Gain an edge in the job market by studying Spanish. Spanish as a skill can increase your employment prospects and help you relate to the culture.
Students can choose to earn an Associate in Arts and follow the Spanish Transfer Pathway or take Spanish courses to meet general education requirements.
COD offers Spanish courses in a traditional, online and hybrid format to meet the needs of the diverse student population:
- Traditional: Classes meet weekly and students have the opportunity to interact with an instructor and their peers.
- Online: Internet-based courses offer independent study and flexible learning. Classes are offered online with instructor and student web camera meetings.
- Hybrid: Blending the traditional and online class creates a new opportunity for students to complete course work with reduced classroom time.
Studying Spanish also offers the opportunity to live and study abroad in Madrid, Spain or San Jose, Costa Rica.
Determine Your Path
Spanish can improve your marketability to employers, give you more opportunities to travel, and keep you relevant in the arts.
College of DuPage offers a world of educational opportunities in your own backyard. At COD, you'll find:
- Dedicated instructors with years of professional experience.
- Instruction utilizing our state-of-the-art facilities.
- Affordable courses to help you achieve success without creating overwhelming debt or draining your savings account.
- Small class sizes to ensure you receive personalized attention.
Spanish Transfer Pathway
The Spanish Transfer Pathway, Associate in Arts represents a typical course schedule or sequence for a student planning to complete the Associate in Arts degree within two years, then transfer and major in a specific discipline.
The study of Spanish offers many benefits including:
- The Spoken Language
Spanish isn’t a foreign language anymore. The United States is the second largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, second only to Mexico. It’s projected that the U.S. will be the largest Spanish-speaking country by 2050. California and other southern states have a rich Hispanic history. Learning Spanish will help you communicate with other Americans and understand American history. Since Spanish is so prevalent in the U.S., you will have more opportunities to speak and read Spanish here than any other ‘foreign’ language. - Edge in the Job Market
Knowing a second language is a necessary skill in a global economy. Employers say they will choose a candidate who can speak another language, especially Spanish. Learning Spanish will help you to communicate with your co-workers and employees. Hispanic consumers are the fastest growing market segment, so knowing Spanish will give you an edge in many jobs, especially healthcare, education, and business trades. Bilingual employees often earn more than their counterparts who only know one language. - Most Like English
Spanish is considered one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn because of its close grammatical and cultural proximity to English. Many English and Spanish words are based on Latin, so expanding your vocabulary in Spanish can help expand it in English, too. Spanish is almost completely phonetic, so you can look at most any word and figure out how to pronounce it. With so many people speaking Spanish and a multitude of Spanish-speaking entertainment, you will have many opportunities to practice Spanish in a very real situation. - Stay Relevant
Spanish will help you keep up with culture. The Hispanic influence on pop culture is strong and getting stronger. Think of all of the words and phrases we use that have come from the Spanish language, including taco, hasta la vista, aye carumba!, el nino, and living la vida loca. Hispanic celebrities including Ricky Martin, Selma Hayak, Esai Morales, Selena and directors such as Guillermo del Toro have a major Hollywood influence. Goya and Picasso have influenced the fine arts, while Miguel Cervantes and Pablo Neruda have made major literary contributions. - Travel Experience
Knowing Spanish will enhance your travel experience. Spanish is the official language of 21 countries on 4 continents, so there are many places to travel. Your travels will go much more smoothly if you can communicate at least a little. From hailing a cab to ordering dinner, knowing some Spanish will be helpful. If you only know English, you will probably confine yourself to resorts and tourist areas where English tends to be spoken. If you know some Spanish, you will be able to explore and get to know the local people.
COD Stories
“College of DuPage is not just a school to help one get a degree. It is also a place to gain the knowledge to do what you want to do well. I heartily agree with the theory that we should all be lifelong learners and doers, and COD is the place to get the skills to do so.” - Oscar Almonte
Oscar's COD StoryCOD Stories
“The amazing Spanish faculty challenged me every day. From Study Abroad in Spain to the honors poster presentation in Spanish, COD prepared me educationally and professionally for a successful career in Spanish studies.” - Emily Quesada-Glanz
Emily's COD StoryGet Started Today
The first step to getting started in the Spanish Languages program is to apply for admission.
Academic and Career Pathways give you a roadmap to achieving your career goals. Follow a pathway based on your degree that outlines which classes you need to take and when so you graduate on time or move on to the next phase in your career.
Students who complete courses in any of the Foreign Languages disciplines will:
- Communicate effectively in more than one language in order to function in a variety of situations and for multiple purposes
- Interact with cultural competence and understanding
- Connect with other disciplines and acquire information and diverse perspectives in order to use the language to function in academic and career-related situations
- Develop insight into the nature of language and culture in order to interact with cultural competence
- Communicate and interact with cultural competence in order to participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world
College of DuPage has several languages transfer agreements in place with four-year colleges and universities to save you time, money and make the transfer process easier.
Many of these agreements with other colleges and universities have specific course requirements and a pre-determined course plan that needs to be followed to be eligible to transfer. Contact a program faculty member or academic advisor to learn more as course requirements vary by institution.
Career Information
Explore careers based on your interest, location and salary range or view top occupations by income.
