Spanish Placement Policy

The following is intended to facilitate your placement in the correct course. Please email Mark Kay with any questions.

General Spanish Language program policies

The Basic Spanish Language Program (BSLP) consists of first- and second year Spanish language instruction. The program consists of two, four-credit, first-year courses (SPAN 111 and SPAN 112) and two, three-credit, second-year courses (SPAN 211 and SPAN 212) for students who are not native nor heritage Spanish speakers. All four Spanish courses corresponding to the first two years (SPAN 111, 112, 211 and 212) must be taken in sequential order; you may not enroll in more than one of these courses during the same semester.

If you want to register in two or more consecutive face-to-face courses during the summer sessions and the fall semester (ex. SPAN 111 face-to-face in the first summer session, SPAN 112 face-to-face in the second summer session and SPAN 211 in the fall), please email Mark Kay to waive the course prerequisites and to give you permission to enroll in the higher numbered course(s) based on your enrollment in the first course.

If you plan to take upper-division Spanish courses, or to minor/major in Spanish or Spanish translation, you should consult with an undergraduate Spanish advisor before enrolling in 300-level courses or above.

Placement in the first year's Spanish courses are based on the following criteria:

A. Placement for students with prior knowledge of Spanish and who are trying to fulfill credit requirements

1. Placement for students with prior knowledge of Spanish is based on either the College Board Advanced Placement Examination (AP), the International Baccalaureate (IB), SAT II "Spanish Subject Area Test," or the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP).
2. The College of Liberal Arts Foreign Language requirement can be satisfied by:
   • An AP score of 5 and the Spanish Language and Culture Exam
   • An AP score of 3 or higher on the Spanish Literature and Culture Exam
   • An SAT II Spanish Subject Area Test score above 700
   • An IB score of 5 or higher
3. An SAT Spanish Subject Area Test score between 600-699 places you in a fourth-semester course (SPAN 212/227); and when completed, satisfies the College of Liberal Arts Foreign Language requirement, and may count toward minor requirements.
4. An AP score of 4 on the Spanish Language & Culture exam places you in a fourth-semester course (SPAN 212 / SPAN 227); and when completed, satisfies the College of Liberal Arts foreign language requirement and may count toward minor requirements.
5. An AP score of 3 on the Spanish Languages & Culture exam or a CLEP score of 50 or above places you in a third-semester course (SPAN 211 / SPAN 226).
6. Students may get credit for two courses, for a maximum of eight credits for AP and IB exams.

B. Placement for students with prior knowledge of Spanish and who have taken the Spanish Placement Test

Students who have taken Spanish courses previously and who are not native/heritage speakers must take the Spanish Placement Exam. This placement exam score is a starting point and may be modified by the department in conjunction with the information on your high school transcript in regard to previous Spanish instruction. According to the modified score, they will be able to enroll for the specific Spanish course listed below.

C. Placement for students without prior knowledge of Spanish

If you have no formal exposure to Spanish (in an academic or study-abroad setting), you can register for SPAN 111 (and do not need to take the placement exam).

D. Placement for heritage Spanish speakers

If you are a heritage speaker who attended high school in the United States you may not enroll in SPAN 111, 112, 211, or 212, but you must enroll instead in SPAN 226 and SPAN 227. Completion of SPAN 227 satisfies the College of Liberal Arts Foreign Language requirement and, if you declare a minor in Spanish, counts towards minor requirements. If you have doubts, please consult the Heritage language Spanish advisor.

E. Placement for native Spanish speakers

If you are an advanced native speaker who attended high school or college in a Spanish-speaking country, you may enroll in 300-level courses or above, after consulting with the Heritage language Spanish advisor.

Students with questions or concerns about these policies should consult Mark Kay.