Foreign Language and Literature | University of Nevada, Reno

SPANISH PLACEMENT

The following are some policies and procedures that will facilitate your successful placement in the correct Basic Spanish language course at UNR.

Placement
The course sequence of SPAN 111, 112, 211, and 212 should be followed.
Spanish language courses at UNR require incoming students to place themselves in the appropriate level course. If you are unsure as to what level you should place yourself, use the below table as a guideline. If you would like to take the Brigham Young (BYU) Spanish Placement Test to guide you better in the decision process, you will need to take the exam (see next point) and then make an appointment to talk to one of the following undergraduate advisors:
         Darren Griswold: darrgris@unr.edu (682-8878, EJCH 235A)
         Anna Kalminskaia: akalmin@unr.edu (682-8887, EJCH 235H)
         Kathy Leonard: leonard@unr.edu (682-8908, EJCH 241R)

If you would like to take the Brigham Young (BYU) Spanish Placement Test, please contact the Multi Media Lab Director, Anna Kalminskaia at 682-8887 or akalmin@unr.edu. The test should be taken in EJCH 250 before the second week of the semester. The test should take no more than 20-30 minutes. Once you have received a score, make an appointment to speak to one of the undergraduate advisors listed above to complete the placement exam and help you make a decision.

The following guidelines can also be helpful in making your decision*:

you have never taken Spanish language courses before; or,
you have completed one year or less of High School Spanish; or,
you did not pass Spanish 111; or
you obtained between 0-178 on the BYU Placement Exam.

you successfully passed SPAN 111; or,
you obtained between 260-325 on the BYU Spanish Placement Exam; or,
you completed one to two years of High School Spanish.

you successfully passed SPAN 112; or,
you obtained between 326-414 on the BYU Spanish Placement Exam; or,
you completed two to three years of High School Spanish.

you obtained between 415-493 on the BYU Spanish Placement Exam; or,
you completed three to four years of High School Spanish.

* If you are a Heritage Speaker, you should be in a class specialized for native/heritage speakers of Spanish. Please register for SPAN 226 in the Fall and SPAN 227 in the Spring.

Number of Students per Class
Each class has a maximum of 25 students because it is essential that students receive more individualized attention throughout the semester. A student will be allowed to enter the class during the first two weeks of the semester when:

enrollment is below 25 students;
the coordinator of the Basic Spanish Language Program approves; and
the classroom physically allows more students

Course Sequence
Only one basic Spanish course can be taken during any given semester. The courses must be taken sequentially as follows:

SPAN 111, 112, 211, 212; or
SPAN 211, 212

Alternate Courses For SPAN 211 and SPAN 212
Through Independent Learning at UNR, students can register for Reading Spanish I (Spanish C205) & II (Spanish C209) and satisfy the College of Liberal Arts foreign language requirement. In addition Spanish C205 is equivalent to Spanish 211 and Spanish C209 is equivalent to Spanish 212. HOWEVER, if you are planning on becoming a Spanish major or minor, these courses are NOT an option for you. In addition, both of these courses are 2 credits (and not 3).

The student can enroll anytime by calling 784-4652 or 1-800-233-8928 and no classroom attendance is required since all work is completed at home and sent via mail to the instructor of the course.