Teaching Spanish

Individuals interested in teaching in K-12 schools must complete a degree in the content area they want to teach plus the teacher preparation program through the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Individuals must complete the teaching major/teaching track within that degree program, which may contain different course requirements than the academic major since the sequence of courses is designed to meet state standards. Upon completion of the degree program with the teaching track and the secondary licensure program, one will be eligible for a standard Montana teaching license in this content area.

Extended Major Teaching Field of Spanish:   For an endorsement in the extended major teaching field of Spanish, a student must complete the requirements for the B.A. with a major in Spanish including SPNS 301, 305, 400, 408 (SPAN 301, 302, 405, 408) and MCLG 410. Study in a Spanish language country, provided either through the University's Study Abroad Program or an experience considered to be equivalent, also is required.  Spanish qualifies for a single field endorsement. However, there is a limited demand in the majority of Montana high schools for teachers with a single endorsement in Spanish. Students are encouraged to complete the requirements for a second teaching endorsement (major or minor) in another field in more demand in high schools.

To sign up for this option, you need to contact the Curriculum and Instruction Department. Do not fill out a major/minor form for graduation or the major/minor/concentration section of the major change form. Approvals for this option must come from the Curriculum and Instruction Department.  

Tracks will not appear on your UM transcript, diploma, university lists, student data system, or university publication and are used for advising purposes only. You do not fill out a major change for a track.

Bachelor of Arts - Spanish; Track: Teaching Spanish

College Humanities & Sciences

Catalog Year: 2015-2016

Degree Specific Credits: 57

Required Cumulative GPA: 2.5

Note: Students are required to maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 in all upper-division courses presented in fulfillment of requirements for the Spanish teaching major. Study in a Spanish language country, provided either through the University's Study Abroad Program or an experience considered to be equivalent, also is required.

Lower Division Core Courses

Rule: Must complete all of the following courses:

Note: Students with language background may be exempt from the SPNS 101-202 requirements. Please see the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures for additional information.

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description SPNS 101 - Elementary Spanish I
Offered autumn. Emphasis on oral communication, with development in all major skill areas: listening, speaking,  reading and writing.
 5 Credits
Show Description SPNS 102 - Elementary Spanish II
Offered spring. Prereq., SPNS 101. Continuation of 101.
 5 Credits
Show Description SPNS 201 - Intermediate Spanish I
Offered autumn. Prereq., SPNS 102. Continued practice in the oral skills with added emphasis on grammar and reading proficiency.
 4 Credits
Show Description SPNS 202 - Intermediate Spanish II
Offered spring. Prereq., SPNS 201. Continuation of 201.
 4 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 18 Total Credits Required

Upper Division Core Courses

Rule: Must complete all of the following courses

Note: The sequential order of the following required courses must be followed:
1) SPNS 326 and SPNS 331 must be taken before any 400-level literature course
2) SPNS 301 must be taken before SPNS 408

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description SPNS 301 - Spanish: Oral and Written Expr
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., SPNS 202 or equiv. Development of oral and written skills with an emphasis on Hispanic cultural context.
 3 Credits
Show Description SPNS 326 - Contemporary Spanish Lit
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., SPNS 202 or equiv. The study of contemporary works by peninsular authors, including an introduction to literary genres.
 3 Credits
Show Description SPNS 331 - Contemp Latin Amer Lit
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., SPNS 202 or equiv. The study of representative works by Latin-American authors with emphasis on the 20th century. Includes an introduction to literary genres.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 9 Total Credits Required

Upper Division Core for Teaching Track

Rule: Complete all of the following courses

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description SPNS 305 - Spanish Phonetics
Offered once each academic year. Prereq., SPNS 202 or consent of instr.  A practical and theoretical exploration of the Spanish sound system.
 3 Credits
Show Description SPNS 400 - Spanish: Applied Linguistics
Offered autumn. Prereq., SPNS 305 and LING 270 or 470. Topics in linguistics applied to the Spanish Language with an emphasis on morphology, syntax and semantics.
 3 Credits
Show Description SPNS 408 - Spanish: Adv Comp & Conversat
Offered spring. Prereq., SPNS 301 or consent of instr. Intensive practice in writing on different levels of usage and style, combined with guided oral practice.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 9 Total Credits Required

Additional Upper Division Spanish Electives

Rule: Must complete 12 credits of upper-division courses in Spanish.

Note: The student must take at least 2 400-level literature courses.

Minimum Required Grade: C-
12 Total Credits Required

Upper Division Writing

Rule: Must complete the following course

Note: This course fulfills the upper division writing requirement.

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description MCLG 315 - Major Hispanic Authors
Offered autumn.  The intensive study of the life times, and works of a major Hispanic author.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 3 Total Credits Required

Teaching Licensure Requirements

Note: Students must be formally admitted to the Teacher Education Program and complete all of the professional education licensure requirements. See the Department of Curriculum & Instruction in the College of Education and Human Sciences for more information. A major GPA of 2.75 is required to be eligible for student teaching.

Note: Students must be formally admitted to the Teacher Education Program and complete all of the professional education licensure requirements. See the Department of Curriculum & Instruction in the College of Education and Human Sciences for more information. A major GPA of 2.75 is required to be eligible for student teaching.

Teaching Methods Course

Rule: Must complete the following course

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description LING 270S - Intro to Ling
Offered autumn and spring.  An introduction to the field of modern linguistics and to the nature of language. Emphasis on the ways different cultures develop symbol systems for representing meaning.
 3 Credits
Show Description MCLG 410 - Methods Tchg For Lang
Offered spring. Prereq., Ling 270S; one of FRCH 400, LATN 311, RUSS 350, or SPNS 400. Coreq. C&I 301 or 302.  Fundamental concepts, objectives and techniques in the teaching of foreign languages.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 6 Total Credits Required