Program: Spanish Language Teaching, MA - Southern Oregon University

Jul 20, 2025

2025-2026 Catalog

The Master of Arts in Spanish Language Teaching offers the opportunity for middle school, high school, and community college Spanish teachers to complete a master’s degree over the course of three summers. The program is offered through the SOU Summer Language Institute for Spanish teachers at SOU’s sister institution, the Universidad de Guanajuato in Guanajuato, Mexico.

Each summer, teachers can earn up to 18 credits over two three-week sessions. Completion of the master’s degree program requires a total of 48 credits. Up to 6 graduate credits may be transferred from other institutions.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of an MA in Spanish Language Teaching, graduates will:

Be able to apply contemporary theories on second language acquisition and pedagogy to their own classroom teaching.
Analyze various proficiency-based assessment strategies in foreign languages and incorporate these assessments into their teaching.
Demonstrate an ability to incorporate knowledge of the target cultures into their classroom instruction.
Reach the Advanced Low level of oral proficiency as defined by ACTFL.
Be able to conduct action research on their own teaching in order to monitor and improve the quality of their teaching.
Implement effective contemporary technologies to enhance foreign language instruction.

Requirements for Master of Arts in Spanish Language Teaching

Complete 48 credits in graduate-level Summer Language Institute courses. Up to 6 credits of coursework may be accepted from other institutions. (Courses eligible for transfer credit must have been taken within the last three years at the graduate level. Advisor approval of course syllabus required.)

Core Courses (20 credits total):

FL 501 - Data Analysis 1 credit
FL 511 - Second Language Acquisition Theory and Practice 3 credits
FL 512 - Teaching for Proficiency: Methods and Strategies 3 credits
FL 513 - Second Language Assessment: Principles and Strategies 3 credits
FL 514 - Action Research 3 credits
FL 515 - Technology in the Classroom 3 credits
SPAN 503 - Thesis 1 to 9 credits (3 credits minimum required)
SPAN 504 - Action Research Presentation 1 credit
Note: Students take the FL 514 Action Research class during the second summer. While working on their Action Research Project during the following year, they must enroll for 1 credit per term of SPAN 503 Thesis. During the final summer, they must register for 1 credit of SPAN 504 Action Research Presentation in order to present their Action Research project. Students who do not finish the Action Research project must register for 1 credit of SPAN 503 Thesis each term they continue working on the project until it is completed. If the Action Research project has not been completed after three years, FL 514 must be retaken.

Language and Culture Content Courses (15-18 credits total):

(3 credits each)

SPAN 520 - Topics in Spanish or Latin American, and Latinx Film 3 credits
SPAN 521 - Selected Genre or Historical Period Studies 3 to 4 credits
SPAN 522 - Major Literary Figures 3 to 4 credits
SPAN 525 - Topics in Contemporary Hispanic Literature and Society 3 to 4 credits
SPAN 532 - Communicative Grammar 3 credits
SPAN 541 - Topics in Hispanic Cultural Studies 3 to 4 credits
SPAN 581 - Topics in Theoretical and Applied Spanish Linguistics 3 to 4 credits
SPAN 582 - Topics in Writing and Translation 3 to 4 credits

Pedagogy Companion Course (10 credits minimum):

(2 credits each, repeatable)

SPAN 516 - Topics in Spanish Language Pedagogy 2 credits

One-Credit Electives

(No more than three credits from this section may count toward fulfillment of the 48 required credits for graduation. Students who are accepted into the program with Intermediate High (IH) oral proficiency will be required to take more, raising their total credits beyond the 48 credits minimum, as they are required to take these classes each session until they test at the Advanced Low proficiency level.)

SPAN 510 - Advanced Spanish Conversation 1 credit (May be taken for credit up to 3 times)
SPAN 511 - Advanced Spanish Grammar 1 credit (May be taken for credit up to 3 times)

Total Credits: 48

Admission

Master’s candidates must be currently teaching Spanish at the middle school, high school, or community college level and must have taught for at least one year prior to applying. They must submit a resumé, two letters of recommendation that address their teaching and language experience, a statement of their educational philosophy, and a copy of an ACTFL certified oral proficiency interview rating of Advanced Low or higher. Students at the Intermediate High level may be admitted on a conditional basis. Application materials are available at https://inside.sou.edu/summerlanguageinstitute/application.html.

Classes

Summer Language Institute courses are available as space allows to non-master’s-seeking students who may want additional coursework to improve their teaching skills, language proficiency, or cultural understanding or who may need additional graduate-level coursework to maintain or renew their certification. Students completing their Master’s degree must also take SPAN 503 Thesis for 1 credit each term while working on their Action Research project (minimum of 3 credits) and SPAN 504 Action Research Presentation to present their project.