Minor in Spanish for the Professions

Choose a minor that is specifically designed to help you succeed professionally. Broaden your career horizons through courses on the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures for students who are majoring in business, education, health professions, social work, and ministry.

Build the language proficiency and cultural competency you will need to effectively communicate and engage with Spanish-speaking communities, including clients, colleagues, students, and patients. Take advantage of exciting internship opportunities, both at home and abroad.

Why Study Spanish for the Professions at Marian?

If you want to work in corporate settings, teach in a school classroom, or work with patients in healthcare where Spanish is a primary language, Marian's Spanish for the Professions minor is an excellent addition to your career. 

Gain cross-cultural communication skills related to your chosen profession and develop a global perspective and understanding that employers value.

• With more than 660 million speakers globally, Spanish is the world's third most widely spoken language, so it's no surprise that a growing number of companies and organizations report proficiency in Spanish is an attractive credential when interviewing and hiring job applicants.
• Hispanic peoples are America's largest minority group. By 2060, the United States Census Bureau projects 28 percent of the nation's population will be of Hispanic origin, with about 111 million residents. 
• According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 40 million people across the U.S. speak Spanish in their homes, making it America’s most common non-English language. More than 85 percent of Latino parents speak Spanish to their children in their homes. 

What Will You Study?

As a Spanish for the professions minor, you will complete at least 18 credits of courses, including SPA 310 Written Communication or SPA 311 Written Communication for Heritage Speakers and two of the following:

• SPA 125 Spanish for Ministry
• SPA 213 Spanish for Mental Health Professions
• SPA 214 Spanish for Medical Professions
• SPA 325 Latino Catholic Culture
• SPA 330 Spanish for Business I
• SPA 331 Spanish for Business II
• SPA 337 Teaching World Languages

Health and Social Professions

Intended for students who want to work in the healthcare field, these courses are appropriate for students who are majoring in biology or chemistry and completing one of our pre-professional healthcare programs. They are also appropriate for students majoring in fields like clinical laboratory science, exercise science, health and physical education, nursing, nutrition, fitness, and wellness, physiology of exercise, psychology, public health, sports performance, and social work.

Business

Intended for students who plan to work in large and small business settings including the corporate and nonprofit worlds, these courses are appropriate for accounting, business analytics, communication, finance, marketing, management, and related majors.

We also recommend you study abroad in a Spanish-speaking country. Credits earned through short-term and semester-based experiences may count toward this minor. Talk with your academic advisor for more information.

Review our undergraduate course catalog for complete details about academic requirements.

Ministry and Education

Many of our minors want to work in Education and ministry, where they can use their linguistic and cultural competency to make meaningful connections with students, parishioners, and families.

What Career Paths Are Available?

Having effective Spanish language skills appropriate for professional settings will provide you with more job opportunities and help you distinguish yourself as a desirable employment candidate.

Examples of career paths you might choose include:

• Working in accounting, finance, human resources, management, marketing, or operations for multinational corporations who want to expand their international presence.
• Serving as a doctor, nurse, public health worker, mental health professional, fitness and wellness specialist, or social worker.

Talk with us about how this minor fits in with your career goals and interests by emailing Dr. Julia Baumgardt at jbaumgardt@marian.edu.