Instructor / Course Information
How do I know which classes to take for my major or minor?
You can find the requirement sheets for the year you added the major or minor here on UCSB Registrar's website. Every student should meet with the undergraduate advisor for the department in Phelps 4206 at least twice while at UCSB: once when you add the major or minor, and again approximately a year before you plan to graduate. This way you can be sure to take all the required classes for your course of study. Meeting with an advisor in the College of L&S is not enough- please talk to your departmental advisor to be sure you take all the necessary classes to graduate!
How do I contact a professor or TA?
Instructor emails can be found under the People tab on this website. Note that your instructor could be listed under Faculty, Graduate Student, or Lecturer.
Instructors' emails and office hours are posted outside the Undergraduate Advising office, Phelps 4206, and also here. This information is updated each quarter.
How do I get into a class that’s full or “Closed”?
If the class is full, check if there is a waitlist on GOLD. If so, add yourself to the waitlist and attend ("crash") the course during the first few days of classes. If there is no waitlist on GOLD, or if it is "closed," email the instructor listed for the course. Please note that only instructors can give out add codes.
How can I find out what classes will be offered in future quarters?
Pick up a tentative list of course offerings for the current academic year in front of the department office at Phelps 4206 or access it here.
How do I know what the course is about?
Read the General Catalog, either online or in print. Once a quarter's courses are posted on GOLD, you can also find a short course discription there.
Spanish Placement Exam
When can I take it? How do I sign up? What does my score mean?
Visit this link for a thorough explanation of the Spanish Placement Exam, as well as the Spanish Fluency Evaluation (for Native/Heritage speakers of Spanish).
When can I take the placement exam?
The Placement Exam for people who are learning Spanish as a second language is offered in Phelps 1521 during regular lab hours. Please note that the exam is only offered when classes are in session; that is to say, it is not offered during breaks between quarters or on holidays. Please email Elena Báez, ebaez@ucsb.edu, for further directions on how to take the placement test.
What if I took the AP test or Spanish at another college?
Visit this link for info on AP placement. For information on how Spanish courses taken at another public California college or university fit into your study of Spanish at UCSB, please visit assist.org.
Declaring the Major/Minor
When should I declare a major/minor?
As soon as you are sure you want to pursue this field of study, you should declare the major or minor. This way we can advise and guide you as you complete the requirements. The only way for the major or minor to show up on your diploma is if you declare it.
If you have any questions about what it means to declare the major or minor, please contact the undergraduate advisor at ebaez@hfa.ucsb.edu, (805) 893-3161, or by scheduling an appointment to meet via zoom using this link.
How do I declare a major/minor?
Schedule a meeting to meet with the undergraduate advisor via Zoom, by following this link, and fill out either a “Petition to Change Major” or a “Petition to Declare the Minor.” If you’re a minor and your expected quarter of graduation changes or you decide to drop the minor please, let us know.
How long does it take for my major/minor to appear on GOLD?
Majors usually take four to six weeks, minors about one week.
Major/Minor Requirements
What are the lower-division requirements?
For second language learners: Span 1-6 and 25 or an equivalent AP or Placement Exam score or similar advanced intermediate language courses at another college, AND Span 30.
For native/heritage speakers: Span 16A and 16B or an equivalent AP or Placement Exam score or similar advanced intermediate language courses at another college, AND Span 30.
What are the upper-division requirements?
Minor: one Language and Translation Studies course, one Peninsular Spanish Studies course, one Latin American Studies course, one US Latinx and Indigenous Languages and Cultures of the Americas course, and one elective.
Major: Spanish 100, one Language and Translation Studies course, two Peninsular Spanish Studies courses, two Latin American Studies courses, one US Latinx and Indigenous Languages and Cultures of the Americas course, and three UD Spanish electives.
What should I take first?
The answer to this question depends on if you are a native Spanish speaker or if you are learning Spanish as a second language. Second language learners of Spanish should complete Spanish 1-6 and Spanish 25, or the equivalent through an AP Exam or the Spanish Placement Test. Native/Heritage speakers of Spanish should take Spanish 16A and 16B. If you are a native speaker but also have experience with Spanish in a school setting, take the Spanish Fluency Evaluation before signing up for 16A or 16B (note: this is not the same as the Spanish Placement Test for second language learners). The Fluency Evaluation will place you into either Spanish 16A or 16B. See the Placement Guidelines tab on this website for further explanation.
What classes count as electives?
Any upper-division Spanish class taught in Spanish can count as an elective.
Can I take classes taught in English?
A maximum of 4 units may be applied to the major/minor from Spanish courses taught in English. By petition, one additional Spanish course taught in English may be applied towards the major/minor if all coursework is completed in Spanish. Once you have completed a course, you will need to fill out a simple petition stating that you completed the coursework in Spanish and then email it to the undergraduate advisor (ebaez@ucsb.edu).
Can I take Portuguese classes?
Sure. Majors and minors can take one Portuguese literature course and petition it to count for the major/minor. Readings and assignments should be completed in Portuguese or Spanish.
Petitions
You mean like to save the whales?
No, a petition is a form you fill out when you want to do something unusual, like have something count for the major that otherwise wouldn’t. Please email the Undergraduate Advisor (ebaez@ucsb.edu) so we can help you select the appropriate petition and ensure that all fields are completed correctly.
What classes require a petition?
Do a petition for any classes taught in English but in which all readings and assignments were done in Spanish. Have the instructor sign the petition saying you did all work in Spanish before you turn it in to the Department.
Petition any class that you want to count for the Spanish major that is not a UCSB Spanish class, for example, UCSB Portuguese classes or classes taken at another college/university or non-UC EAP study abroad program.
EAP courses go on a “Petition for Major Substitution of Education Abroad Program Courses,” a different but also readily available form.