Interested in teaching at a Spanish/English bilingual school?

Earn your B.A. in Spanish with a minor in Spanish/English Bilingual Education at UC Irvine to begin your career path into becoming a bilingual teacher. 

The main objective of the major in Spanish with a minor in Spanish/English Bilingual Education ​is to create a pathway to better prepare future bilingual teachers. We accomplish this goal by providing students with the following: foundational knowledge on current issues in bilingual education; hands-on experience as a teacher aide/tutor in a bilingual classroom; knowledge of linguistic and cultural phenomena associated with the Spanish language and populations from Latin American countries.

UCI minor paves the way for future bilingual teachers 

Requirements for the minor

Please note that all students must adhere to the Department of Spanish & Portuguese's placement policies.

Students take the placement test at the Testing center OR can you use AP Spanish exam scores. 
The Academic Testing Center offers Spanish placement tests throughout the year.
Several placement tests are offered during summer; the schedule is posted at the end of spring quarter.
Placement tests during fall quarter are offered at the start of fall quarter and again during week 6.
Placement tests during winter and spring quarters are offered during week 6. 

Please check the Academic Testing Center’s website for current test dates ( https://testingcenter.uci.edu/current-test-dates/ ).
**After taking the Spanish placement test, if students are placed in upper-division Spanish (SPAN 101A), they do not need to meet any prerequisites to take the Spanish upper-division classes for the minor. However, if students are placed in lower-division Spanish (SPAN 1, 2 series or SPAN 3 or 3H), they must complete the Spanish 3 or Spanish 3H course as a prerequisite to take the Spanish upper-division classes for the minor.**  

For students who received a 4 or 5 score on the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam, enroll in SPAN 3 or SPAN 3H.
For students who received a 4 or 5 score on the AP Spanish Literature and Culture exam, enroll in upper-division Spanish classes.  

To declare the minor, you must contact or visit the Undergraduate Studies Office in your home school (e.g., School of Humanities, School of Education, School of Social Science) and request to add the minor to your DegreeWorks. Please note that students do not need to complete any coursework to declare the minor. 


To plan your Spanish courses for the academic year, click on the link below and click on "Spanish & Portuguese" for a tentative course schedule.

Tentative course schedule

A. Core requirement

  • HUM 52/EDUC 52/LING 51B:  Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism


B. School of Education

  • EDUC 101: Tutoring and Teacher Aiding in Bilingual Classrooms 
  • EDUC 124: Multicultural Education in K-12 Schools


C. Department of Spanish & Portuguese

  • SPAN 3H: Latinidades en California 
  • SPAN 101B: Introduction to Latin American Literatures and Cultures
  • SPAN 113B: Introduction to Spanish Linguistics
  • One additional upper-division course taught in Spanish in the Department of Spanish & Portuguese. 


HUM52/EDUC52/LING51B, EDUC 101, EDUC 107, EDUC 124, and at least one upper-division Spanish course must be completed successfully at UC Irvine. By petition, the upper-division Spanish course may be taken through the UC Education Abroad Program, provided course content is approved in advance by the appropriate undergraduate studies advisor or department chair.