The major in Hispanic Studies requires fourteen courses in Hispanic Studies and four related courses in other areas. Each student, in consultation with an advisor, designs a concentration which represents a coherent pattern of study. Students may choose to concentrate on either the Literature and Culture of Latin America or on the Literature and Culture of Spain, or on an appropriate combination of courses from both areas.
Many students fulfill some of their requirements through courses taken abroad.
The minor in Hispanic Studies provides students the opportunity to achieve advanced competence and facility in the Spanish language. It is designed for students seeking careers in business, the medical, legal and service professions, As well as for those desiring proficiency in a second language or preparing for advanced degrees requiring knowledge of a foreign language. The research project culminates in a senior thesis, which, together with the student's academic record, forms the basis for faculty decisions on the award of departmental honors. The award of honors is made by a committee of Weinberg College on the recommendation of the department. The Department of Hispanic Studies encourages all of its students to pursue study abroad, whether in the Northwestern University-University of Seville Exchange Program , Committee on Institutional Cooperation summer program at the Universidad de Guanajuato in Mexico, other programs approved by the University's Study Abroad Office, or ad hoc programs approved by the University Study Abroad Committee.