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Can I study abroad as a Spanish major or minor?

Yes! The Department encourages all its students to pursue study abroad and believes that studying abroad and getting intensive language immersion will not only improve your communication skills and enable you to become fully bilingual, but also significantly enrich your knowledge of the culture and the social environments where Spanish is spoken.

Courses taken abroad may also count toward requirements for the major or minor. 

For more information, visit the

When can I study abroad as a Spanish major or minor?

First Year: You can study abroad as early as the summer after your first year.

Sophomore & Junior Year: There are no restrictions on going abroad during this time; however, you should keep in mind course pre-requisites and sequences when planning courses on campus and abroad.

Senior Year: It is possible to study abroad during your final year at NU and even graduate abroad; however, students should be aware that it can take 2-4 months to receive a transcript from study abroad. If you are studying abroad during your final quarter at Northwestern, this will likely delay your actual date of graduation.

Summer: ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵruns the  which offers 3 credits toward the Spanish major or minor.  In addition, there are options to study abroad on unaffiliated programs for academic credit or participate in the GESI program in one of their three Spanish-speaking locations. 

What classes can I take abroad?

The  offers a set curriculum of courses, all of which apply to the Spanish major or minor.  

ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵis affiliated with many programs in both Latin America and Spain that offer the opportunity to take coursework for your Spanish major or minor during the academic year.  Keep in mind that course content must be similar to the content of courses offered by the department, such as Spanish language, Spanish and Latin American literature, and Spanish and Latin American culture and civilization.

An adviser in the department can help you determine if the courses you wish to take meet the transfer eligibility requirements.

You can also take courses outside Spanish to help fulfill other degree requirements or just to take advantage of the opportunity to learn something new. You can read more about academic planning and choosing courses abroad on the GLO website.

What type of credit can I get from study abroad?

The department will accept up to four credits towards departmental minor requirements and up to seven credits towards departmental major requirements, but in no case more than four credits per single quarter/semester abroad. In addition:

• All courses abroad must meet for a minimum of 30 class hours in any given subject. The department has the final decision regarding which and how many study abroad credits fulfill requirements for major and minor.
• The department will accept for credit only courses taken at a foreign host University for the complete length of the course (i.e., Europe: first "cuatrimestre" from October to January; second "cuatrimestre" from February to June.)
• Foreign transcripts must specify individual courses and grades.
• Regardless of content, one course taken completely in Spanish in a Spanish-speaking country may be credited as Spanish 20x, as long as no credit is sought for it in another NU department.

Major elective courses: courses such as History of Chile, Contemporary Politics in Argentina, Spanish Baroque Art, etc. may receive credit towards the major as part of its two electives, as long as the appropriate NU department approves them as equivalent to their own courses and no credit is sought for them in another NU department. Students should contact the appropriate department to determine the equivalency of these courses prior to meeting with the faculty adviser in the Spanish and Portuguese department. 

Your academic advisers can help you identify what distribution requirements or major/minor credit could be best taken abroad and your GLO adviser can help you identify programs that offer these types of credit.

Suggested Programs for Spanish Majors and Minors

Interested in other programs or other types of credit?

Next Steps

Unsure where to start? Check out the Get Started page for some helpful next steps.

For questions about Spanish and study abroad, refer to the .

We encourage you to meet with your Spanish adviser to discuss your academic course plan and with a GLO adviser to learn more about the programs you're considering.