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Requirements for the Spanish Major
A total of 12 course units is the minimum requirement for the Spanish major.
To provide the student with a broad exposure to the various components of the discipline, the following courses are required:
SPA 203 or 210
SPA 211
SPA 215
SPA 216 or 217
SPA 241
SPA 301
SPA 303
SPA 304
SPA 311
SPA 312
SPA 497 (Senior Seminar)
The Spanish/Secondary Education track also requires a professional education sequence of courses in preparation for certification. Spanish/Secondary Education majors must successfully complete MDL 390 before beginning their senior student teaching.
Students are strongly encouraged to study abroad in a Spanish speaking country for at least one semester.
Program Entrance, Retention, and Exit Standards
Every major program at the College has set standards for allowing students to remain in that program, to transfer within the College from one program to another, and to graduate from a program. The following are the standards for Spanish programs:
• Entrance into the major is based on the following performance standards in these “foundational courses.” Minimum grades are noted in parentheses: SPA
203/Intermediate Oral Proficiency (B-) or SPA 210/Spanish for Heritage Speakers (B-); and SPA 211/Composition and Grammar Review (B-).
• Retention in the program is based on the following performance standards in
these “critical content courses.” Minimum grades are noted in parentheses: SPA
211/Composition and Grammar Review (B-); SPA 241/Introduction to Literature in Spanish (B-); SPA 301/Advanced Spanish Grammar (C+).
• Transfer into the program from another program within the College is based upon the following performance standards in these “foundational courses.” Minimum grades are noted in parentheses: SPA 203/Intermediate Oral Proficiency or SPA 210/Spanish for Heritage Speakers (B-); and SPA 211 Composition and Grammar Review (B-).
• These minimum grades must be achieved in order to advance to higher level
courses.
• Graduation requires a GPA of 2.0 in courses for the program and earning a
minimum grade of C- in all Spanish courses.
Requirements for the Minor
The minor consists of five course units, of which at least three must be taken at The College of New Jersey. A minimum grade of C is required in all courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements.
The following courses are required:
SPANISH: Four courses at the 200 level and one course at the 300 level
Spanish Major: Teaching
Candidates for a teacher-education certificate must have a 2.75 cumulative grade point average to successfully complete their teacher education program. They also must meet the state hygiene/physiology requirement, and pass the appropriate Praxis examination before the New Jersey State Department of Education will issue the appropriate certificate. The new state code (January 20, 2004) also requires a course in Second Language Acquisition (MDL 390) and an advanced low rating on the ACTFL Proficiency Exam. Teacher-education candidates will receive a “certificate of eligibility with advanced standing” which requires a candidate to be provisionally certified for his or her first year of teaching. After one year of successful teaching, the candidate is eligible for a permanent certificate. The teacher candidate will also have to pay a fee during his or her first year of teaching.
Transfer Students
Transfer students who have successfully completed three semesters of a language or the equivalent in any accredited college or university will receive exemption from the foreign language requirement. Students who have taken fewer than three semesters of language in college are required to take the TCNJ Language Placement Test to determine the appropriate level for the next language course.
Foreign Language Requirement
The Requirement—As part of The College of New Jersey’s liberal learning program all degree candidates in the School of Culture and Society are required to show proficiency in a foreign language unless exempted. Students in the Schools of Art, Media, and Music; Science; and Business should consult with their adviser or assistant dean about language requirements for individual programs of study. Satisfactory evidence of proficiency is completion of the 103 level of language study (equivalent to three semesters). While most students opt to continue in the foreign language previously studied, they may begin study of a new foreign language.
Placement—Students who choose to begin the study of a new foreign language
should enroll at the 101 level. All students who wish to continue studying a language taken previously must take the TCNJ Language Placement Test for placement at the appropriate level. The TCNJ Language Placement Test is offered in the spring during freshman basic skills testing, or by appointment throughout the academic year.
Exemption—Students may be exempted from the foreign language requirement if they show sufficient proficiency in a foreign language as certified by one of the following means:
• a score of 5 on the ETS Advanced Placement Language or Literature Examination
• a score of 650 or above on the SAT II Language Examination
• exemption through the TCNJ Language Placement Test
• an Intermediate Mid rating on the ACTFL OPI
While students may be exempt from the language requirement in the Schools of Art, Media, and Music; Business; and Science, they may still be required to take additional foreign language courses by their major program. See specific department or program for details.
If a student wishes to gain exemption in a language not taught at The College of New Jersey, the Department of Modern Languages will arrange an approved test. However, the cost of that test must be paid by the student. Bilingual students are eligible for exemption in all of the ways described above.
The Best Time to Begin Language Study—Students are urged to enroll in a foreign language during their first year and to continue their study in consecutive semesters.
Credit for 101 Language Courses—Students who have taken more than three years of one language in high school will not receive credit for 101 in that language. Typically, these students are more appropriately placed at the 102 or 103 level, and can fulfill the Foreign Language Requirement with successful completion of 103.
First-Year Suggested Course of Study
Spanish/Liberal Arts
FSP/First Seminar 1 course unit
SPA 203/Intermediate Oral Proficiency
OR SPA 210/Spanish for Heritage Speakers 1 course unitSPA 211/Composition and Grammar Review 1 course unit
SPA 215/Spanish Phonetics OR SPA 216/Current Events in the Spanish Speaking World OR SPA 217/Introduction to Hispanic Culture 1 course unit
WRI 102/Academic Writing (if not exempted)* 1 course unit
Quantitative reasoning (liberal learning) 1 course unit
Science (liberal learning) 1 course unit
Social Change in Historical Perspective (liberal learning) 1 course unit
Spanish/Secondary Education
FSP/First Seminar 1 course unit
SPA 203/Intermediate Oral Proficiency
OR SPA 210/Spanish for Heritage Speakers 1 course unitSPA 211/Composition and Grammar Review 1 course unit
SPA 215/Spanish Phonetics
OR SPA 216/Current Events in the Spanish Speaking World
OR SPA 217/Introduction to Hispanic Culture 1 course unitQuantitative Reasoning (liberal learning) 1 course unit
WRI 102/Academic Writing (if not exempted)* 1 course unit
Liberal Learning 2 course units
Spanish/Early Childhood
FSP/First Seminar 1 course unit
SPA 203/Intermediate Oral Proficiency
OR SPA 210/Spanish for Heritage Speakers 1 course unitSPA 211/Composition and Grammar Review 1 course unit
SPA 215/Spanish Phonetics
OR SPA 216/Current Events in the Spanish Speaking World
OR SPA 217/Introduction to Hispanic Culture 1 course unitMAT 105/Mathematical Structures and Algorithms for Educators I 1 course unit
WRI 102/Academic Writing (if not exempted)*
OR MAT 106/Mathematical Structures and Algorithms
for Educators II 1 course unitECE 102/Multicultural Children’s Literature for Early Childhood 1 course unit
Natural Sciences (liberal learning) 1 course unit
Spanish/Elementary Education
FSP/First Seminar 1 course unit
SPA 203/Intermediate Oral Proficiency
OR SPA 210/Spanish for Heritage Speakers 1 course unitSPA 211/Composition and Grammar Review 1 course unit
SPA 215/Spanish Phonetics
OR SPA 216/Current Events in the Spanish Speaking World
OR SPA 217/Introduction to Hispanic Culture 1 course unit*It is recommended that students exempted from this course take another liberal learning course.
MAT 105/106/Mathematical Structures and Algorithms
for Educators I/II 2 course unitsWRI 102/Academic Writing (if not exempted)* 1 course unit
Natural Sciences or Quantitative Reasoning (liberal learning) 1 course unit
Liberal learning 1 course unit
*It is recommended that students exempted from this course take another liberal learning course.
