Spanish at the University of Ulster

Spanish is offered on a wide variety of courses on both the Coleraine and the Magee campuses.

At Coleraine
Spanish can be taken as a major, main (i.e. joint) or minor option and be combined with a wide variety of subjects (e.g. English, History, Media Studies, Film Studies, European Studies, Business, Computing, etc.) or one of the other languages taught in the School. 

At Magee
From 2010, Spanish can studied as a major, main or minor option alongside subjects such as International Politics, Irish, History and Politics, Law, Sociology, Social Policy, French, German, Irish, Drama, Music Dance, etc. 

It is taught at both intensive ab initio (beginners) level and at Post-A level. Students with GCSE would normally go into an intensive beginners class in year 1. Students with AS-level would normally be taught in the Post-A level group. At the end of year 1, beginners are given support to attend a one month intensive language course in a Spanish university usually in September.

Students studying Spanish as a major or main (i.e. joint) subject would be expected normally to spend a year abroad, either a full year studying or working as a language assistant in a school or half of the year studying if the other subject is another language. Students who study Spanish as a minor subject are not required to spend a year abroad although we do strongly recommend it, especially for those who started Spanish from scratch at the University. Such students must normally spend at least one period of 4-8 weeks, usually during the summer, studying or working in Spain. If you do choose to spend a year abroad then it occurs during your third year in which case the overall degree is of four years duration.

Learn Spanish at the University of Ulster
Why Learn Spanish?
Spanish is the third most spoken language in the world after Mandarin and English and is considered the second most spoken language by native speakers. According to recent statistics, there is a very small gap between Spanish and English as the second most spoken language in the world. As of 1999, Spanish had 332 million speakers, while English had 322 million. Currently the number of Spanish speakers has grown to over 400 million. While many students are aware that Spanish is spoken in Spain there are many other countries where it is spoken. Here are some interesting facts:

• Other countries or semi-autonomous areas with significant Spanish-speaking populations include (in alphabetical order): Andorra, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Gibraltar, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, the United States and Venezuela.
  (Source: http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=spa)
  
  
• Nearly 30 percent of the residents of Spain have a first language other than Spanish, although most also use Spanish as a second language. Languages of Spain include Catalan (some 12 percent of the population speak it as a first language, and even more speak it as a second language), Galician (8 percent of the population) and Basque (a little more than 1 percent).
  (Source: http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=spa)
  
  
• Spanish is the second language of the United States. As of 1998, the USA has the fifth largest Hispanic population, about 30 million people (the exact number depending on how Hispanics are counted). Of them, two-thirds trace their roots to Mexico, and 86 percent say Spanish is their first language.

What's on offer at UU?
You can learn Spanish as a beginner or continue with Spanish if you have studied it before, either in school or elsewhere. Spanish is offered on a wide variety of courses on both the Coleraine and the Magee campuses. In beginners (ab initio) you follow an intensive course, where you learn the language using the latest high tech facilities available and highly qualified staff who are a mixture of native and non-native Spanish speakers. The Post-A level course brings you up to university standard, and gives you the opportunity to learn more about Spanish-speaking cultures. Students with GCSE would normally go into an intensive beginner's class in year 1. Students with AS-level would normally be taught in the Post-A level group. At the end of year 1, beginners have the option of going on a one month course in Spain.

• On the Coleraine campus it can be taken as a major, main (i.e. joint) or minor option and be combined with a wide variety of subjects (e.g. English, History, Media Studies, Film Studies, European Studies, Business, Computing, etc.) or one of the other languages taught in the School.
  
  
• At Magee you will be able to combine Spanish as a major (two thirds of your degree) with American Studies, Drama, French, International Politics, Irish History, Management Studies, Marketing.
  As a Main with American Studies, Computing, Design, Drama, French, International Politics, Irish, Management.
  Or it can also be studied as a minor option alongside subjects (such as International Politics, Irish, History and Politics, Law, Sociology, Social Policy, French, German, Irish, Drama, Music Dance, etc). In the near future we hope to offer Spanish as a main in Magee.

If you want more information or are unsure which campus and which course suits you, contact our staff for more details.

What Opportunities are there for Travel?
When you are studying a language you want to get as many opportunities as possible to travel and speak Spanish. We help you do this. Students studying Spanish as a major or main (i.e. joint) subject get the opportunity to live in a Spanish speaking country for a year after second completing second year at UU. We help you find a place either, studying in a university and getting the opportunity to immerse yourself completely in student life abroad, or working as a language assistant in a school with the British Council. Alternatively, if you want to take two languages at UU you can spend half of the year studying in a Spanish speaking country. All students must spend at least one period of 4-8 weeks, usually during the summer, studying or working in a Spanish speaking country.

• International marketing director for a Dublin pharmacy company,
• Director of Sales for a Telecommunications company in Madrid,
• Teaching Spanish in a NI Grammar School

If you enjoy studying Spanish and want to continue at university after your degree, you can talk to our staff about taking a research degree, such as a Master of Research or a PhD. We have highly qualified staff who are interested in encouraging new researchers and would be delighted to talk to you about research possibilities. See our staff pages for details.

Learning a language is fun and rewarding, and speaking Spanish opens the door to a wide world of opportunities.