Spanish Major

Requirements for the Spanish Major

A total of 12 course units is the minimum requirement for the Spanish major.

Spanish Major Course Requirements

Spanish Program Planner

The Spanish/Secondary Education track also requires a professional education sequence of courses in preparation for certification. Spanish/Secondary Education majors must successfully complete MDL 390 before beginning their senior student teaching.

Students are strongly encouraged to study abroad in a Spanish speaking country for at least one semester.

Program Entrance, Retention, and Exit Standards:

Every major program at the College has set standards for allowing students to remain in that program, to transfer within the College from one program to another, and to graduate from a program. The following are the standards for Spanish programs:
• Entrance into the major is based on the following performance standards in these “foundational courses.” Minimum grades are noted in parentheses:
SPA 203/Intermediate Oral Proficiency (B-) or SPA 210/Spanish for Heritage Speakers (B-); and SPA 211/Composition and Grammar Review (B-).
• Retention in the program is based on the following performance standards in
these “critical content courses.” Minimum grades are noted in parentheses:
SPA 211/Composition and Grammar Review (B-); SPA 241/Introduction to Literature in Spanish (B-)
• Transfer into the program from another program within the College is based upon the following performance standards in these “foundational courses.” Minimum grades are noted in parentheses: SPA 203/Intermediate Oral Proficiency or SPA 210/Spanish for Heritage Speakers (B-); and SPA 211 Composition and Grammar Review (B-).
• These minimum grades must be achieved in order to advance
to higher level courses.
• Graduation requires a GPA of 2.0 in courses for the program and earning a
minimum grade of C- in all Spanish courses.

Spanish Major: Teaching

Candidates for a teacher-education certificate must have a 2.75 cumulative grade point average to successfully complete their teacher education program. They also must meet the state hygiene/physiology requirement, and pass the appropriate Praxis examination before the New Jersey State Department of Education will issue the appropriate certificate. The new state code (January 20, 2004) also requires a course in Second Language Acquisition (MDL 390) and an advanced low rating on the ACTFL Proficiency Exam. Teacher-education candidates will receive a “certificate of eligibility with advanced standing” which requires a candidate to be provisionally certified for his or her first year of teaching. After one year of successful teaching, the candidate is eligible for a permanent certificate. The teacher candidate will also have to pay a fee during his or her first year of teaching.

Requirements for the Minor:

The minor consists of five course units, of which at least three must be taken at The College of New Jersey. A minimum grade of C is required in all courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements.

The following courses are required:

Spanish: Four courses at the 200 level and one course at the 300 level