Spanish
The Spanish major has two concentrations:
- Language & Culture
- Spanish for Health Professions
The Spanish major begins with a foundation of linguistic and intercultural experiences, including cornerstone faculty-led May Term immersions in Costa Rica and Denver, Colorado, and premier study abroad semester programs in Spain and Latin America.
Students in the Language & Culture concentration choose from advanced electives in culture and linguistics, while Spanish for Health Professions students hone their professional Spanish skills in courses such as translation/interpretation and Spanish for medical professions. Spanish for Health Professions students also have the opportunity to complete a medical Spanish study abroad program that includes clinical internship experiences.
Students are shaped by international experiences designed to increase language proficiency and immerse you in another culture. In-depth study of another culture and living abroad for an extended period of time will give you insight into how other cultures view the world, as well as a better understanding of American culture.
May Term
Take part in a May Term cultural immersion experience, where students spend four weeks off campus, combining intensive language study with faculty-led excursions to sites of historical and cultural significance around the world. During May Term, Spanish majors and minors visit about sites of cultural interest in Costa Rica or Wartburg West in Denver, Colorado.
Study Abroad
In their junior year, Spanish majors will study abroad for a semester. Many students choose to study at Heredia or San Ramón (medical Spanish), Costa Rica; Santiago, Chile; Alicante, Bilbao, Oviedo (medical Spanish summer program), San Sebastián, or Seville, Spain.
Michaelson, Briner & Kildahl Literary Symposium
The annual symposium celebrating the humanities is presented by the Harry and Polly Slife Professorship in Humanities and co-sponsored by Vogel Library, the Wartburg Scholars Program and the Franklin I. and Irene Saemann Chair in World Communities. Thanks to a leadership gift from alumni Steven and Jane Noah and Dale and Judy Goeke, the annual event brings an author, poet or other literary figure to campus to engage students, faculty, staff and the broader community in activities to stimulate critical thought. Learn more about past and upcoming speakers here.
Learn through experience.
The Knight’s Experience provides up to $1,500 in one-time funding for all Wartburg students during their second, third, or fourth year to support an experiential learning opportunity. Qualifying programs include internships, study away, research projects, service trips, and more.
Wartburg is grateful to the Jack and Sarah Salzwedel family
for funding the Knight’s Experience for the 2026-27 academic year.
The Spanish department could not have prepared me better to use my Spanish in a professional setting. Because of the extensive practice I have gotten at Wartburg using my Spanish to express my thoughts and arguments thoughtfully and practically, I now find it just as natural to write essays in Spanish as in English.”
Jane Pinkowski ’23
La Crosse, Wisconsin
Ready for more?