Spanish

Spanish is an ideal minor to pair with any number of majors. It enhances opportunities for students specializing not only in areas such as bilingual education, business, or social work, but also communication studies, sociology, anthropology, psychology, nursing, agriculture, politics and government, women's, gender, and sexuality studies, criminal justice, geology, geography, music, and many more.

Learning Spanish, even as a minor, has the very real potential to enrich your interaction with people you meet on a daily basis, both professionally and personally.

For instance, you might graduate with a B.A. in geology and find yourself investigating seismic faults in Bolivia; or as an agribusiness major, newly out of school, your employer may send you to Mexico or Chile, just two of the Spanish-speaking countries which provide our out-of-season produce; or you could become a paralegal and work on immigration law; or as a music major, your interest in the Appalachian ballad could lead you to the Spanish romance or the Mexican corrido; or you could fall in love with someone who speaks Spanish or whose family does.

And you may be closer than you think to completing this minor, especially if you took Spanish before coming to Illinois State. Many students also complete their minor by studying abroad through our programs in Chile, Panama, and Spain.

Why Study Spanish?

Everyone is speaking Spanish, across the country and around the world. Hispanics are already 17 percent of the U.S. population, and that's projected to grow to nearly 30 percent by 2060. Not only is Spanish the second most widely spoken native language in the world after Chinese, it is the third most commonly used language online.

A minor in Spanish provides basic speaking, understanding, reading, and writing skills, opening doors to national, international, and online communities. You will also gain the cultural and literary awareness that sparks conversations and may lead to valuable personal and professional relationships.

Application Information

Apply to the minor by going to Stevenson 114 and filling out a paper ADD-MINOR form.

Application Period

Applications for the Spanish minor are always being accepted unless otherwise specified by the Spanish department, which reserves the right to reject applications in times of mass enrollment. 

Academic Advising