Academics
Undergraduate Programs: Majors and Minors
Undergraduate Programs: Majors and Minors
Spanish Education (7-12), B.S.
About the Program
This program is currently under revision. Students entering Buffalo State in fall 2009 or later will be held to the new program requirements. Contact the Modern and Classical Languages Department at (716) 878-5414 for full information.
The Spanish secondary education program prepares students for initial certification by the State of New York to teach Spanish in secondary schools (7–12). Students develop Spanish language skills, an awareness of Spanish and Latin American literatures and cultures, and knowledge of professional education practices in foreign language and traditional classrooms. The curriculum includes a series of field experiences. All students desiring this program may be admitted into the B.A. language and literature program (SPA), which functions as a premajor for the B.S. program. Prospective students who apply for admission to the B.S. program must fill out an admissions form and complete two brief entrance essays—one in English and the other in Spanish—in the Modern and Classical Languages Department office (Bishop 122) after they have successfully completed 6 credits beyond FRE 302. No student will be admitted with less than a 2.5 overall GPA or with less than a 2.5 GPA in Spanish courses. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 (overall and in French), to enroll in the teaching practicum. Also, students must complete an ACTFL-approved Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) in order to demonstrate Advanced-Low Proficiency in French. If Advanced-Low is not achieved, an additional upper-level French course, chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor, must be successfully completed.
About the Modern and Classical Languages Department
124 Bishop Hall
1300 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14222
Phone: (716) 878-5414
Fax: (716) 878-6730
www.buffalostate.edu/languages/
Contact Faculty and Staff in the Modern and Classical Languages Department
Career Information
Students who major in Spanish or French education are prepared to teach the language in grades 7 through 12 or to accept a professional position that requires knowledge of the language and culture of French- or Spanish-speaking countries. Such positions include positions with multinational corporations or with government agencies that operate overseas. Students also may attend graduate school.
In the past five years, all graduates from the teaching program found work as teachers in middle schools or high schools. Graduates of the language and literature program were hired as bilingual sales and customer service specialists and customs agents. Typical hiring firms include banks, pharmaceutical companies, software developers, consultants, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, the U.S. State Department, and nonprofit organizations.
Recent graduates have been hired by companies such as Fisher Price; Mentholatum; various law firms; local school districts, including Buffalo, Depew, Chautauqua, Fredonia, East Aurora, Lewiston-Porter, and Clarence; and school systems elsewhere in New York, California, and Nevada.
Program Requirements
Intellectual Foundations Requirements 39–66 cr
Total Required Credit Hours in Spanish 36 cr
A. Required Courses (27 cr)
SPA 301, SPA 302 Spanish Conversation and Composition
SPA 305 Spanish Phonetics
SPA 306 The Civilization of Spain
SPA 307, SPA 308 Survey of Spanish Literature
OR
SPA 310, SPA 311 Survey of Spanish American Literature
SPA 309 The Civilization of Latin America
SPA 415 Advanced Grammar and Composition
SPA 416 Advanced Conversation
B. Electives (9 cr)
Select three courses from the following:
SPA 303 Introduction to Spanish Literature
SPA 307 Survey of Spanish Literature*
SPA 308 Survey of Spanish Literature*
SPA 310 Survey of Spanish American Literature*
SPA 311 Survey of Spanish American Literature*
SPA 317 Business Spanish
SPA 405 Old Spanish
SPA 408 Twentieth-Century Spanish Literature
SPA 411 Spanish American Literature of the Nineteenth and
Twentieth Centuries: Novel, Short Story, and Essay
SPA 421 Structure of Modern Spanish
SPA 496 Seminar I
SPA 497 Seminar II
* May be taken as an elective if not taken as a required course.
Total Required Credit Hours in Professional Education 24 cr
EDF 303 Educational Psychology
EDF 403 Historical and Philosophical Forces Influencing Secondary Education
EDU 416 Teaching Literacy in Middle and Secondary Schools
EXE 372 Foundations of Teaching Adolescents with Disabilities
FLE 200 Field Experience in Foreign Language Education
FLE 316 Teaching Reading in the Second Language in Middle Schools
FLE 401 Techniques for Teaching and Evaluating Foreign Languages in Middle Schools
FLE 405 Methods and Materials for Teaching Foreign Languages in High Schools
Total Required Credit Hours in Student Teaching 12 cr
FLE 407/SED 407 Student Teaching of Foreign Languages in the Middle/Junior High School (6)
FLE 408/SED 408 Student Teaching of Foreign Languages in the High School (6)
All College Electives 0–6 cr
Total Required Credit Hours 120 cr
