Spanish program

Meet other students while growing your language skills and appreciation of Spanish speaking cultures though the Spanish Club. Students can also participate in conversation groups to practice speaking and share cultural experiences with international students and native speakers. 

Advanced language students can volunteer as tutors at the Global Cultures and Language Department's Language Resource Center or collaborate with faculty. Spanish students also have the opportunity to join Sigma Delta Pi, a national honor society for students of Hispanic Studies.

Spanish faculty engage students in relevant issues such as social justice and cultural and linguistic diversity. Using innovative teaching methods and technologies, faculty and students explore their role as global citizens through service to and engagement with cultures in the community, on campus or abroad.

Students can participate in research projects with faculty and find internships and volunteer opportunities in the La Crosse region where language skills are required. Spanish students can also pursue international internships in business or health-related fields, and the department prepares students through Languages for Professional Purposes courses such as Spanish for the Health Professions.

Students are encouraged to study abroad so they can improve their language proficiency and further develop their cross-cultural preparation. Spanish students can return to campus with up to 16 credits to use toward their Spanish major or minor and can also earn UWL general education credit for courses taken in a Spanish speaking country. The department has faculty-led programs to Granada, Spain and Havana, Cuba. 

Students gain important experience and develop skills as they learn how to complete collaborative research with a faculty mentor, present research and travel to national and international conferences. Students have received grants and/or completed research and travel related to a variety of interdisciplinary topics such as AIDS in the male gay community in Havana, Cuba and Mexican immigrant students and their challenges in the U.S Public School system.

Incoming students take a placement test to determine their course level in Spanish. Once a student is placed in a UWL Spanish course above 103, they can earn a B or better and receive up to 16 retroactive credits for courses taken at other institutions. Also, students who have attended high school in Spanish, or speak Spanish at home, have many options to receive retroactive credits as heritage speakers or native speakers. 

Because Spanish curriculum emphasizes internationalization and intercultural competence, graduates are well-equipped to join the workforce abroad. Many opportunities are available after graduation to teach English or work for non-profit organizations around the world through global programs such as the North American Language and Cultural Ambassadors Program, Fulbright Scholars Program, Council on International Educational Exchange and many more.