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Through effective communicative instruction, we prepare students to read, speak, write, and understand Spanish.

Our course offerings reflect and respond to the diversity of our students, who include: heritage speakers, non-traditional students, professionals in a variety of fields, as well as traditional undergraduates. We encourage students to participate in study abroad programs and second-language activities as a means of improving proficiency.

Faculty are actively engaged in advancing knowledge in their respective areas of expertise and striving to link, in the manner most beneficial for students, critical and scholarly work to classroom instruction and advising activities.

We assume a leadership role in disseminating Hispanic, U.S. Latino, and Luso-Brazilian culture, not only to the campus community but to the Milwaukee area and the state of Wisconsin as well.

The department participates in outreach activities to foster life-long learning for professionals, language instructors and other interested persons in the community. We contribute actively to programming in affiliated organizations, including:

Spanish Contacts

Prospective Undergraduate Students (not yet enrolled at UWM)

Prospective students, contact our admissions counselor at let-sci@uwm.edu or 414-229-7711.

Current Undergraduate Students

General questions such as how to declare, how to change a major, general education requirements, etc. should be directed to the college advising office at ls-advising@uwm.edu or 414-229-4654.

Specific questions about Spanish, such as research opportunities, internship opportunities, major requirements, etc., should be directed to the Spanish advistor.

Spanish Programs

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Ready to Declare?

Select the declaration that’s right for you, and you will find more instructions on how to declare and what to expect.

Recommended Resources for Spanish Undergraduate Students

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Advising
Understand who your advisors are and the ways they help you successfully navigate college life.
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Spanish Courses
See all the options for electives and upcoming courses.
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Related Programs
There are additional programs at UWM outside of the Department of World Languages & Cultures that cover global topics.
View Related Programs
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Student Support in Spanish
Learn more about resources to practice and improve your Spanish.
View Student Support in Spanish
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Academic Help
Tutoring, accommodations, mentor programs, and more.
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Career Resources & Job Outcomes
See what our alumni have done with their degrees.
View Resources & Outcomes
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Student Organizations
Find friends with similar interests through career-oriented organizations, social clubs, and community activities.
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Honors
Learn more about Sigma Delta Pi and other honors at UWM.
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Study Abroad
Opportunities abound around the world for students to live and study outside of the U.S. for a few weeks, a semester or a full year.
View Study Abroad
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Internships
Experience matters just as much as a degree. Learn about international internships and domestic internships with international companies for students in Global Studies.
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Retro Credits
Students who place beyond the first-semester of a language can earn up to 16 retroactive credits, depending on the language.
View Retro Credits

Our Mission

Offer the Best Instruction

We offer the best instruction in the areas of language, linguistics, literature, and culture at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Foster Interest

We foster interest in the Spanish and Portuguese languages and in the Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian cultures.

Promote the Study of Language and Culture

We promote the study of those languages and cultures as part of the humanities and other university courses of study.

Spanish News

Spanish Events

Campus Resources

Enhance your college experience and unlock even more opportunities on campus. Start career planning, participate in wellness activities, conduct cutting-edge research and more. 

UWM Land Acknowledgement: We acknowledge in Milwaukee that we are on traditional Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk and Menominee homeland along the southwest shores of Michigami, North America’s largest system of freshwater lakes, where the Milwaukee, Menominee and Kinnickinnic rivers meet and the people of Wisconsin’s sovereign Anishinaabe, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Oneida and Mohican nations remain present.   |   To learn more, visit the Electa Quinney Institute website.