BA in Portuguese in Provo United States | Brigham Young University

The Spanish and Portuguese languages and literatures dominate the Iberian Peninsula, major parts of Africa, and the southern portion of the New World from Mexico to the Magellan Straits. Thirty countries have Spanish or Portuguese as an official or national language, with over 615 million speakers of these languages worldwide. Such breadthplus some 35 million speakers within the borders of the United States itselfgives multiple opportunities for developing skill in the spoken language, as well as in listening, reading, writing, and translation. Studying the Iberian roots of this large and important part of the population and learning about the people's perception of life also brings greater understanding of their values and their struggle for identity. A Spanish or Portuguese major makes for a demanding, intriguing, and pleasurable experience.

The field of teaching has always provided good employment opportunities for Spanish majors. In addition, opportunities for both Spanish and Portuguese have been found in government service (translation, U.S. State Department, CIA, FBI, Border Patrol, Peace Corps, NSA, USIA), business, social work, airlines, banking, etc. Many majors go on to professional schools (law, medicine, dentistry, business, etc.), where a liberal arts background is advised. A strong minor or a second major in the employment area is strongly encouraged.

It is strongly recommended that StDev 317, a 2-credit-hour course, be taken at the end of the sophomore year or the beginning of the junior year. Because liberal arts degrees provide preparation in a variety of useful fields rather than a single career track, this course is recommended to help liberal arts students focus on specific educational and occupational goals and to identify the career options or educational opportunities available to them. The course will introduce them to the resources needed for accessing information about graduate schools, internships, careers, and career development. Students will learn basic employment strategies, including the steps necessary for obtaining employment related to their own specialty.