With over 400 million speakers in more than twenty countries, Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the world rivaled only by English and Mandarin Chinese. In the U.S. there are 41 million native speakers of Spanish, and 11 million people speak it as a second language. No doubt it is the fastest-growing language in this country. Daily use of Spanish is so common in the U.S. - at stores, at restaurants, at work, on television, on the radio, on the streets, etc. - that most Americans take it for granted. In the state of Texas with its dynamic Hispanic population, there are over 6 million speakers of Spanish, and growing. No doubt, knowing English and Spanish will give anyone a clear edge in today's work world. Click here for a video on how Spanish can help you.

UNT offers a major and minor in Spanish. At the basic and intermediate levels students master all Spanish language skills through oral and written practice as well as online activities. Advanced students take prerequisite classes before choosing from a variety of courses in literature, culture, professions, civilization and cinema to fulfill requirements and electives.

UNT Spanish graduates have gone on to become secondary school teachers and work in various businesses, as well as continue on to graduate school, among other professions. Many UNT students also do a double major in Spanish and another field - such as business, music, biology and journalism, for example - since they are well aware that NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, SPANISH WILL HELP YOU!

See our Spanish majors talk about their many positive experiences in our program:

Faculty

Professors

• Dr. Jorge Aviles-Diz (Associate Professor of Spanish): Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Spanish Literature
• Dr. Pierina Beckman (Associate Professor of Spanish): Medieval and Golden Age Spanish Literature
• Dr. Will Derusha (Associate Professor of Spanish): Transatlantic Poetry
• Dr. Jongsoo Lee (Associate Professor of Spanish): Prehispanic, Colonial and Nineteenth Century Latin American Literature
• Dr. Samuel Manickam (Associate Professor of Spanish, Chair): Twentieth and Twenty-first Century Latin American Narrative
• Dr. Teresa Marrero (Full Professor of Spanish): Twentieth and Twenty-first Century Latin American and Latino Theatre
• Dr. Cristina Sánchez-Conejero (Professor of Spanish): Twentieth and Twenty-first Century Spanish Narrative and Cinema
• Dr. Talia Weltman-Cisneros (Assistant Professor of Spanish): Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Latin American Narrative
• Dr. Jiyoung Yoon (Associate Professor of Spanish): Spanish Linguistics

Lecturers

• Dr. Barbara Ashbaugh (Lecturer)
• Ms. Kellye Church (Principal Lecturer)
• Ms. Marla Estes (Principal Lecturer)
• Ms. Connie Martínez (Principal Lecturer)
• Ms. María Muñiz (Principal Lecturer)
• Dr. Martine Price (Senior Lecturer)
• Dr. Esther Sánchez-Couto (Lecturer)
• Mr. Steven Sheppard (Lecturer)
• Dr. Emily Thurman (Lecturer)

Adjunct Faculty

• Dr. María Carpio Manickam
• Mr. Eric Fuentes
• Ms. Elizabeth Gosch
• Ms. Olga Mandujano
• Ms. Carla Nazario
• Ms. A. Elizabeth Norton de Evans
• Mr. Marcus Rodriguez
• Ms. Iris Viruet-Rosa
• Ms. Nicholey Schwab
• Dr. Yanina Sheppard
• Ms. Jennifer Soloman
• Dr. Karen Upchurch
• Mr. Andrew Wahlert
• Ms. Rachelle Wilson

Please see the Faculty section of our website for contact information and additional information about faculty.

Minor in Spanish

A minor in Spanish consists of a minimum of 21 semester hours in Spanish, including 9 advanced hours. Demonstration of proficiency may be substituted for credit in courses equivalent to SPAN 1010 through SPAN 2050. A minimum grade of C is required for a course to count toward the minor.

Certificate in Professional Spanish

This undergraduate academic certificate requires 12 hours of advanced Spanish, including:

Two courses in professional Spanish chosen from:

• SPAN 3510 - Spanish for Law Enforcement
• SPAN 3520 - Spanish for Social Services
• SPAN 3530 - Spanish for Hotel and Restaurant Management
• SPAN 3540 - Spanish for Travel and Tourism
• SPAN 3550 - Spanish for the Medical Professions I
• SPAN 3560 - Spanish for the Medical Professions II
• SPAN 3570 - Spanish in the Bilingual Classroom
• SPAN 4040 - Spanish Writing for the Mass Media Professions
• SPAN 4080 - Business Spanish

Two other Spanish courses at the 3000 or 4000 level

Notify the academic advisor of your major once you have completed the coursework, so they can list the certificate on your transcript.

*All courses MUST be completed at UNT. Transfer courses will NOT count towards the certificate*

Syllabi & Courses

For full listing of courses with descriptions and prerequisites, please visit UNT's Catalog home page. You can also find syllabi listed on faculty profiles at https://faculty.unt.edu/.

Transfer Credit and Placement Test

Students may earn credits in Spanish through a placement test or by transferring credits from another institution. For more details, please look for testing information under the Resources section of this website or call the department office.

Study Abroad

For study-abroad opportunities, please look under the Resources section of our website for the Study Abroad page, contact our main office, or contact the Study Abroad Office at https://studyabroad.unt.edu or by calling (940) 565-2207.

Spanish Club

Contact Information

Samuel Manickam: Chair

• Office: LANG 101E
• Phone: 940-565-2404
• Email: Samuel.Manickam@unt.edu

Emily Thurman: Undergraduate Advisor

• Office: 101D
• Phone: 940-565-2582
• Email: Emily.Thurman@unt.edu

Steve Sheppard: First Year Spanish Coordinator

• Office: 403L
• Phone: 940-565-2404
• Email: Steven.Sheppard@unt.edu

Marla Estes: Second Year Spanish Coordinator

• Office: 403G
• Phone: 940-565-2404
• Email: Marla.Estes@unt.edu