The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in French, German, and Spanish, and a Master of Arts degree in Spanish. In addition, students can complete a Minor in the above three languages, as well as in Comparative Literature, Foreign Languages, Linguistics, and Russian. Skills-development courses are offered in all languages with a Major or Minor, and in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Italian.
The B.A. degrees in French, German, and Spanish are designed to develop students’ specialized knowledge of culture, literature, and language. Minors give students the opportunity to refine language skills and to acquire knowledge of a foreign culture and/or literature. Skills-development courses facilitate speaking, reading, writing, and understanding a foreign language, and are the basis for upper-division work leading to a Minor or Major.
The M.A. degree in Spanish provides a body of general knowledge in the Spanish language and in Spanish literatures and cultures. The M.A. can serve as a means to an immediate career path and as preparation for further graduate study.
The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures serves all undergraduate students at UTSA by offering a wide choice of languages for fulfillment of various core curriculum requirements. In addition, numerous UTSA students opt to enhance their future marketability by taking upper-division foreign language courses to support their career goals in business, the law, government work, education, and many other fields. The B.A. degrees in these languages, combined with courses in education, fulfill the requirements for teacher education.
The Faculty
The faculty have been recruited from top universities in the United States and abroad. They have expertise in a variety of fields, from linguistics, to literature and culture, to language acquisition, pedagogy, and technology. Faculty are actively engaged in research and professional service, as well as the newest trends in teaching and learning. Instructors in the department typically rank above the College and University mean in their teaching evaluations.
Scholarships and Awards
The Department offers a limited number of scholarships to students majoring and minoring in French, German, Russian, and Spanish. Contact the department for more information at (210) 458-4373. Additional scholarships are available for study abroad. Students who are interested in general UTSA scholarship opportunities should contact the Scholarship Office at (210) 458-4855. The department also recognizes exceptional students in all undergraduate language classes at the annual Foreign Language Award Ceremony every spring.
Advising and Testing
Students interested in majoring or minoring in a foreign language are urged to consult with the COLFA Academic Advisor at HSS 4.05.32 to discuss course selection and degree plans. For information on placement tests and Credit by Examination, students should contact the Testing Center at (210) 458-4125.
Study Abroad
Students are strongly encouraged to include a Study Abroad component in their curriculum. The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures has ties to several universities and language schools abroad for summer, semester, and year-long study of language and culture. Programs led by UTSA faculty are also available.
Internships
Limited internship opportunities are available for juniors and seniors who want to apply their knowledge of language and culture to a work experience at a company involved in multicultural or international activities.
