Campuses:
Twin Cities campus
This is archival data. This system was retired as of August 21, 2023 and the information on this page has not been updated since then. For current information, visit catalogs.umn.edu.
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Twin Cities Campus
Spanish Language Advanced-Level Proficiency CertificateSpanish & Portuguese Studies
College of Liberal Arts
This certificate is designed for students interested in achieving advanced-level proficiency in Spanish and having their skills formally recognized. People who have advanced-level proficiency in Spanish possess the speaking, reading, writing and listening skills sufficient to satisfy the requirements of everyday situations at home and at work. They also generally understand and are understood by native speakers of Spanish. For an extended definition of advanced-level proficiency, please visit the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages website: www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/ACTFLProficiencyGuidelines2012_FINAL.pdf
The Certificate of Advanced-Level Proficiency is open to all University of Minnesota undergraduate students, especially those who seek higher levels of Spanish proficiency in order to become more competitive for graduate or professional programs, careers with domestic Spanish-speaking populations, or international careers.
Program Delivery
This program is available:
Admission Requirements
For information about University of Minnesota admission requirements, visit the
Office of Admissions
website.
General Requirements
All students in baccalaureate degree programs are required to complete general University and college requirements including writing and liberal education courses. For more information about University-wide requirements, see the
liberal education requirements.
Required courses for the major, minor or certificate in which a student receives a D grade (with or without plus or minus) do not count toward the major, minor or certificate (including transfer courses).
Program Requirements
The Spanish Language Advanced-Level Proficiency Certificate consists of six required components:
- pass the Spanish LPE
- complete two upper-division courses taught in Spanish* with a grade of C- or higher
- complete a Spanish-language immersion experience
- complete the self-assessment instrument
- submit a critical reflection essay
- pass the ACTFL exam
*A note about the coursework in Spanish: students have two options, both of which include completing at least one content-based course. A content-based course is defined as one that is focused on an academic discipline, and taught almost exclusively in Spanish, or for which the discussion section is delivered in Spanish. A minimum of 10 pages of written work in Spanish must be completed, including a single assignment of at least five pages. See the certificate website for a list of approved courses. Options include courses taught by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies and other university departments. You may contact the Languages Across the Curriculum (LAC) coordinator about additional courses that may apply, such as courses taught abroad.
Spanish LPE
Pass the Spanish Language Proficiency Exam (LPE). This exam is typically taken after 4 semesters of college-level study, or the equivalent. For more information, please visit http://langtest.umn.edu/lpe.
Two Upper-division Courses Taught in Spanish
Complete two upper-division courses taught in Spanish, for a total of 6-8 credits, with a grade of C- or higher. There are two options for completing this requirement:
- Option 1: SPAN 3015 and one pre-approved content-based* course
- Option 2: two pre-approved content-based* courses
*Content-based courses are defined under "Program Requirements" above.
Spanish-language Immersion
Participate in an intensive Spanish-language immersion experience. There are two options for completing this requirement:
- Option 1: Participate in an academic study abroad experience of at least six weeks that includes at least one course taught in Spanish
- Option 2: Complete a pre-approved immersion experience, such as a service learning experience (see the Certificate website for a list of approved options)
Self-assessment Instrument
Take the self-assessment and use this information to gauge your own proficiency level. It is strongly recommended that you do not attempt the ACTFL exam until the self-assessment results indicate that you may have achieved advanced-level proficiency.
Critical Reflection Essay
Submit a short essay (of 500 words or less) written in English that summarizes and explains how you have used your skills in Spanish and cultural understanding at the university and beyond. Show that you have engaged in critical reflection on the learning process and developed the tools for continued language acquisition. Cite specific experiences to illustrate your linguistic growth.
Pass the ACTFL
Pass the ACTFL advanced-level exam in Spanish by achieving a rating of Advanced-Low or higher in all four sections:
- Speaking
- Writing
- Listening
- Reading
Additional Recommended Experiences to Enhance Spanish-Language Proficiency
- Study abroad in a Spanish-speaking country for at least 1 semester
- Service learning in a Spanish-speaking community for at least 1 semester
- Participate in the Community Engagement Scholars Program and work with native Spanish speakers
- Participate in TandemPlus
- Take extra upper-division courses taught in Spanish
- Take the self-assessment test periodically
- Spend approximately 15-20 hours per week outside of class actively using Spanish (reading, writing, speaking, listening)
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