Resources

Middlebury College does not count examination-based pre-collegiate programs (AP, IB, etc.) toward college-wide requirements or graduation. These exams do not affect course placement, nor do they count toward the Spanish major or minor. Placement in Spanish courses is determined by an exam administered by the department. In Portuguese, students must consult the Chair, who will arrange for a placement exam to be administered.

All students interested in studying Spanish must take the placement exam. There is no placement exam for Portuguese. Students with prior knowledge of Portuguese should consult with the department chair. See more information about placement.

Yes. All students who wish to study Spanish at Middlebury need to take the placement exam.

For a major in Spanish you must first choose an advisor from among the faculty in the department. Then you need to fill out a Major/Advisor Declaration or Change Form. You do not need an advisor for a minor, but you need to fill out the Minor Declaration Form. Use the forms above.

You can write an honors thesis for your Spanish major, but we currently do not offer a major in Portuguese. You can carry out an independent project in Portuguese, however. Please see our thesis guidelines. Any further questions can be addressed to the chair of the department.

Yes. Tutors are available through the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Research (CTLR) located in the library. Visit CTLR or your professor for more details.

At the beginning of each semester we interview potential candidates, and CTLR hires a few tutors each semester with our recommendations.

This is a question we are often asked by students, and the answer must come from you. Your choices are almost endless. Don’t just think about the country; also think about what course of study you would like to follow and in what extracurricular activities you would like to engage. Sometimes the possibility of doing a certain internship can influence a choice. See the Study Abroad information above for more details.

Anything you want. As a Spanish major, you will graduate with linguistic proficiency and a thorough understanding of Hispanic culture, literature, and linguistics, as well as a deep understanding of cultural diversity. A liberal arts education develops critical thinking, excellent writing skills, and the ability to solve problems—the skills 90 percent of CEOs believe are essential and more important than specific work skills (Fortune, 1997). Our majors have gone on to work in education, business, law, medicine, government, nonprofit, and theater, to name a few.

See more about these residential options on campus.

We cap most of our language classes at 18. We do not accept more than the maximum in any section, as this would dramatically reduce the pedagogical benefits of a discussion-based course. Our professors maintain a waiting list for each section, so you should contact them before the course begins and stop by during the first meeting of the class.

The choice to accept an individual to audit is entirely up to the individual professor. Our department policy is that we will try to accommodate an individual as long as they have the appropriate level and as long as there is space in the section.