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College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department of World Languages and Cultures

Major in Spanish

You’ve done the hard part: choosing a major.

Now you need to know what steps to take to earn your degree. Through a combination of coursework, research, hard work and pure determination, you’ll soon have a BA in Foreign Languages with a concentration in Spanish Languages and Literatures under your belt – and your future underway.

Required Courses

The following courses are required to complete your concentration in Spanish. There are 21 credit hours in the Core Coursework, three credit hours in the Literature and Culture Component, and nine credit hours (including at least six at the 400-level) in the Departmental Electives category. You must achieve a final grade of C- or better in each course.

Core Coursework

  • FLS 201 Intermediate Spanish I
  • FLS 202 Intermediate Spanish II
  • FLS 331 Spanish Oral and Written Expression I
  • FLS 332 Spanish Oral and Written Expression II
  • (Note: Native and highly proficient speakers speakers of Spanish should take FLS 335 Spanish for Native and Heritage Speakers instead of FLS 331 and another higher 300-400 level course instead of FLS 332. Please consult the instructor of the course in which you would like to enroll so that the instructor can verify your Spanish level. 
  • FLS 333 Sounds of Spanish
  • FLS 340 Introduction to Hispanic Literature and Culture
  • FLS 492* Seminar in Hispanic Studies

*Corequisite with FLS 492 is the CHASS Computer Literacy Requirement. This course must be taken at NC State and will require a research paper, which must be written using a word processor, online library references and internet resources. All Spanish majors will submit two copies of this paper; one copy, as well as a faculty report on your oral presentation, will be placed in your student portfolio.

Literature and Culture Component

In addition to your core Spanish coursework, you will take three credits from the following list. 

  • FLS 341 Literature and Culture of Spain I: Middle Ages and Early Modern
  • FLS 342 Literature and Culture of Spain II: 18th and 19th Centuries
  • FLS 343 Literature and Culture of Spain III: 20th Century to the Present
  • FLS 351 Literature and Culture of Latin America I: Pre-Conquest to Independence
  • FLS 352 Literature and Culture of Latin America II: 19th Century to the Mid 20th Century
  • FLS 353 Literature and Culture of Latin America III: Mid 20th Century to the Present

Departmental Electives

The following courses fulfill departmental (Spanish) electives. Select three courses, at least two at the 400 level.

  • FLS 336 Business Spanish I
  • FLS 337 Spanish for Tourism in the Hispanic World
  • FLS 360 Hispanic Cinema
  • FLS 400 Introduction to Spanish Translation
  • FLS 402 Introduction to Spanish Linguistics
  • FLS 411 Topics in the Culture of Spain
  • FLS 412 Topics in the Culture of Latin America and the Caribbean
  • FLS 413 Spain and the Americas in Transatlantic Perspective
  • Or one of these courses not used to fulfill the Literature/Culture requirement:
  • FLS 341 Literature and Culture of Spain I: Middle Ages and Early Modern
  • FLS 342 Literature and Culture of Spain II: 18th and 19th Centuries
  • FLS 343 Literature and Culture of Spain III: 20th Century to the Present
  • FLS 351 Literature and Culture of Latin America I: Pre-Conquest to Independence
  • FLS 352 Literature and Culture of Latin America II: 19th Century to the Mid 20th Century
  • FLS 353 Literature and Culture of Latin America III: Mid 20th Century to the Present

Other Requirements

Degree requirements outisde the major courses include requirements ofr the College of the Humanities and Social Sciences, the General Education Plan, and Free Electives. Requirements for another major may be used for Free Electives and may fulfill some College requirements. No more than 12 credits in the category of Free Electives (not used for another major) may be taken as pass/fail.

Study Abroad

To truly understand the Spanish language and culture, it’s strongly recommended that majors in the Spanish concentration participate in a study abroad program. Up to 15 hours of study abroad transfer credit may be applied toward your Spanish degree.

Learn More About Studying Abroad

Converting a Spanish Minor to a Major

A minor in Spanish is a great first step towards increased language proficiency in Spanish. With a Spanish major, you can take your study of Hispanic language, literature, culture and linguistics to the next level. By completing a major in Spanish at NC State, you’ll graduate with the linguistic and cultural competence required in today’s increasingly globalized society. 

The Spanish minor requires 15 credit hours, while the revised Spanish major concentration requires 15 additional credit hours. In most cases, courses counting for the minor can be counted for the major, and the major can be attained with five more courses than what is required for the minor.

Spanish Major Requirements

  • FLS 201
  • FLS 202 – required for minor
  • FLS 331 – required for minor
  • FLS 332 – required for minor
  • FLS 333
  • FLS 340
  • 1 300-level literature/culture course
  • 1 additional 300/400-level elective
  • 2 additional 400-level electives
  • FLS 492

Interested students can check the “What if” section in MyPack, or contact Susan Navey-Davis, Director of Undergraduate Advising with specific questions.