Academics
Undergraduate Program
Are you interested in understanding the main differences between Spanish, Mexican, Caribbean, U.S. Latinx, Brazilian, and Argentine cultures? What does “Hispanic” mean? Why do people who speak Spanish use different words and have different accents? How were Spanish and Latin American nations formed? What was there before they formed? Do you want to master Spanish and Portuguese languages and cultures to become a doctor, nurse, or lawyer who serves Hispanic populations? Would you like to be a translator, a university professor, or a teacher who can share their expertise in Spanish and Portuguese languages and cultures? These are some of the questions that spur students to take classes in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.
The Department of Spanish and Portuguese offers a comprehensive undergraduate program in Spanish language, literature, and culture, as well as Portuguese language and Brazilian literature and cultural studies minor. Our faculty, lecturers, and graduate teaching assistants are dynamic, professionally active, and committed to excellence in scholarship and teaching. Currently, the program has approximately 100 undergraduate majors. Advanced undergraduate courses in grammar, composition, conversation, literature and culture are offered every semester on campus, and in summer study abroad programs in Argentina, Spain, and Brazil. The Department also sponsors semester programs in Salamanca, Spain, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, with opportunities to complete requirements in the major or the minor. We offer flexibility in the choice of fields, which are defined both by traditional geographical and chronological parameters, and by topics. Our students represent a very diverse group, and we encourage equally applicants from traditional and non-traditional backgrounds.
Degrees offered:
For questions involving the Undergraduate Program, please contact our Undergraduate Academic Advisor.
For information regarding tuition costs, please view the Calculate Costs page on KU's Financial Aid and Scholarships website.
Graduate Program
The Department of Spanish and Portuguese offers a comprehensive graduate program in the literatures and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world, along with a rigorous training in language instruction. The major emphasis is literary and cultural studies, with a strong component in theory. Students also have the opportunity to study Portuguese and to explore Brazilian literature and culture.
Please view the Graduate Program Information page to learn more about our programs.
Degrees offered:
For questions involving the graduate program, please contact our Director of Graduate Studies, Isidro J. Rivera, at ijrivera@ku.edu.
For information regarding tuition costs, please view the Calculate Costs page on KU's Financial Aid and Scholarships website.