Spanish Minor

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The Spanish minor is designed for students who want to enrich their lives with the in-depth knowledge of Spanish-speaking culture, literature, and language. It is meant to encourage the dissemination of knowledge of the Spanish-speaking world both on and off-campus, and reciprocal communication between peoples the world over.

If you love working with children and adolescents, love the Hispanic cultures, and are excited about developing your proficiency in the Spanish language, the K-12 track will help you acquire the required skills to become a Spanish teacher.

Department Information

World Languages 219 Alexander, 734.487.0130

Jeff Popko, PhD, Department Head

Advisor Information

Mónica Millán, PhD, 316 Alexander, 734.487.6732

Marisol Garrido, PhD, 340 Alexander, 734.487.5862

Alfonso Illingworth, PhD, 348 Alexander, 734.487.3345

Minor Requirements: 21-33 hours

Required Courses: 9 hours

Tracks: 12-24 hours

Choose one of the following tracks.

Spanish Language Track: 12 hours

This track focuses on the language, culture, and literature of Spanish-speaking countries.

Choose FOUR (4) courses from the list of Spanish restricted electives.

Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their Spanish advisor before selecting courses.

Translation & Interpretation Track: 15 hours

This track introduces students to the field of translation and interpretation and provides them with hands-on experience both in and outside of the classroom.

Required Courses: 9 hours
SPNH 420 Introduction to Translation 3 hrs
SPNH 423 Hispanic Linguistics 3 hrs
SPNH 467 Introduction to Spanish Interpretation 3 hrs
Restricted Electives: 6 hours

Choose TWO (2) courses not used above from the list of Spanish restricted electives. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their Spanish advisor before selecting courses.

K-12 Spanish Teaching Track: 24 hours

Completion of this minor qualifies the student for a recommendation for endorsement to teach Spanish.

FLAN 411 K-12 Theory and Methods of World Languages Teaching 3 hrs
FLAN 481 Capstone in World Language Instruction 1 hr
SPNH 322L5 Introduction to Hispanic Literature [GELB] 3 hrs
SPNH 425 Advanced Readings in Hispanic Literature 3 hrs
SPNH 426 Hispanic Cultures 3 hrs
SPNH 480 K-12 Practicum in World Language Instruction 2 hrs
SPNH 490L5 Intensive Spanish [GELB] 6 hrs
Choose one course from the following:
SPNH 423 Hispanic Linguistics 3 hrs
SPNH 430 Spanish Phonetics and Phonology 3 hrs
SPNH 444L5 Advanced Spanish Conversation and Composition [GELB] 3 hrs
As a condition of graduation, students must also meet the following criteria:
Pass language-specific MTTC Exam (#28/Spanish)
Complete ACTFL CAEP Assessments (Assessment 2: Civilization, Cultures, Literature, and Language; Assessment 7: Linguistics and Language)
Must complete the majority of their student teaching in their language
To meet CAEP standards, candidates who: 1) Major in a language shall complete more than half of their student teaching contact hours in that language 2) Double major in a language and another content area shall complete a portion of the student teaching experience in that language 3) Double major in two languages shall student teach in each language

Certification Requirement (Not required for graduation)

In addition to meeting the above graduation requirements, the MDE requires, as a condition for certification, that world language teacher candidates demonstrate oral proficiency in their language using the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) (Minimum Rating: Advanced Low). Other tests are no longer acceptable to the MDE.

Teacher candidates must register to take the ACTFL OPI at LTI (Language Testing International). Instructions for registration can be found at OPI Registration Information for Michigan Teacher Candidates.

List of Spanish Restricted Elective Courses

Please note, some of the courses listed have prerequisite requirements.

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling the requirements (or their equivalents) of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

Minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University

Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
- Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
- At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s major.
Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details).
Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
- Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
- Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
- Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements - EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.