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After graduating, you'll be well qualified to start a variety of careers and roles, including:

• Education, in roles such as Spanish or ESL teacher in K-12 schools
• International business and trade roles such as sales representative, marketing consultant, global account manager and cultural liaison
• Diplomacy and government, in roles such as foreign service officer, cultural attaché, national security agent, immigration officer, UNESCO official and FBI agent
• Healthcare in roles such as medical interpreter or healthcare administrator, and in public health outreach
• Tourism and hospitality roles such as tour guide, travel agent, hotel manager or concierge
• Media and communication roles in journalism, content creation or public relations – especially for bilingual media outlets
• Human resources
• Translation and interpretation

Many Spanish majors combine their Spanish studies with other areas of study to prepare for career opportunities in international business, government, travel or communications, where knowledge of a foreign language and of foreign cultures is essential.

A bachelor’s degree in Spanish also prepares you for graduate studies and most professional schools, including law, business and medicine.

SMU Spanish majors become global citizens able to connect personally and professionally with Spanish speakers, organizations and companies all over the world. In Texas and beyond, employers seek professionals who are able to bridge languages and cultures. Spanish speakers are needed in education, healthcare, law enforcement, business, social services, government and more. Being bilingual is an advantage in all areas of business.

The median salary in 2024 for Spanish interpreters and translators, for example, is $59,440, according to the .

Through a wide range of beginning, intermediate, and advanced language and literature, conversation and civilization courses – as well as opportunities for practical experience via internships and study abroad programs – SMU Spanish majors become global citizens able to connect personally and professionally with Spanish speakers, organizations and companies all over the world.

The B.A. in Spanish has three tracks depending on your starting point, whether you are native, heritage or non-native speaker. These categories refer to your linguistic ability and placement is determined by the Spanish area advisor. Whereas “native” and “non-native” are just as they sound, “heritage speaker” refers to a student who has family or cultural ties to a Spanish-speaking country, who may be able to speak Spanish but not write it, or who may understand the language but is not able to speak it. There is room for flexibility in the coursework for it to be tailored to whatever level of understanding of Spanish you have.

A Bachelor of Arts in Spanish will give you a rich view of the world and a practical skill in an increasingly bilingual environment. Through the SMU Spanish language curriculum, you will develop enhanced analytical and critical thinking skills valuable in a graduate-level program.

A major in Spanish allows you to develop key competencies in both writing and speaking. Several elective courses can be used to fulfill the SMU writing requirement, such as Intro to Psycholinguistics and Catholic Literature and Theology. Other courses, like Conversations and Community, fulfill the SMU community engagement requirement while also providing ample opportunities for improving speaking proficiency. A range of courses, including Immigrant Representation in Contemporary Spanish Cinema, Spanish-Speaking Diasporas and Texas-Mexico Borderlands, satisfy the oral communication requirement.

There are a number of experiential learning opportunities for students in the Spanish program ������ý in the form of internships and study abroad experiences.

Students will deepen their cultural understanding and practice their conversation abilities through immersive study abroad experiences in Spain. The department offers two faculty-led summer programs. Both are five-week programs, one based in Seville and the other in Madrid.

Semester-long study abroad opportunities are available to SMU students via the Institute for American Universities (IAU). Programs in  and consist of courses from a variety of disciplines, including Spanish, art, business, engineering, history, political science and religious studies, to name a few.

Spanish majors also benefit from enriching internships, on campus, in the Dallas area and abroad. SPAN 4385 and WL 4385 are three-credit-hour courses offering real-world experience in using Spanish language skills and cultural understanding.