FAQ - Study Abroad

All Spanish and Portuguese majors and minors who are planning to spend a semester / a year studying abroad in Latin America, Spain or Portugal, must schedule an appointment with our undergraduate Professional Academic Advisor in order to discuss your case prior to your departure. 

The Advisor will evaluate how each course fits into the major or minor. The Study Abroad Office does not research / choose a program for you. You do that yourself, sometimes in consultation with the Office of International Education. You should make your decision based on your specific needs, career goals, personal preferences, and timing. The Study Abroad Office is responsible for  program fees, applications, visas, etc. Once you have decided where and when you are going to study, you should find out which classes are offered during the terms that you are planning to stay. Do not come to the meeting with the whole catalog, since most times only a fraction of those classes are offered any given semester. 

You have to plan ahead. You should plan your meeting with time to spare. All paperwork and fees usually need to be submitted by the end of February to study abroad in the summer. Check with the Office of International Education for exact deadlines each year. 

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese sponsors three Summer Study Abroad Global Seminars, in Argentina, Brazil and Spain.

In addition, a list of the programs abroad with which the University of Colorado is currently affiliated is available in the Study Abroad Office. Credit received through these programs is considered CU credit (as opposed to transfer credit). Credit earned elsewhere is evaluated on an individual basis. These approved programs are administered by the Office of International Education located in the Center for Community 2249 Willard Loop Drive, S355, Boulder Campus. A student interested in participating in one of these programs should inquire at OIE regarding the starting time, application procedures and costs.

Attendance at non-University of Colorado programs is frequently acceptable if the program is operated by an accredited institution in the United States. However, no advising can be done until the student returns and the credit appears on the CU transcript. Credit earned in commercial language schools abroad is usually not accepted. Care should be taken in choosing such options if credit toward a degree at the University of Colorado is a concern; these schools often do not issue transcripts or maintain proper attendance requirements to qualify for acceptance.

Credit for work done at special programs offered by foreign universities will be evaluated on an individual basis. The student is urged to consult with the Department prior to attendance with our undergraduate Professional Academic Advisor, since the amount and level of credit may vary considerably in individual cases. For all other matters and details, please contact the Office of International Education.

Students who present either transfer work or credits earned in study abroad programs will be required to complete at least 12 upper-division credits on the Boulder Campus, six of which must be from the masterpiece courses for Spanish literature majors and SPAN 3040 / SPAN 4070 for International Spanish for the Professions Majors, as well as SPAN 3100. This will be required even though the total number of credits in Spanish may exceed 45 and, therefore, will not be counted toward graduation.

The content of the course, not only the language used in the classroom, is the factor which determines whether the course is counted as Spanish. Spanish credit will be given only for courses in literature, language, linguistics, or the culture and civilization of the Hispanic world, or for a pre-approved internship course for International Spanish for the Professions majors.

Most equivalencies given for study abroad courses are for electives and for related field or area classes. Read the following to understand what they are. This will also help you make educated decisions when you are abroad.

An elective class is a class offered by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, on a periodic basis. These classes are devoted to: Literature (e.g., SPAN 3340, SPAN 4220), Culture and Civilization (e.g., SPAN 3200, SPAN 3220), Language (e.g., SPAN 3002, Span 4010), Linguistics (SPAN 3150, SPAN 4430), and Film.

If you took a class abroad pertaining to any of the aforementioned topics, it may count as an elective, at the 3000 or 4000 level depending on the class.

A related field or area course is a class that you take outside the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. In general, these classes may pertain to History, Economics, Political Science, Art, Ethnic Studies, Anthropology, Religious Studies, among other possibilities. Please consult the Undergraduate Handbook for specifics related to each of the tracks of the major in this category. 

In order for a class taken at CU or abroad to be counted towards your major it has to deal with Spain, Spanish America (any country), or a specific professional area (for International Spanish for the Professions majors). 

For example: "Archeology of Mesoamerica" can be considered a Related Field (the Spanish Department does not offer it—that is what makes it Related Field—but it is relevant to your knowledge of Latin America). "History of the Worker's Movement" cannot be considered as a RF towards your major unless you can prove that more than half of it was devoted to the Hispanic world.Mutatis mutandi the same goes for any class taken abroad. 

Please, take the aforementioned criteria into account in the eventuality that you are to register without a previous meeting with the Study Abroad advisor. It will save you problems when you come back.

You should meet again with twith our undergraduate Professional Academic Advisor, in order to confirm the equivalencies that were tentatively given.

You should bring the following materials:

1. Up-to-date University Transcript (unofficial) showing that you successfully completed the courses.
2. Hard copies of the syllabi of all courses taken abroad.
3. Up-to-date Major sheet.

Please do not come to the meeting without all of these materials.

You will receive a form, signed by the Professional Academic Advisor, confirming the equivalencies given. Do not lose this form. It is the only proof you have that the courses that you took abroad count towards your major.

If you did not meet with the Study Abroad Advisor prior to traveling, you should not count on the fact that any credit will be given. If the program you were in was a CU program, there is a possibility, but equivalencies depend also on your status (i.e. requirements pending, etc.)

If you want your courses evaluated in order to assess possible equivalencies towards your major, you will need to meet with with our undergraduate Professional Academic Advisor urgently, in person (no e-mail inquiry will be honored), during his/her office hours (no walk-ins). You need to bring to the meeting the following materials:

1. Up-to-date University Transcript (unofficial) showing that you successfully completed the courses.
2. Hard copies of the syllabi of all courses taken abroad.
3. Up-to-date Major sheet.

 Please do not come to the meeting without all of these materials.

 You will receive a form, signed by the Professional Academic Advisor, confirming the equivalences given. Do not lose this form. It is the only proof you have that the courses that you took abroad count towards your major.