Program Structure - St Thomas University

Please follow the program structure outlined in the Academic Calendar from your FIRST academic year as a student at St. Thomas University. Find the Academic Calendars HERE. If you have any questions, please contact your academic advisor.

Minor

A Minor in Spanish usually consists of: SPAN 1006 Beginning Spanish, SPAN 2013-2023 Intermediate Grammar, and 6 more credit hours from the second or third-year offerings. Students with advanced standing entering directly into second year or beyond would achieve a minor with 18 credit hours of courses at the higher levels of Spanish appropriate to their standing. The structure for the Minor Program encourages students to complete a Minor in two years.

Major

It is recommended that students declare their subject Major to the Registrar’s Office by the beginning of their second year. The Major program in Spanish consists of 36 credit hours in Spanish, 12 of which must be at the third-year level and 6 at the fourth-year level. Students entering the Major program in Spanish will structure their chosen program in consultation with a faculty advisor from the Spanish program.

Students must attain at least an overall B average in their 72 credit hours of course work to obtain the Double Major in French and Spanish.

Double Major in French and Spanish

Please see the Romance Languages section of the website.

Honours

Students wishing to complete an Honours program in Spanish must meet the general norms of the University for an Honours degree, as set forth in St. Thomas University’s Calendar, Section Two: Programs.

Honours students must also meet the requirements set forth by the Romance Languages Department (RLD). The Honours degree in Spanish consists of 48 credit hours in Spanish. Twelve credit hours of Spanish will normally be taken at the third-year level and a minimum of 12 credit hours will come from the fourth-year offerings taken at St. Thomas University. Students wishing to complete the Honours program in Spanish shall make application to the Chair of the Romance Languages Department (RLD).

The application shall include:
1) a letter of intent indicating the name of the student’s program advisor and intended program of study
2) a copy of the student’s transcript
3) a written sample from a second-year Spanish course. Application must be made by the end of the student’s second year of study (April 30).

In order to be eligible for admission to the Spanish Honours Program, the student shall maintain a minimum average of “B” in all Spanish courses take at St. Thomas University.

Advanced Standing in Spanish

Students who claim advanced standing in Spanish will be expected to take courses at a level appropriate to their knowledge. Advanced standing in Spanish will be determined at an oral interview with a senior faculty member appointed by the Department. At the conclusion of this interview, students will be placed in an appropriate Spanish course. Students with Spanish as their first langue will normally be accepted directly into third and fourth year courses and may proceed to an Honours degree with the appropriate number of credit hours at that level.

Honours Thesis

An Honours thesis is recommended for any student planning to attend graduate school in Spanish. This Honours thesis will comprise six credit hours of the mandatory twelve credit hours at the fourth-year level. Therefore, students who choose to write an Honours Thesis will only take 6 more credit hours in the 4th year level in order to complete the 48 credit hours required for Honours in Spanish.

Accelerated Program in Spanish

Students can accelerate their programme in Spanish by taking university courses in a Spanish-speaking environment, with Departmental approval. Such courses have been recognized by the Department at St. Thomas University since 1973 and include such options as the ICUSTA Exchange Program and the Avila Experience, as well as other approved methods of foreign travel and study. Students are encouraged to take such programs after completing their second year in Spanish and they should consult the appropriate departmental advisor for more details.

Certificate of Competency in Spanish

A student wishing to obtain an internationally recognized Certificate of Competency in Spanish would take and pass the DELE (Diploma de Español Lengua Extranjera), initially at the basic level. Examinations for the DELE are in November and May. St. Thomas University is the official testing site for the DELE for New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The DELE has respected and objective international standing; it is the official certificate of the Instituto Cervantes, sponsored by the Spanish Government, and operates from the Universidad de Salamanca in Spain.

Independent Studies

Students may undertake independent studies under the direction of a member or members of the Department with the permission of the Department. These courses will be limited to students of proven academic merit; they may not normally be taken as a means of repeating a course a student has failed. The content of these courses will differ from those courses regularly offered during the academic year in question and will vary from 3 to 6 credit hours.