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Spanish

The perfect major for a multi-lingual future

Master the third-most spoken language in the world

Once spoken in just a small part of the Iberian peninsula in southwestern Europe, Spanish is now a worldwide language spoken by 500 million. You can master the language and study the cultures shared by millions at Eckerd College.

As a bonus, you’ll soak up the Spanish language and cultural influence in Florida.

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Practice Spanish in Florida and beyond

Not only will you have the chance to practice with the many native speakers on Eckerd’s waterfront campus, you can study in a Spanish-speaking country for a:

  • Semester or a year through ISEP or CIEE
  • 3-week Winter Term in Salamanca, Spain; Cuenca, Ecuador or Arequipa, Peru

Supplement your language immersion with an Alternative Spring Break service trip.

Double the fun

Boost the value of your Spanish degree with a minor in Latin American Studies or a double major in International Studies.

Photo (top): Quito, Ecuador by M. LeMaire ’19

In Their Own Words

“While I had an official mentor, each of my professors was an unofficial mentor to me in one way or another. Their doors were always open for discussions about course material, career advice, or even just a casual chat. The Office of Global Education offers many opportunities to take learning beyond Eckerd’s campus. These immersive experiences abroad were a crucial part of my education as a Spanish major. In the classroom you develop a basic set of tools, but real learning takes place when you take those tools and put them to use in the world.”
—Thomas Lang, Class of 2019, Fulbright Teaching Assistant (Spain)

Beyond the Classroom

In a typical year, Eckerd offers more than 300 study abroad destinations, which has earned us a #2 ranking for short-term study abroad among U.S. colleges and universities. Spanish majors are often drawn to our three-week language immersion adventures in places like Salamanca, Spain and Cuenca, Ecuador. You can also spend full semesters at a university in Argentina, Chile, Peru or Spain.

Study Abroad Pics on Flickr

Here you’ll have the chance to research a topic of your choice with the help of a professor during the summer. For example:

  • You could deepen your language proficiency by reading and listening to Spanish books and films that interest you and then writing and speaking about them.
  • Or you could spend the summer reading and analyzing novels from the Spanish-speaking world around a particular topic, such as Hispanic women writers.

All students are asked to take at least one designated Reflective Service Learning course, which includes at least 20 hours of service, before graduation, either on campus or internationally.

Service Pics on Flickr

Follow the lead of recent Spanish grads and apply to the Language and Culture Assistants Program in Spain. If accepted, you’ll spend a year as a teaching assistant to elementary through high school Spanish teachers. How’s that for immersion?

Popular classes

Cuban Literature

This class uses short fiction, novels, poetry, theater, essays and film to show how the sugar cane economy and slavery shaped the Cuban society of today.

Film and Literature: The Latinx Experience

Explore the various identities represented among the Latinx communities in the US as portrayed in selected films and narrative works of fiction and non-fiction.

Eckerd College students gather in a plaza in Spain to hold a sign that says "Gracias"

Photo: Language Immersion: Salamanca by Chace Lewis ’20

Outcomes

Find Eckerd alumni on LinkedIn

What can I do with a Spanish degree?

  • Advertising copywriter
  • Banker
  • Civil servant
  • Computer scientist
  • Counselor
  • Diplomat
  • Ecotourism guide
  • Film-maker
  • Interpreter
  • Journalist
  • Language analyst
  • Lawyer
  • Library scientist
  • Linguist
  • Performer
  • Photographer
  • Public relations specialist
  • Researcher
  • Social worker
  • Teacher
  • Translator: Legal, literary, localization, machine, medical, technical
  • Tutor
  • Writer/Publisher/Editor

Where our Spanish majors go to graduate school

  • Appalachian State University
  • Colorado State University
  • Depaul University
  • Duke University
  • Emory University
  • Florida International University
  • Framingham State University
  • Georgetown University
  • Georgia State University
  • Kansas State University
  • Louisiana State University
  • Mount Holyoke College
  • New York University
  • North Carolina State University
  • Northern Arizona University
  • Northwest Florida State College
  • Old Dominion University
  • Rhode Island College
  • Rocky Mountain College Of Art & Design
  • Rutgers University
  • Saint Leo University
  • Seattle University
  • Temple University
  • University Of California-San Diego
  • University Of California-Santa Cruz
  • University Of Chicago
  • University Of Colorado Boulder
  • University Of Denver – Colorado
  • University Of Maryland
  • University Of Massachusetts At Amherst
  • University Of Miami
  • University Of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
  • University Of North Carolina-Wilmington
  • University Of South Florida
  • University Of Washington – Seattle
  • University Of Washington – Seattle
  • University Of Wisconsin – Madison
  • Vanderbilt University
  • Western Kentucky University
  • William & Mary

Where our Spanish majors go to work

Quick contact

727.864.8331
admissions@eckerd.edu

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