native speakers and intend to continue studying Spanish may register for SPAN-UA 50 Advanced Spanish. On the first day of classes they will take an in-class exam to finalize proper course placement. This may result in dropping to a lower level and losing the IB or A Level credit. IB and A Level scores over 18 months old cannot be used for placement. Native speakers with IB or A Level credit who intend to continue studying Spanish will need to take a written assessment with the director of the language program (spanish.dlp@nyu.edu) to finalize placement.
NYU Policies
University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.
College of Arts and Science Policies
A full list of relevant academic policies can be found on the CAS Academic Policies page.