FAQ

General Inquiries

Students enrolled in the Faculty of Arts & Science

I am new to the University and speak some Portuguese; what courses should I enrol in?
Please see our Portuguese page for information about our placement test. If you have additional questions, contact the Associate Chair of Undergraduate Studies.

I am new to the University and speak some Spanish; what courses should I enrol in?
Our placement test will assist you and the department in determining in what language course you should enrol. It is in your best interest to assess your level as early as possible as registration is in high demand for many of these courses. Please see 'Placement Test' on the Spanish page for more information.

Please note that course instructors have the obligation to move you to a lower or higher level course if they identify your placement as inappropriate.

I learned Spanish / Portuguese at home, but do not feel fluent. What course should I take?
We offer SPA219Y (Spanish for bilinguals or Academic Spanish) and PRT219Y (Portuguese for bilinguals or Academic Portuguese) for students who grew up speaking the language at home, but are not fully fluent and have not yet learned to read and write. This course offers a synthesis of skills that are taught in first, second and third year of Spanish or Portuguese, but the teaching of grammar, spelling and writing is designed to fit the needs of speakers who learned the language as a family language, or in a Spanish or Portuguese-speaking country, rather than in a classroom.  Do not worry if you are not as fluent in Spanish or in Portuguese as you are in English, nor have experience with grammar or writing. That is the right reason to join the course! If you have any doubts as to your ability to be in the class, please contact the Undergraduate coordinator or the Course instructor to verify your placement.

I wish to enrol in an independent study. How do I start?
Please visit the Independent Studies section of this website for detailed instructions on how to apply.

I am a second / third year student trying to enrol in SPA100Y or SPA220Y. Why is the system not allowing me to?
First and second year Spanish has registration priority given to students in first and second year. You will have to wait until the date the system lifts priorities to access these courses.

Can I audit a course?
We regret that we do not allow auditors in our Spanish for Beginners (SPA100Y1) language classes, due to enrolment pressure. For other courses, if the instructor allows, there is a form - available in the department - and a fee. Please enquire with our Undergraduate Coordinator.

What courses are offered?
For a complete list of our courses, please visit the site of the Faculty of Arts & Science Timetable.

Can I take a course in another Department and count it for my program in Spanish, Portuguese or Latin American Studies?
Any course in Spanish can count as a cognate for a degree in Portuguese, and vice versa – any course in Portuguese can count as a cognate for a degree in Spanish. Cognate credit is not allowed for the minor programs, but students enrolled in the Spanish minor can apply 1 FCE from Portuguese. Students enrolled in Portuguese can apply 1 FCE from Spanish.

The Latin American Studies major and minor do consider courses in other Departments. For a list of those pre-approved for credit in the LAS programs, visit the Course Groups section of the Latin American Studies Calendar website.

How do I obtain a language citation?
To complete the language citation in Spanish students will normally complete the two language-sequence courses that follow the introductory level: SPA220Y1 and SPA320Y1. Native and bilingual speakers should complete SPA219Y1 and two additional half-courses in Spanish in the 300- or 400-series. If the students have an advanced level of language and start with advanced language classes, or do not need to take courses in the language sequence, they need to take the equivalent of 2.0 FCE in the 300 or 400-series of courses. Students need to obtain a minimum of B- in order to obtain the citation.
Students should note that, as explained in this Calendar, the Language Citation is not equivalent to an academic program and that enrolment in a program is not necessary in order to earn the recognition bestowed by the Citation.
To request the citation, e-mail your request with your student ID number to: spanport@chass.utoronto.ca

What can I do with a degree in Hispanic linguistics or literature & culture?
Plenty! Spanish is recognized as one of the four United Nations official languages. A degree in Spanish linguistics, literature, and culture opens up career paths both domestically and internationally. The skills that students acquire through the study of Spanish and of the Spanish-speaking world either prepare them directly for, or are an asset in some of the following fields:

  • Media, journalism, marketing, public relations
  • Domestic government services and NGOs, foreign services and foreign affairs specialist, international development, political aid
  • Commerce, finances, tourism and hospitality
  • Post-graduate studies and academic careers, cultural work
  • Editing, publishing, translation, education library and information sciences
  • Careers in the health profession, including medicine, speech pathology and audiology
  • Computational linguistics, speech recognition and synthesis

 

Students not enrolled in Arts & Science or general public

Registration priority is given to students in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. All other students must wait until the system opens up these courses to them, as indicated in the registration schedule. We are unable to make individual exceptions.

You are free to enrol in the course through ROSI, after enrollment controls lift and graduate students are allowed registration in undergraduate courses, if space is available. At that point either you or your graduate coordinator or administrator will be able to process registration directly in ROSI. This varies from department to department, please consult with yours. Note that although it is often difficult to find room in SPA100Y at the end of enrollment period in September, there is usually room during the summer.

If you are a student enrolled in a post-secondary education institution, you enrol in our courses as a Visiting Student. Please find detailed information on the application process, deadlines, and fees in the Woodsworth College Visiting Students Program website.

If you are currently not enrolled in post-secondary education, you must enrol as a non-degree student to take courses at the University of Toronto. Non-degree studies is for those with previous university experience who wish to upgrade their university record to qualify for graduate school, a professional program, or for personal interest. Non-degree students enrol in credit courses, for which they have the prerequisites, but are not proceeding towards a degree. Please note that the application process takes some time. For more information, please visit the Future Students website and search "Non-Degree Applicants"

 

    Study Abroad

    There are several modest scholarships available to students enrolled in our programs. Many require no application and are managed through Awards. We have three study abroad awards that require you to apply to the Department. These are the Doris May Barker Scholarship, the Milton A. Buchanan Scholarship and the Kurt Levy Family Latin American Studies Travel Grant. Please visit the Scholarship & Awards section of this website for more information.

    There is a variety of international and study abroad programs offered through the University of Toronto. The right program and country depends on your interests, whether you choose to go during academic year, a semester, or just summer. There are currently (Summer 2020) opportunities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and more!

    To ensure the courses you take are applicable to your program, please make sure you apply for pre-departure authorization. If you do not do so, you can still apply for transfer credit, but there is no guarantee that the course will be transferred. Remember to keep all the important documentation about your course such as syllabus, instructions for key assignments, copies of all submitted work, that may assist in the classification and accreditation of your exchange course.

    To learn more about current opportunities, visit the Learning Abroad website. You can find information on exchange programs at the Centre for International Experience website.

    For more details about how to request pre-departure authorization, visit the Arts & Science Transfer Credit site.

    A rule of thumb is that a course with Spanish or Portuguese content, taken at a recognized institution, is likely to count as a valid course for your Spanish or Portuguese degree. Courses in other topics, such as, say, History, Classics and Politics remain courses in History, Classic and Politics even when taught in a Spanish or Portuguese-speaking university, and will be sent for credit assessment in those departments.

    Latin American Studies program considers courses taken on Latin American topics, regardless of the language of instruction. If the course has a clear disciplinary focus, it will be sent for credit assessment to the appropriate Department - for instance, a course on the history of the military dictatorship in Argentina will be forwarded to the Department of History - and if approved, will be considered then towards your LAS program.