Spanish Placement

To enroll in Spanish 1A or any Spanish course through the 2C (or 5) level: 
Students without previous background in Spanish must take a copy of their high school transcript to the Humanities Undergraduate Counseling Office in 143 Humanities Instructional Building (HIB), open daily 9-noon and 1-4 p.m., to activate their eligibility to enroll in Spanish 1A.  Any student with a previous class (or classes) in Spanish from another college or university who wants to enroll in any Spanish 1A through Spanish 5 course at UCI, must take a copy of their college transcripts to the Humanities Undergraduate Counseling Office in order to receive authorization to enroll in the next course. Students who graduated from a high school in a Spanish-speaking country, or who graduated from a Spanish Academy, must take a copy of their transcripts to the Spanish Department in 322 Humanities Hall to determine where they should be placed.

Students with previous high school background in Spanish wanting to enroll in any Spanish 1A through Spanish 5 course at UCI for the first time must take the placement test. Eligibility to enroll in any Spanish 1A through Spanish 5 course at UCI will be based on the result of that placement test.  Students who have already met the UCI language other than English breadth requirement for graduation with SAT II scores, International Baccalaureate (IB) scores, or Advanced Placement exams, and plan to enroll in a Spanish course at UCI, are still required to take the Spanish placement test. Students cannot earn units or grade points at UCI in courses from which they have been exempted on the basis of IB or Advanced Placement credit, even if the placement test result recommends enrollment in such a level. 

Students currently enrolled in any Spanish 1A through Spanish 2B course at UCI, will be eligible to enroll for the next course within the series without having to take the placement test, provided they receive(d) a C, or better, in the previous course within the series.

Placement testing is offered throughout the summer and the academic year.   For details about registering for the test, contact the Testing Office, 2200 Student Services II; telephone (949) 824-6207;  email: testoff@uci.edu; or at http://www.testingoffice.uci.edu/plt/.

Native Speakers:
A student who places into SPAN 2C, AND whose home language is Spanish, is encouraged to enroll in SPAN 5, Spanish for Native Speakers, instead.To enroll in SPAN 10A, SPAN 10B, ... or beyond:
An active prerequisite check system is in place for Spanish 10A and 10B. In order to enroll in Spanish 10A a student must have passed Spanish 2C or 5. The prerequisite for Spanish 10B is 10A. Students who have satisfied the required prerequisite at another college or university, or who graduated from a high school in a Spanish-speaking country, or who graduated from a Spanish Academy must take a copy of their transcript to the Humanities Undergraduate Counseling Office in order to receive authorization to enroll in the appropriate course. All courses in Spanish and Portuguese, unless specifically stated, are taught in the foreign language. By the end of the first year, students attain mastery of the basic structure of the language and ability to converse on everyday topics, as well as to read and write at an elementary level. In the second year, emphasis is put on gradually raising the level of the student's ability to read and write. A third-year two-quarter sequential course stresses composition and introduces literary analysis. Further, a course in phonetics aims to perfect pronunciation and presents historical and dialect variants of Spanish. In addition to giving students a sense of literary history, the introductory courses in literature, also to be taken in the third year, introduce students to elements of literary research and writing. The courses in Hispanic culture combine a panoramic overview with a close look at a specific country or topic, and require a final research project. Upper-division literature and film courses offer a more detailed analysis of specific texts and require a final research paper. Although a major in Portuguese is not offered, advanced literature courses are available. In addition, an undergraduate minor is offered. The faculty encourages Spanish majors or minors who are serious about improving their Spanish language ability in reading, writing, and speaking to take advantage of opportunities to immerse themselves in the Spanish language by studying in Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Spain, or other Spanish-speaking countries through the Education Abroad Program (EAP) or through the International Opportunities Program (IOP). Programs are available for the summer, one quarter, one semester, or one year. While studying abroad, students can continue to make progress toward their UCI degree. See the Center for International Education section of the Catalogue or an academic counselor for additional information.