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Spanish Teaching Major

Course Requirements
Spanish Teaching Major Introduction

General Information

The Undergraduate Catalog is the official resource for course requirements for the Spanish Teaching Major. See the above link for more information.

Application Process

Applications to the Spanish Teaching Major are accepted once each Fall and Winter semester.

Application Deadlines:

  • February 28th at 5 p.m. MDT
  • October 31st at 5 p.m. MDT

First Steps:

  1. Declare a Spanish Teaching pre-major.
  2. Complete FLANG 276: Exploration of Teaching Foreign Languages.
    • Offered in the first block during Fall and Winter semesters.
  3. Apply to the Spanish Teaching major through Educator Plus.
    • Application procedures are explained during FLANG 276.

Materials Reviewed by Application Committee:

  •  Application form (submitted on https://educator.byu.edu/)
  •  University transcripts (GPA of 2.7 or higher, preference given to students with 3.0+)
  •  Test scores (reading, math, and writing scores for EITHER the ACT, the SAT, or the Praxis Core)
    • Have your scores sent to BYU.
  •  Controlled Writing Sample (submitted through Learning Suite during FLANG 276)
  •  5- to 7-minute teaching demonstration video (submitted on https://educator.byu.edu/)
  • You will be notified of the committee’s decision by e-mail before the end of March.

Undergraduate Catalog Details:

Requirements

Prerequisite Courses

Students must complete any 100- or 200-level Spanish courses they need to prepare for SPAN 321 according to their Spanish experience and proficiency. SPAN 321 is the first language course that counts toward the Spanish teaching major, but this does not mean all incoming students will be ready for SPAN 321 during their first semester.

For more information, see below.

View Course Placement Map

Course Requirements

Please see the Undergraduate Catalog for a detailed list of required courses.

    See Undergraduate Catalog

    Frequently Asked Questions

    • Yes. You need to plan backward from when you want to graduate, noting that the courses listed below are only offered during Fall and Winter semesters:

      • Last semester - Decide whether you will do:
        • Span 476:  Secondary Spanish Student Teaching (1 semester long, Fall or Winter only)
        • OR Span 496:  Secondary Spanish Teaching Internship (1 year long, Fall or Winter only)
      • Semester immediately prior to student teaching: 
        • Span 378:  Spanish Teaching Methods 2 (Fall or Winter only)
        • Span 380:  Practicum in Teaching Spanish (Fall or Winter only)
        • Both courses must be taken the semester before student teaching and are often taught back-to-back by the same instructor.
      • Two semesters before student teaching:
        • Span 377:  Spanish Teaching Methods 1 (Fall or Winter only, the semester right before Span 378)

    • No. A minimum of four semesters are required to complete this major. If you apply to the major late in your academic career, you may not be able to graduate when you had originally intended.

      • SPAN 377, 378 and 380 are open only to Spanish Teaching Majors officially admitted to the program, and to Spanish Teaching Minors.
      • SPAN 377 is a prerequisite for Span 378 and Span 380.
      • SPAN 377 and 378/380 are generally offered during the same hour, so it is not possible to take them simultaneously.

    • Generally, no.

      • SPAN 377 and 378 are the core courses for the Spanish Teaching Major and cannot be waived.
      • Students minoring in teaching another foreign language may petition to substitute the 377 methods class in that language for SPAN 377.
      • Please contact Dr. Cherice Montgomery, the program coordinator of the Spanish Teaching Major for more information.

    • No. SPAN 376 is a different course with a different textbook and different content geared toward non-teaching majors. Unlike Span 377 and Span 378, it is not designed to prepare students for working in a public school teaching context.

    • No.

      • You can state whether you prefer to teach high school or middle/junior high school when you submit your student teaching application in Educator Plus.
      • You can rank the five school districts in the BYU-Public School Partnership (Jordan, Alpine, Provo, Nebo, Wasatch) in order of preference.
      • The department will do its best to accommodate your preferences, but it may not be possible to place you in the school, district, or at the level you prefer due to limitations in the number of placements available and competition from other universities in placing student teachers.
      • Students should NOT contact individual mentors or school administrators in an attempt to arrange their own placements.
      • Span 476:  Secondary Spanish Student Teaching (12 credits) is a full-time, semester-long placement in the classroom of a mentor teacher.
        • Student teachers are expected to be at their school during contract hours (which tend to fall between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m.).
        • Students are strongly discouraged from taking other classes or working at another job while student teaching.
        • Scholarships are available to students during the semester they student teach (see http://hac.byu.edu/teacher-education-scholarship.html).
      • Span 496:  Secondary Spanish Teaching Internship (12 credits) is a full-year internship during which a student intern is hired by a high school or middle/junior high school as a full-time teacher.
        • Interns generally have their own classroom, are expected to independently fulfill all of the contract hours and responsibilities of a full-time classroom teacher, and are assigned an experienced teacher as a mentor with whom they can consult when they have questions or problems.
        • Interns are paid a salary equal to half that of a licensed teacher.
        • Internships are relatively uncommon, as they are contingent on the needs of local schools.

    For more information, email Dr. Cherice Montgomery or call (801) 422-3465.

    Alternatively, email the Department Office or call (801) 422-2837.