Studies & Degrees in Spanish Language and Culture
Spanish Language and Culture Study Programs
Spanish language and culture programmes combine language classes with the study of the Spanish-speaking world: its literature, history, art and society. They range from a few weeks at a language school to a full university degree. Most students in this field are not native speakers. They are learners who want to reach a working level of Spanish and understand the countries where it is spoken.
The language has a large community of speakers. According to the Instituto Cervantes yearbook for 2025, native speakers of Spanish passed 500 million for the first time in 2025 and reached 520 million. Counting people with limited competence and learners, potential speakers exceed 630 million. Spanish is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations. The number of learners has grown by 36 per cent since 2012, and the largest groups of learners are in the United States, Brazil and several countries of the European Union.
Qualifications and levels
- Language and culture courses. Language schools and university language centres teach Spanish at all levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), from A1 to C2, and add culture classes or seminars. Alcalingua, the language centre of the Universidad de Alcalá, is an example with published figures: its winter-term Language and Culture course in 2027 has 200 hours and 20 ECTS credits and costs €1,865, against 160 hours, 16 ECTS credits and €1,455 for the language-only course. The annual Language and Culture course (1 October 2026 to 31 May 2027) has 600 hours and 60 ECTS credits and costs €5,310.
- Study abroad semesters. Universities run semester and summer programmes for visiting students, with credits that the home university can recognise. The Study Abroad in Spain programme of the Instituto Franklin-UAH in Alcalá de Henares, which started in 1987, lets students take four subjects per semester for a total of 12 credits. At the Universidad de Navarra, the Instituto de Lengua y Cultura Españolas (ILCE) teaches Spanish language and culture to international students.
- University degrees. In Spain the academic route is a bachelor's degree (grado) of 240 ECTS credits, such as the Grado en Filología Hispánica of the Universidad de Salamanca. It trains graduates in the Spanish language, literature written in Spanish and the history and culture of Spanish-speaking countries. These degrees are taught in Spanish and require an advanced level.
- Official certificates. The DELE diplomas of the Instituto Cervantes are official qualifications that cover all CEFR levels and do not expire. SIELE is an online exam that gives results within three weeks. It is coordinated from Mexico, Argentina and Spain and includes different varieties of Spanish. Many schools prepare students for both.
A course certificate from a school is not the same as a DELE or SIELE certificate. Students who need credits should ask the school in writing how many credits the course carries and confirm with their home university that it will recognise them.
Where to study it
Our directory lists 72 schools for this subject. Forty are in Spain. Mexico, Argentina and the United States have five each, Ecuador and Bolivia three each and Honduras two. There are also schools in Canada, Costa Rica, Japan, Denmark and Germany.
In Spain the options include university centres and private schools. Examples from the directory are Alcalingua and the Instituto Franklin-UAH in Alcalá de Henares, the Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, and two language schools in Granada: Escuela Montalbán, which has taught Spanish since 1986 and offers courses with ECTS credits, and Instituto Mediterráneo Sol (iNMSOL), which has taught since 1992 and lists Hispanic studies courses in literature, history and culture. In Latin America, Galapagos Spanish School in Quito combines classes with homestays with local families.
The choice of country shapes the cultural part of the course. A programme in Spain looks at Spanish history, art and society. A programme in Mexico, Argentina or Ecuador studies its own country and Latin America.
For language schools, one neutral quality sign is accreditation by the Instituto Cervantes through its SACIC system for centres that teach Spanish as a foreign language. Escuela Montalbán states that it has held this accreditation since 2002. Students can ask any school whether it is accredited.
Careers
Spanish is rarely a profession in itself. It is a skill that adds to another qualification. Graduates of language and culture programmes use it in:
- teaching Spanish as a foreign language, usually after specific teacher training
- translation and interpreting, after specialised training
- tourism, hospitality and customer service
- international trade, diplomacy and cooperation
- publishing, media and cultural management
Frequently asked questions
Is previous knowledge of Spanish needed?
Not for language and culture courses: schools place students by level from beginner (A1) upwards. A university degree taught in Spanish requires an advanced level.
Which certificate proves a level of Spanish?
The DELE diplomas of the Instituto Cervantes are official, cover levels A1 to C2 and do not expire. SIELE is an online alternative with results within three weeks.
Do language and culture courses give university credits?
Some do. Alcalingua, for example, states 20 ECTS credits for a term and 60 for the annual Language and Culture course. Recognition depends on the student's home university, so it should be confirmed before enrolling.
Is it better to study in Spain or in Latin America?
Both give full immersion. The difference is in the culture studied, the accent and the cost of travel. Official exams such as SIELE accept the different varieties of Spanish.