Dec 21, 2024  
2024-2025 General Catalog 
  
2024-2025 General Catalog

Spanish: Teaching Emphasis - BA


College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of World Languages and Cultures

About This Degree

The goal of the Spanish program at USU is to prepare students for advanced studies in Spanish language, literature, and culture.

Spanish Teaching: This emphasis is for students who wish to obtain licensure to teach in secondary schools. It includes courses in language history, the interaction of language and society, and teaching methodologies.

  • For more information about Spanish, please see the Languages, Philosophy & Communication Studies website.
  • Following is a sample four-year plan. Please note that this plan is only a general guideline and that student-specific plans may differPlease make sure to consult regularly with your departmental advisor to confirm what courses will be available and to work out your plan of study.
  • Admitted and current students must meet with an academic advisor.
  • Log on to Degree Works  to check student-specific program progress.
  • The highest math requirement for this degree is Quantitative Literacy (QL)  course of the student’s choice.

Minimum University Requirements


Admission Requirements for This Program


New freshmen: 3.00 GPA
Transfer students from other institutions or other programs at USU: 3.00 GPA

Spanish Major—Teaching Emphasis with Secondary School Licensure (67 credits)


  • Total Credits: 67 (38 credits + 29 STEP credits)
  • Grade Point Average to Declare Major: 3.0 Career GPA
  • Grade Point Average to Graduate with Major: 3.00 GPA within major coursework
  • USU Credit Requirement: At least half (50 percent) of the credits earned for this degree must be completed in upper-division USU courses having prefixes of SPAN or LING. All other credits (including transfer and study abroad credits) must be approved by the program’s academic advisor in order to be counted toward the major. Students who have completed Bridge Program Language courses should contact their advisor as these courses may count toward elective credits and credits toward major requirements.
  • Minimum Grade Requirement: All courses taken for the major and all STEP courses require a minimum grade of C or better. Courses may not be taken on a pass/fail basis (except for courses designated as pass/fail, such as SCED 3300 , SCED 5630 , SPAN 3010 , SPAN 3520 , and SPAN 4920 .

Note:


The following requirements only specify courses offered by the Department of Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies. To be licensed to teach in the Utah public secondary school system, students with a teaching emphasis must also complete additional courses (approximately 29 credits) required by the Secondary Education Program. Courses may be subject to change, and students should contact the Secondary Education Advising Office for a current course list of STEP requirements.

I. Spanish and Linguistics Courses (38 credits)


A. Required Courses (32 credits)


Notes:


Only 3 credits maximum in practicum courses may count toward a Spanish major or minor.

This course or practicum is required for a teaching emphasis in the Spanish major or minor.

3 Students desiring to apply study abroad credits toward these degrees must obtain approval from the LPCS office prior to participating.

4 SCED 4300  and LING 5400  must be taken during the same semester and should be the last courses taken for the major. These courses should be taken the fall semester before student teaching. SCED 4300  and LING 5400  are listed in both the STEP and major requirements for those seeking the Spanish Teaching major/non-licensure so the non-licensure majors understand the complete list of requirements. See additional non-licensure information at bottom of page.

This course is repeatable for additional credit.

Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP) - Language, Philosophy, and Communication Studies (29 credits)


Most of the courses listed below count for both teaching major emphasis and the teaching minor.

Courses may be subject to change, and students should contact the Secondary Education Advising Office for a current course list of STEP requirements.  

STEP Requirements


Notes:

1 The Clinical Experience II course is taught under course number 4300 in various departments. Course title varies among departments.

2 The Special Methods II course is taught under course number 5400.

3 SCED 4300  and LING 5400  must be taken during the same semester, and should be the last courses taken for the major or minor. These courses should be taken the fall semester before student teaching. SCED 4300  and LING 5400  are listed in both the STEP and major requirements for those seeking the French/German/Spanish Teaching major/non-licensure so the non-licensure majors understand the complete list of requirements. See additional non-licensure information below.  

Spanish Major - Teaching Emphasis without Secondary School Licensure (Major 37 credits)


(3.0 GPA required in major classes)

It is possible to have a teaching emphasis within a major or minor in Spanish without receiving secondary school teaching licensure. However, unless the student is an elementary education major, he or she would not be able to teach in Utah public schools (nor at many private ones). Graduating without licensure may allow employment at community colleges and universities.

In order to complete the Spanish Major - Teaching Emphasis without Secondary School Licensure, students must fulfill all of the requirements listed under Section I (Spanish and Linguistics Courses) of the Spanish Major - Teaching Emphasis with Secondary School Licensure (38 credits), except for SCED 4300 , for a total of 37 credits (SCED 4300  is no longer required if doing non-licensure program).

Bachelor of Arts Degree Language Requirement


A Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree signifies proficiency in one or more foreign languages. Specifically, the BA requirement may be completed in one of the following ways:

1. Demonstration of proficiency in one foreign language by successful completion of one course at the 2020-level or higher (or its equivalent).
OR

2. ​Demonstration of proficiency in American Sign Language by successful completion of COMD 4920 and COMD 4780, and by passing an exit interview.
OR

3. Demonstration of proficiency in two foreign languages by successful completion of the 1020 course level in one language and the 2010 course level in the second language (or its equivalent).
OR

4. Completion of an upper-division (3000-level or higher) foreign language grammar or literature course requiring the 2020 course level (or its equivalent) as a prerequisite. Conversation courses cannot be considered for satisfying this requirement.

For nonnative English-speaking students only, the following options are available:

1. Successful completion of the Intensive English Language Institute (IELI) program for international students.
OR

2. TOEFL, Michigan, or IELI placement scores high enough to meet the University admission criteria.

Licensure Notification


This program typically leads to licensure and was designed to meet licensing qualifications in the state of Utah. If students wish to work in another state within the United States, they should review the qualifications for that state and the Education Licensure Compliance Table provided by School of Teacher Education and Leadership.

For more information, please contact the School of Teacher Education and Leadership at https://cehs.usu.edu/teal/

Open Electives


Total elective credit is determined by General Education courses taken, degree type selected, additional credits earned, and any additional math or other prerequisite courses needed. Please consult your Academic Advisor for details.

Total Credits: 123


Suggested Degree Map - Spanish: Teaching Emphasis - BA


Spanish: Teaching Emphasis BA - 4 Year Degree Map