Certificate in Professional Spanish

Program Overview

The nine-hour graduate certificate program in professional Spanish is designed to provide advanced instruction in English/Spanish translation and in using Spanish effectively in a variety of professional fields. Students interested in pursuing careers requiring Spanish-language proficiency and/or intercultural competence select courses focused on translation study and courses related to Hispanic cultures, such as literature, film, linguistics, and professions.

Application Requirements

  • completed online application
  • $20 nonrefundable application fee

          or

  • $60 nonrefundable application fee for applications with international credentials
  • baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited university (Non-U.S. degrees must be equivalent to a four-year U.S. Bachelor’s degree. In most cases, three-year degrees are not considered. Visit our International FAQs for more information.)
  • official transcripts from each institution where course credit was granted
  • overall 2.75 GPA on a scale of 4.0, or 2.75 GPA calculated over the last 60 semester hours of undergraduate work leading to the bachelor's degree
  • 3.0 GPA in 12 upper-division undergraduate semester credit hours in Spanish including six hours in literature
  • GRE not required
  • Statement of purpose written in Spanish explaining the applicant's professional and personal interest in the Certificate in Professional Spanish.
  • 3 letters of recommendation
  • Résumé or CV

Approved English Proficiency Exam Scores

Applicants are required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score that meets the minimum program requirements below unless they have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or the equivalent from a country on our exempt countries list.

  • official TOEFL iBT scores required with a 78 overall
  • official PTE scores required with a 52
  • official IELTS (academic) scores required with a 6.5 overall and minimum individual module scores of 6.0
  • official Duolingo Scores required with a 110 overall
  • official TOEFL Essentials scores required with an 8.5 overall

Course Requirements

Required Courses
SPAN 5325Professional Internship in Spanish3
Choose one or both of the following: 3-6
Translation History and Theory
Applied Translation Methods
Choose zero or one additional graduate Spanish course3-0
Total Hours9