Hispanic Studies
Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Studies
¡Te encantará tener una especialización en estudios hispanos! (You’ll love majoring in Hispanic Studies!) Hispanic Studies is not just about developing knowledge of the Spanish language (or even only for native speakers!). Hispanic Studies majors also evaluate Hispanic history and culture and its impact on the world.
As the fourth most spoken language in the world, with 500 million speakers in the United States alone, a major in Hispanic Studies can help you stand out to employers looking to offer bilingual services.
Why be a Hispanic Studies major?
Here’s what makes the Mount’s Hispanic Studies major unique:
- Double the fun: The Mount’s Hispanic Studies major has a flexible course load, which allows many of our students to double major in another field like Business Management & Administration, Human Services, or Criminology or declare a certification in Education, thereby increasing their marketability in the job market.
- Service-oriented: Often, students are attracted to the Hispanic Studies major as a service profession, offering their assistance as translators or working with underserved populations. If that sounds like you, you’ve come to the right place: The Mount’s community service-oriented approach to education will offer plenty of opportunities to put your skills to good use helping others. We’ll teach you to follow your heart.
- Study in Spain: There’s no better place to learn Spanish than Spain, after all. Many Mount Hispanic Studies majors choose to study abroad in Spain or another Spanish-speaking country, sometimes even accompanied by our Hispanic Studies professor!
Tori Guglielmo ’20 Peace Corp Volunteer“My favorite aspect of being a Hispanic Studies major are the opportunities for students outside of the classroom. For me, these included teaching an English as a Second Language class and spending a semester abroad in Granada, Spain. With the support I have received from the professors, being a Hispanic Studies major has allowed me to become more engaged in the Spanish speaking world.”
Tori Guglielmo ’20
Peace Corp Volunteer
What to expect as a Hispanic Studies major
30 credits in Hispanic Studies
Learn about Hispanic Studies major and minor academic requirements and courses here.
One of the benefits of the Mount’s Hispanic Studies major is how flexible it is! You’ll take six required courses, and the rest are up to you. You can choose to focus more on language, literature, or history through your selection of elective credits, making your degree uniquely your own. Some of our students choose to fill their electives through independent studies on a topic of their choice or a Hispanic Studies internship.
Hispanic Studies courses often include an aspect of giving back by having students volunteer as English as a Second Language tutors at the Newburgh Armory Unity Center or other community programs. Outside the classroom, some of our Hispanic Studies majors choose to participate in the Latino Student Union on campus, and we honor our students’ accomplishments through the Hispanic Studies Honor Society.
Be prepared for your future
Thanks to the program’s versatility and the growing need from employers to provide bilingual job candidates, our Hispanic Studies majors thrive after graduation. The major prepares students for graduate school as well as careers in a variety of industries, including communications, business, social services, education, healthcare, and government. Whether you're a translator at a government agency or an elementary school teacher, you'll be able to put your Hispanic Studies skills to good use.
Here's how some of our Hispanic Studies alumni are using their degrees:
- Andy Checo '00, associate director of Havas Formula and president of the Hispanic Public Relations Association
- Dania Flores ’08, Business Services Representative for the New York State Department of Labor
- Malinda Pollack ’08, Internal Risk Management Associate at Rhinebeck Bank
- Alejandra Gomez '14 MSEd '16, special education teacher at the Spackenkill Union School District
- Paola Martinez ’17, Assistant Director of the Higher Education Opportunity Program at Mount Saint Mary College
Victor Azuaje
Meet the Division of Humanities Faculty
Get to know the rest of our incredible Humanities professors!