There are 40 million Spanish speakers in the United States, and the Spanish-speaking population is growing rapidly. With over 400 million speakers, Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language in the world. Spanish is an official language on four continents and is a native language in 21 countries, including the United States.

³Ô¹ÏÍø the Major

As a Spanish major at Ohio Wesleyan, you will acquire the ability to read, write, and converse in Spanish at a proficient level, while also gaining an understanding and appreciation of the diverse cultures that make up the Hispanic world. At the advanced level, you will have the opportunity to take courses that delve deeper into a variety of topics related to the Spanish language, cultures, literatures, and cinemas, in their specific sociohistorical and geographical contexts, and in dialogue with other languages spoken in Latin America and Spain.

In some courses you will learn to analyze and interpret authentic cultural materials with an awareness of the sociocultural, historical and political contexts in which cultural and artistic productions take place. In other courses, you have the chance to think about language scientifically as you study topics in linguistics ranging from the sounds and structures of Spanish to language acquisition and bilingualism.

Study Abroad & Immersion

All Spanish majors must satisfy an immersion requirement. This can be done in one of the following ways:

Did you earn the Seal of Biliteracy in high school?

Beginning in Fall 2025, the Department of World Languages and Cultures will award college credit to incoming students who have earned the Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish. Students who present the Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish upon entry shall be exempt from SPAN 110 and 111 and granted one unit of credit for SPAN 225. This means they will have satisfied the "Learn a Second Language" core competency requirement.

They will also have one unit of credit (SPAN 225) toward a Spanish major or minor.

They will not be required to take the placement test but are encouraged to sign up for an intermediate-level Spanish course (SPAN 226, 250, 310, or 350), if they wish to continue their language study.

Earn a Global Seal of Biliteracy

OWU language students now can earn the , an internationally recognized credential that allows them to highlight their linguistic achievements when applying for jobs or graduate school.