The department offers a major program in Hispanic Studies and minor programs in French and Spanish. The department also strives to provide its students with the analytical, critical, and communicative skills that are fundamental to educated persons. The department seeks as well to give its students a basis for careers in foreign language education, graduate and professional education, and fields requiring foreign language and culture skills. In addition to Hispanic Studies students may study two foreign languages at the advanced level for an interdisciplinary humanities major, with an emphasis on romance languages. Students in secondary education may choose French or Spanish as a concentration.
Minor programs are available in French and Spanish.
The minor may be beneficial for areas such as international studies, international business, political science, and history. Students may study courses on several foreign cultures in English. These courses fit as valuable program electives for many major programs. Tutorials and regularly scheduled classes are offered in other languages according to student interest and faculty availability. The purpose of the certificate in French or Spanish language proficiency is to verify that the student has achieved sufficient mastery of the language to use it as an auxiliary skill in future employment or personal endeavors.