Spanish Major

This unique program allows you to customize your exploration of Spanish language, literature and culture.

The Hispanic population of the Lehigh Valley and of the United States is rising annually, as is the marketability for college graduates with an extensive and practical knowledge of Spanish. In fact, Spanish is a vital career-preparation component for some of the top majors at Cedar Crest, including:

• Business
• Criminal Justice
• Education (all levels)
• Health professions (pre-med, pre-dentistry)
• Nursing
• Nutrition
• Psychology
• Social Work

Double majoring in Spanish is easier than double majoring many other programs because our program offers online and evening course options, and it is not particularly credit-heavy. Also, because our class sizes are small and we teach through immersion, you will gain a better ability to converse and read. (Learn more about immersion.) Our approach is also holistic, meaning that it includes a study of Spanish literature and culture as well as the language.

Customize Your Spanish Major Program

As a student in the Spanish major at Cedar Crest College, you will be required to take just two core courses:

• Conversation and Composition (SPA 301)
• Advanced Conversation and Composition (SPA 302)

Why just these two courses? We know that each student’s interests and career goals are different and that you will apply your knowledge of Spanish language, literature and culture in ways that are different from other students. Therefore, rather than standardizing the entire Spanish major, we have chosen to allow our students the freedom to select all of their additional courses, based upon their current interests and future goals. Here are some ideas of how you can customize your Spanish major program.

Here are just a few of our Spanish courses and the ways in which they enrich specific careers. (View all Spanish courses here.)

• Spanish for Health Professionals (SPA 205) will enrich your vocabulary with terms often heard in health care or health and wellness careers. This course also covers common health issues in the Hispanic population, as well as interpretation skills and letter writing.
• Conversational Spanish for Business (SPA 120) covers the basic Spanish language skills needed to interact in today’s corporate world.
• Linguistics and Translation (SPA 300) explores the issues inherent in Spanish spoken in the U.S., facts about language learning and use (especially in grades K-12), and literary translation techniques.
• Hispanic Popular Culture in the United States (SPA 312) explores the cultural variety of the Hispanic experience in the U.S., both as it exists currently and as it has developed over the past five centuries.