Undergraduate Spanish Studies
Study Spanish language and culture to become a global professional.
Why Study Spanish?
Spanish is the second most spoken language on the planet and is the mother tongue in 21 countries. Over 600 million people speak Spanish worldwide and the United States alone is home to 43 million Spanish speakers. It is the most studied language in US schools. Hispanic countries and their populations have an enormous economic, political, social, linguistic, and cultural impact around the world.
Our Spanish Program
The Department of Modern Languages offers an undergraduate Spanish major and minor as well as two graduate degrees - the master's degree with a Spanish concentration in the Languages emphasis; and the Ph.D. in Second Language Studies with a specialization in Spanish.
Students have the opportunity to study the language, linguistics, history, literatures, and cultures of Latin America and Spain. They develop language skills in listening and reading comprehension; speaking and writing; and multicultural competency.
Faculty Expertise
Our Spanish classes feature low faculty-to-student ratios allowing students to work closely with the Spanish faculty. They have expertise including Hispanic sociolinguistics, second language acquisition, colonial Spanish literature, Nahuatl, Spanish-American literature, Al-Andalus, Aljamiado, premodern Spanish literature, Spanish cinema, and Hispanic women writers.
Dr. Stephen Fafulas, Associate of Spanish and Linguistics, is an inaugural UM Faculty Laureate to build community partnerships to serve Latinx communities across the US South. Fafulas, a recent Fulbright recipient, mentors students in community-engaged research on Spanish in the US South, and has helped develop dual-language immersion programs in K-5 schools. Cofounder of the SEC Spanish Consortium and Director of the Study of Community Involvement and Outreach in Linguistics Laboratory, he teaches and conducts research in sociolinguistics, second language acquisition, and US Spanish.
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Academic Information
Learn about the Spanish major and minor requirements, including the general education requirements for the B.A. degree. Download a 4-year degree plan for the B.A. in Spanish.
Spanish Major and Minor -
Scholarships
Scholarships from the Department of Modern Languages, College of Liberal Arts, and UM Office of Financial Aid help many students study Spanish.
Modern Languages Scholarships -
Sigma Delta Pi Spanish Honor Society
Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, is the only honor society devoted exclusively to students of Spanish in four-year colleges and universities. It is the largest foreign language honor society in existence with over 150,000 members. The Delta Iota chapter of Sigma Delta Pi recognizes outstanding achievement in Spanish among UM students. Each spring semester, the Spanish faculty invite outstanding students to join this prestigious honor society. For more information, contact the chapter director Dr. Jason Klodt.
Sigma Delta Pi
Welcome to the Spanish Program
On behalf of faculty and staff, welcome to the Spanish major and minor in the Department of Modern Languages! Spanish majors study the language, linguistics, histories, literatures, and cultures of Latin America and Spain. We are pleased to offer an environment where you can develop language skills in listening and reading comprehension; speaking and writing; and multicultural competency. We also have a wide variety of extracurricular activities so you can get to know your fellow Spanish majors. Enjoy informal conversations at El café de los lunes; watch films in Spanish at the annual Hispanic Heritage film series; or dance the night away at the Latin Party organized by the Latin American Students Association. Your studies and social activities in the Spanish program will empower you to navigate complexity, diversity, and change, while developing talents that are highly sought in the workforce: effective communication, problem-solving, analytical thinking, worldliness, and the ability to work with diverse groups of people. Become a global citizen with superior Spanish skills and make an impact on our interconnected world.
Heather J Allen
Associate Professor of Spanish
Meet the Faculty
Heather Allen
- Associate Professor of Spanish
Julia Bussade
- Instructional Assistant Professor of Modern Languages and Director of Elementary Spanish and Portuguese Programs
Felice Coles
- Professor of Modern Languages
Enrique Cotelo
- Senior Lecturer in Spanish
Karla Duran
- Instructor in Modern Languages
Stephen Fafulas
- Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Maria Fionda
- Associate Professor of Spanish
Gabriel Alexander Garrido Franco
- Lecturer in Spanish
Hernan Garrido
- Lecturer in Modern Languages
Ian Gowan
- Instructional Associate Professor of Spanish and Croft Associate Director
Jason Klodt
- Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Maria Landa Vera
- Senior Lecturer in Spanish
Emily Maples
- Instructor in Spanish
Diane Marting
- Professor of Modern Languages
Milene Prewitt
- Lecturer in Modern Languages
Maria Garcia Otero
- Croft Instructional Associate Professor of Spanish
CARMEN Sanchis-Sinisterra
- Instructional Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Diana Semmes
- Lecturer in Modern Languages
Edgar Serrano
- Lecturer in Modern Languages
Daniel Valle Arevalo
- Assistant Professor of Spanish Linguistics
Ivonne Whitehead
- Senior Lecturer in Spanish
Robyn Wright
- Associate Professor of Spanish
Meet some Spanish majors
Jorge Gonzalez
What would you tell a high school student about studying Spanish?
See Jorge’s Answer
Andrew Purcell
What makes the department a special place?
See Andrew’s AnswerBeyond the Classroom
LASO: The Latin American Student Organization
LASO hosts Latin American cultural celebrations and social events for students. Our annual film festival features the latest movies from the Hispanic world. Also, our library has an extensive and ever-growing collection of Hispanic films for Hispanic cinephiles.
Outstanding Student Awards
| Year | Honors Day Spanish Award |
| 2024 | Evan Morrisey |
| 2023 | Natalie Grace Gault |
| 2022 | Reed Nelson Peets |
| 2021 | Kennedy Cohn |
| 2020 | Monica Stacy |
| 2019 | |
| 2018 | |
| 2017 | Monica Stacy |
| 2016 | Kathryn Joann Wright |
| 2015 | Mary Virginia Martin |
| 2014 | Patrick Wayne Fields |
| 2013 | Ryan Keith Ezelle |
| 2012 | Kathryn Eileen Trabue |
| 2011 | Kathleen Marie Moffitt |
| 2010 | Joseph Merrill Bateman |
| 2009 | Amanda Christine Boozer |
| 2008 | Robert Duke |
| 2007 | Robert Derivaux |
| 2006 | |
| 2005 | |
| 2004 | |
| 2003 | Christopher M. Sills |
| 2002 | |
| 2001 | |
| 2000 | Ivonne Whitehead (Outstanding Graduate Student) |
| Year | Outstanding Spanish Award |
| 2024 | 100 Level with Anabell Rodriguez: Lucas Edge 200 Level with Dayni Díaz: Aubrey Bethay 300 Level: Hannah Dear |
| 2023 | 100 Level with Emily Maples: Riley Littleton 200 Level with Irene Kaufmann: Ryleigh Grace Overby 300 Level: Meredith Goza |
| 2022 | 100 Level with Ashley Ledbetter: Olivia Moss 200 Level with Gabriel Garrido: Emily Ann Wiginton 300 Level: Brandon Kriplean |
| 2021 | 100 Level with Ashley Fly: Anne McRae 100 Level with Charles Gipson: Tiphanie Fiquet 100 Level with David Higginbotham: Anna Grace Stoup 100 Level with Diana Semmes: Samantha Simpson 100 Level with Dr. Enrique Cotelo: Anthony R. Brown 100 Level with Gabriel Garrido: Morgan Murphy 100 Level with Raul Gamboa García: Matthew Robert Hendricks 100 Level with Jenna Thigpen: Karah Anderson 200 Level with Irene Kaufmann: Alayna Poston 200 Level with Hernán Garrido: Brianna Berry 200 Level with Edgar Serrano: Hannah Feagin Hardy 200 Level with Karla Durán: Georgia Mouchet Inglis 200 Level with Maiyojanna Pelayo: Jemiah Jenise Johnson 200 Level with María Eugenia Landa: John Ferguson 200 Level with Milene Prewitt: Ajhanaya Marie Hughes-Bates 300 Level: Reed Peets 500 Level: Kennedy Cohn MA Level: Margaree Jackson PhD Level: Marta Galindo Parra |
| 2020 | 100 Level with Dayni Deysi Díaz Mederos: Samantha Guzman 100 Level with Emily Williams: Nicole Lauren Jonah 100 Level with Dr. Enrique Cotelo: Bailey Fitts 100 Level with Gabriel Garrido: Riley Brown 100 Level with Karla Durán: McKenzie Dale Ankrom 100 Level with Karma Sánchez: Taylor Welch 100 Level with Maribel Sullivan-González: Ashton Taylor Custer 100 Level with Patricia Quinelato: Brooke Worley 200 Level with David Higginbotham: Madison Anderson 200 Level with Diana Semmes: Dyshante Bennett 200 Level with Edgar Serrano: Rachel Nieman Paige Stallings 200 Level with Irene Kaufmann: Anya Poston 200 Level with Maiyojanna Pelayo Peña: Ainsley Elizabeth Priakos 200 Level with María Eugenia Landa: Kathryn Spiers 300 Level: Erin Geist 500 Level: Monica Stacy MA Level: Emily Williams PhD Level: Dayni Díaz Mederos |
| 2019 | 100 Level with Diana Semmes: Mikayla Johnson 100 Level with Enrique Cotelo: Jess Cooley 100 Level with Gabriel Garrido: Bennett Fry 100 Level with Ivonne Whitehead: Jacelyn Levora Frierson 100 Level with Jessica Muñoz: Gabrielle Hunter 100 Level with Karma Sánchez: Abigail Belle (Abby) Martin 100 Level with Maiyojanna Pelayo: William Doyle 100 Level with Milene Prewitt: Alyssa Maye Mathias 100 Level with Patricia Quinelato: Amanda Nicole Wilson 200 Level with David Higginbotham: Morgan Grace Kelly 200 Level with Edgar Serrano: Nigel Davion Dent 200 Level with Hernán Garrido: Madlyn Lawrence 200 Level with Irene Kaufmann: Kaylee Crafton 200 Level with Karla Durán: Kendra Ingram 200 Level with Maria Eugenia Landa: Grace Hancock 200 Level with Mevelyn Fernández: Alexander Oliveri 300 Level: Kennedy Cohn 500 Level: Galina Ostrovsky MA Level: Patricia Quinelato |
| 2018 | Catherine Adams, Amelia Alford, Alicia Bacon, Jarvis Benson, James Chambers, Joseph Cook, Caroline Cotton, Jacob Craven, Maggie Crouch, Megan Dallas, Mary Parker Davidson, Madison Frerker, Hanna Haley, Lekedra Hardin, Wilson Helmhout, Allyson Henke, Randon Hill, Correl Hoyle, Yongjoon Kim, Emmalee King, Ambriel Kinney, Kati Krishna, Rachel Kroeger, Anna Letson, Nicolet Luebke, Maya Maddox, Emily Marshall, Nikki Mattson, Masa Miscevic, Kelby Mitchusson, Sydney Olson, Anne Peaster , Andrew Phillips, Mary Virginia Portera, Holly Prather, Ashlyn Principe, Krystina Rocha, Leta Rowan, Victoria Servais, Jordan Sims, Brenna Sit, Rebekah Smith, Delaney Spencer, Allison Stein, Emmy Thompson, Guy Thornton, Lealah Watson, Ahbria Williams |
| 2017 | |
| 2016 | |
| 2015 | Danielle Conway-Lewis, Laura Bridges, Mary Claire Markle, Hollis Burrow, Emily Hal, Allison Ann Floyd, Victoria Walker Burrow, Hannah Claire Farmer, Sarah Farmer, Melissa Paige Dent, Bailey Nicole Flamm, Amy Virginia Hal, Jennifer Hamilton, Katelyn Nicole Sackett, Andrew Hayes, Alexandra Gersdorf, Laura Kate Hamilton, Abby Bruce, Robert Mounger, Samyukta Krishnamurthy, Laura Marie Cline, Sydney Haden Rubin, McKinley Tate Byram, Madeline Dwyer, Jacob Ross, Thomas Grant |
| 2014 | Alexandria Mcllveene, Nelson Chloe Leigh, Charles Ramsay McCrory, Dalton tanner Moore, Evan Thomas, Blake Dawson, Hugh Robison Caldwell, Haley Gregory, Henry Lartigue, John Aaron Howell, Jackson Bradley Edwards, Jing Huang, Julie Kathleen Magee, Joseph Mac Weld Bell, Jonathan Evans, John William Ratliff, Kenya Ashby, Madison Guffey, Madison Campbell, Mackenzie Lynn Poole, Mara Joffe, Mary Claire Wilcheck, Paxton Elizabeth Williams, Christy Williams, Sarah Hales Toler, Tara Stremlau, Thomas Michael Jackson, Vivi Andrea Ding Tse, Victoria Roseanne Jones, Zijin Chen |
| 2013 | Caleb William Brown, Christopher Nathaniel McKee, Ryan Thomas Snow, Marcus Anthony Young, Anna Lee Whisenant, Caitlyn Emily Young, Burleigh Wyatt Dabney, Anthony Xavier Gaschler, Hadley Jo Pearson, Daniel McGehee Rust, Matthew Todd Kiefer, Kara Leigh Callicot, Kaija Hudelson Hayne, Alexandre Leland Spradlin, Brent Treadway, Mallory Dixon, Ben Lane, Linsey Hebert, John Kottkamp, Rush Kottkamp, Jessica Zehr, Noely Banos, Thompson Barr, Samantha Fox, Su Young Kim, Ashley Maiolatesi, Bryce Warden, Lawrence Jones, Catherine Pena, Nathan Richards, Amanda Couch, Jonathan Redding, David Wilbanks, Mary-Aileen Ranklin, Allaire Kirk, Mara Lee Conner, Mark Rusting |
| 2012 | Alexander Ethan, Austin Caulder, Bailey Kirby, Brandon Turnage, Camille Lesseig, Caroline Williams, Chad Ross, Chandler Llana, Christopher S. Coffin, Cristine Dickason, David Wilbanks, Desirea Queen, Douglas A. Odom, Duane Hight, Elizabeth Ryan, Emily Wrigley, Erin Hearnsberger, Erin McCauffrey, Hellen Olack, Hope Owens-Wilson, James Brumbaugh, Jessie Kathryn Savery, Jonathan Redding, Juan Villareal, Juliana Nixon Wilson, Katie Ireland, Kelly Barnett, Laura E. Bridges, Lauren Rackley, Lindsay Bruscato, Lindsay Langston, Mary Ball Markov, Mary Lauren Oelze, Mary Rumbarger, Matthew Todd Kiefer, Megan A. Pinkston, Megan E. Holton, Perrin Crews, Reed Gilbow, Ryan Ezelle, Sara Douglas, Savannah Oliver, Walker Messer, William Ware, Xinyi Long |
| 2011 | Scarlett Andrews, Melissa Bond, Martha Dalton, Patrick Fields, Reed Gilbow, Ernest Gore, Mary Katherine Graham, Mara Joffe, Vivian Lang, Augustus Maples, Savannah, Oliver, Kendra Redding, Hunter Spragins, Alexandria Thoman, Kathryn Trabue, Mary Williams |
| 2010 | Raymond Andrew Pullen, Irene Kaufman Cotelo, Enrique Cotelo, Benjamin Quilter, Julia Schimmel, Caitlin Downey Clarke, Daniel Palmer Hester, Patrick Joseph Woodyard, Ashley Ctaherine Wright, Sarah Katherine Woods, Sharonda Monique Hale, William Cannon, Samantha Rivera, Mary Charlotte Whitworth, Ryan Keith Ezelle, Keith Cleveland |
| 2009 | Melissa Green, Elena McPherson, Steve Stringer, Katie Smith, Connie DeFazio, Lory Nguyen, Charles Middleton, Molly McClanaghan, Rohini Krishna, Ann Turner, Eugene Lukienko |
| 2008 | Corey Abdeen, Ruth Ann Cooper, Hope Merrell, Kate Weston, Scarlett Andrews, Laura McMeekin, Barrett Lingle |
| 2007 | Molly Aiken, Russell Brown, Alexandra Bucaciuc, Johnathan Campbell, Lawrence Campbell, Roy Cheng, Kristen Conner, Denis Fava, Joey Friend, John Harrison, Nikki Heaberlin, Austin Howard, Pratima Patel, Timothy Ragland, Colin Reid, Katherine Sullivan, Casey Taylor, Whiney White, Rebecca Willis |
| 2006 | |
| 2005 | Katherine Pruett Farris (First Year), Monique Kandrel Hicks (First Year), Caleb Keegan James Boddicker (Second year), Marcos Vincius Rodrigues (Second Year), Hunter Glenn Upchurch (Third Year), Jeff David Donaldson (Fourth Year), Regan Elisabeth Frink (Fourth Year), Jeff David Donaldson (Outstanding Graduate Student) |
| 2004 | Charlene Lyn Baumann (Second Year), Allison Rene Ellzey (Third Year), Jennifer Diane Ellzey (Third Year), Christina Isabel Tucker (Fourth Year), Ruth Fredricha Maron (Outstanding Graduate Student) |
Fall in Love with the Spanish Language
"Studying poetry in AP Spanish in high school made me fall in love with the language, and my first trip to Argentina made me fall in love with the culture. I wanted to pursue my medical degree, and you can major in anything and go to medical school. So, I chose a subject about which I was passionate. Communication is a critical skill for physicians, and my Spanish will allow me to serve a larger, and more diverse patient population."
Dr. Wilson Helmhout, M.D., B.A. in Spanish, Minor in Neuroscience (2016)
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine University of Mississippi Medical Center
Choosing the Minor (or Double Major)
We are proud of the legacy built by Spanish alumni.
- Senior VP, Bank of America
- Owner, Pan American Solidarity
- VP of Marketing, Aquila Commercial
- Senior Communications Specialist, FedEx
- Social Worker, Delta Mental Services
- CEO, Global Outreach
- International Non-Profit Development, United Nations
- Child Life Specialist, Texas Children's Hospital
- Physician, Duke University
- Account Executive, Salesforce
- Public Relations, Exxon
- Spanish Teacher, Madison County
- Division Manager, Berlitz Language Center
- ESL Teacher, DeSoto County Schools
- Faculty, Hinds Community College
- Faculty, Christian Brothers University
- Study Abroad Advisor, Univ. of South Carolina
- Communications Director, Office of US Rep.
- Intelligence Analyst, US Army
- Deputy Director Econ Dev, City of Fayetteville
- Policy Associate, New York City Dept of Education
- Associate Attorney, Linklaters