Skip to content

Studies & Degrees in Hispanic Studies

Hispanic Studies Study Programs

Level: Not Applicable     Location: Madrid
Level: Undergraduate Bachelors     Location: Sevilla
Level: Undergraduate Bachelors     Location: Sevilla
Level: Professional Development     Location: Barcelona
Level: Not Applicable     Location: Seville

Hispanic Studies is the study of the Spanish language and of the literatures, history and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world, in Spain and in Latin America. Departments often add Portuguese and the other languages of the Iberian Peninsula. According to Trinity College Dublin, Spanish is the native language of over 500 million people, which explains the wide reach of the subject.

What a student actually does depends on where the degree is taken. In Spain it is a philology degree for people who already master Spanish: linguistics, the history of the language, and Spanish and Latin American literature. In English-speaking countries it is a modern languages degree in which students learn Spanish, sometimes from beginner level, and study the cultures that go with it.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degrees in Spain. A Spanish bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits. The Grado en Estudios Hispánicos of the Universidad de Alcalá lasts four years, has 240 ECTS credits and 50 places, and is taught in Spanish at the Facultad de Filosofía y Letras; its core is the Spanish language, linguistics and the literatures of the Hispanic world, together with sufficient knowledge of a foreign language. Other universities keep the traditional name: the Grado en Filología Hispánica of the Universidad de Sevilla also has 240 credits over four years, and students must prove level B1 in a foreign language before the degree is issued.
  • Ireland. At Trinity College Dublin, Spanish is a four-year honours bachelor's degree (NFQ level 8) with 17 places. Students start Spanish from beginner level or continue from advanced level, and can follow single honours, major with minor or joint honours pathways. The university traces its Department of Hispanic Studies back to 1776. At University College Cork, Spanish is taken within degrees of three or four years, and all the four-year courses include a year abroad in a Spanish-speaking country; the department also offers Basque, Catalan and Portuguese.
  • United Kingdom. At the University of Bristol, Spanish is offered from complete beginners' level or from A-level standard, alone or combined with other languages and subjects, and students spend their third year in a country relevant to the degree.
  • Master's degrees and doctorates. Official Spanish master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Common specialisations are teaching Spanish as a foreign language, Spanish and Latin American literature, and linguistics.
  • Semester and short programmes. Foundations, university language centres and Spanish language schools run courses in Hispanic studies for visiting students, usually combining language classes with literature, history and art.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 24 active schools for Hispanic Studies. Fourteen are in Spain and three in the United States; Ireland and the United Kingdom have two each, and Canada, Colombia and Argentina one each. In Spain the list includes the Universidad de Alcalá, the Universidad de Sevilla, the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, the Universidad de Cádiz, the Universitat Rovira i Virgili and the Universidad de Deusto, and centres that receive visiting students such as the Fundación Ortega-Marañón in Madrid and the Fundación Comillas in Cantabria. Abroad it includes Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork, the University of Bristol, the University of Kent, McGill University, Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Universidad de Antioquia in Medellín.

Degrees in Spain are taught in Spanish and assume a high level from the first day. Students who are not native speakers should ask the university what proof of Spanish it requires. The DELE diplomas are official qualifications that certify competence in Spanish; they are awarded by the Instituto Cervantes and cover all levels of the Common European Framework of Reference, from A1 to C2.

Careers

The Universidad de Alcalá lists, besides teaching Spanish, work in linguistic and cultural mediation, language and literary advice, the media, international relations, diplomatic representation, tourism and cultural management, publishing, translation and interpreting, and posts in companies and public administration that need a good command of Spanish. The Universidad de Sevilla notes that Filología Hispánica specifically trains the teachers who will work in secondary education. Outside Spain, graduates in Hispanic Studies also work as teachers of Spanish, translators, and in business with Spain and Latin America.

For translation, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment of interpreters and translators will grow 2 percent from 2025 to 2035, slower than the average for all occupations.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to speak Spanish before starting Hispanic Studies?

It depends on the country. Universities such as Trinity College Dublin and the University of Bristol accept beginners in Spanish, while degrees in Spain are taught in Spanish to students who already master the language.

How long does the degree take?

Four years in Spain (240 ECTS credits) and at Trinity College Dublin. At University College Cork, the courses that include a year abroad also take four years.

Is there a year abroad?

Usually, in English-speaking countries. At University College Cork all the four-year courses with Spanish include a year in a Spanish-speaking country, and at the University of Bristol students spend the third year abroad.

What is the difference between Hispanic Studies and Filología Hispánica?

They cover the same field. Filología Hispánica is the traditional name in Spain and Latin America for the degree in Spanish language and literature; some Spanish universities now call it Estudios Hispánicos.