Teaching: Spanish

MAT Program Requirements

The degree program consists of 47 credits, distributed among the areas listed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is three credits. All degree requirements must be completed within five (5) years from the semester date of admission as a matriculated student. 

Language, Literature and Culture - 15 credits

Students choose from the courses listed below; those not listed are selected with the approval of a departmental advisor. Courses not listed are selected with the approval of a departmental advisor

• SPN 501 Spanish Historical Linguistics
• SPN 502 Methods in Linguistics Research
• SPN 503 Spanish Linguistics
• SPN 504 Contrastive Analysis
• SPN 505 Spanish Dialectology and Sociolinguistics
• SPN 510 Hispanic Culture
• SPN 515 Spanish Composition and Stylistics
• SPN 500-Level Courses in Literature (Consultation)
• SPN 691 Practicum in Teaching Spanish
• One course in literature
• One elective course

Professional Studies in Education - 26 credits

• CEE 505 Education — Theory and Practice
• CEF 547 Principles and Practices of Special Education CEE 565 Human Development
• FLA 505 Methods of Teaching Foreign Languages
• FLA 506 Portfolio Development (prerequisite FLA 505)
• FLA 507 Critical Pedagogy or FLA 540 Foreign Language Acquisition Research
• FLA 549 Field Experience I—Grades 7-9 (one credit; corequisite FLA 505)
• FLA 550 Field Experience II—Grades 10-12 (one credit; corequisite FLA 506)
• FLA 554 Student Teaching Seminar (prerequisites FLA 505, 506, & 540; corequisites FLA 551 & FLA 552)
• FLA 571 Technology and Education or FLA 507 Critical Pedagogy

At the program director’s discretion, an undergraduate course from a registered and approved program may be approved as a substitution for any of the courses listed below. In all cases the undergraduate course must have been completed with a B or higher and the student must then take a different graduate pedagogy course to fulfill the graduate credits required for the graduate degree.

• CEE 505: Education: Theory and Practice
• CEF 547: Principles and Practices of Special Education
• CEE 594 OR LIN 544: Language Acquisition and Literacy Development
• CEE 565 OR PSY 595: Human Development

Speak to your graduate program director for more information and approval.

Supervised Student Teaching - 6 credits

Prior to student teaching, students must participate in an official ACTFL OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) and receive a minimum spoken proficiency rating of Advanced-Low as defined in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines-Speaking (1999). Students must contact Language Testing International (LTI) and arrange for either a face-to-face OPI or a phone interview.

Student Teaching Courses:

FLA 551 Supervised Student Teaching High School Grades 10-12: Foreign Languages (prerequisites FLA 505, 506, and 540; corequisites FLA 552 and 554)

FLA 552 Supervised Student Teaching Middle School Grades 7-9: Foreign Languages (prerequisites FLA 505, 506, and 540; corequisites FLA 551 and FLA 554)

Written Project

Students in all degree programs will be required to complete a four-week foreign language teaching module specifically designed for the Supervised Student Teaching project.

MAT Admissions

• Application essay.
• A bachelor’s degree with an academic major (or a minimum of 36 credits) in the program language. Transcript must reflect a 3.0 minimum cumulative GPA as well as a 3.0 minimum GPA in language studies.
• Three letters of recommendation. Two of the three recommendations must be from faculty with whom you have completed a course of study at the college level. It would be preferable that these faculty be in the area of your major.
• In those cases where the departmental admissions committee deems it desirable, personal interviews with departmental representatives may be necessary.

Linguistics Major

The following six courses are required for the LIN major

• LIN 101 Human Language
• LIN 201 Phonetics
• LIN 301 Phonology
• LIN 311 Syntax
• LIN 405 Writing in Linguistics
• LIN 431 Structure of an Uncommonly Taught Language

The following three courses are required for the TESOL certification

• LIN 307 Introduction to Sociolinguistics
• LIN 375 TESOL Pedagogy: Theory and Practice
• LIN 378 TESOL Pedagogy: Language and Literacy Development

Three additional electives are required, chosen in consultation with the Undergraduate Program Director in Linguistics

• Example: LIN 240 Spanish in the US
• Example: LIN 321 Morphology
• Example: SPN 393 Intro to Hispanic Linguistics (counts as both LIN and SPN elective)

Spanish Major

Thirty-six (36) SPN credits. Six (6) of these credits (2 courses) may be at the 200-level or may be satisfied by appropriate CLEP credit, AP/IB credit, etc. Thirty (30) of the 36 SPN credits must be at the 300+ level, chosen in consultation with the Undergraduate Spanish Director.

• SPN 310 or SPN 311 Spanish Conversation & Composition
• SPN 312 Intro. To Literary Studies
• SPN 321 Advanced Grammar and Composition
• SPN 393 Intro to Hispanic Linguistics (counts as both LIN and SPN elective)

Three of the following:

• SPN 395 Intro to Spanish-American Lit I
• SPN 396 Intro to Spanish-American Lit II
• SPN 397 Intro to Spanish Lit I
• SPN 398 Intro to Spanish Lit II
• Five additional courses; two may be at the 200 level; at least two must be at the 400-level

Graduate Spanish Coursework for MAT SPN

Fifteen (15) SPN credits at the graduate (500) level, chosen with approval of the Graduate Director:

• Example: SPN 505 Spanish Dialectology and Sociolinguistics
• Example: SPN 506 Bilingualism
• Example: SPN 510 Hispanic Culture
• Example: SPN 515 Spanish Composition and Stylistics
• Additional SPN Literature elective at the 500 level

General Professional Preparation

• SSE 350 Foundations of American Education
• CEF 347 or CEF 547 Introduction to Special Education
• PSY 327 Introduction to Human Development
• LIN 344 Literacy Development

Professional Preparation in TESOL & World Languages: Methods Courses

Students should consult with the Director of the TESOL program for additional information about the TESOL courses.

• LIN 375 TESOL Pedagogy: Theory and Practice, 3 credits (“Methods I”) (**see I above) & LIN 449 Field Experience N-12, 1 credit
• LIN 449 Field Experience, Grades N-12
• LIN 378 TESOL Pedagogy: Language and Literacy Development, 3 credits (“Methods II”) (**see I above)& LIN 450 Field Experience N-12, 1 credit
• LIN 450 Field Experience N-12, 1 credit
• FLA 506 Curriculum Development in World Languages, 3 credits& FLA 550 Field Experience in World Languages, 1 credit

Professional Preparation in TESOL & World Languages: Student Teaching

• LIN 574 Managing Instruction, Assessment and Resources, 1-2 credits (“Student Teaching Seminar, TESOL”) & LIN 581 Supervised Student Teaching in TESOL, 3 credits
• FLA 554 Student Teaching Seminar in World Languages, 1-2 credits& FLA 552 Supervised Student Teaching in World Languages, 3 credits

All Teacher candidates must attend four (4) seminars and be fingerprinted.

• Training in Identifying and Reporting Suspected Cases of Child Abuse
• Identification and Referral of Substance Abuse
• Prevention of School Violence
• Dignity for All Students

For information call 631-632-7022 or register on the SPD website.

Field Experience and Clinical Practice

Students will be required to complete 100 clock hours of field experience related to coursework prior to student teaching or practica. These experiences include practicing skills for interacting with parents, experiences in high-need schools, and experiences with each of the following student populations: socio-economically disadvantaged students, students who are English Language Learners, and students with disabilities. 

• FLA 551 Supervised Student Teaching HS, Grades 10-12: For. Languages
• FLA 552 Supervised Student Teaching MS, Grades 7-9: For. Languages

Supervised Student Teaching - 6 credits

Prior to student teaching, students must participate in an official ACTFL OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) and receive a minimum spoken proficiency rating of Advanced-Low as defined in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines-Speaking (1999). Students must contact Language Testing International (LTI) and arrange for either a face-to-face OPI or a phone interview.

Student Teaching Courses:

• FLA 551 Supervised Student Teaching High School Grades 10-12: Foreign Languages (prerequisites FLA 505, 506, and 540; corequisites FLA 552 and 554)
• FLA 552 Supervised Student Teaching Middle School Grades 7-9: Foreign Languages (prerequisites FLA 505, 506, and 540; corequisites FLA 551 and FLA 554)

ACTFL OPI

Prior to Student Teaching, World Language candidates must participate in an official ACTFL OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) and receive a minimum spoken proficiency rating of Advanced Low. Please consult the Foreign Language Teacher Preparation Advisor for information on signing up for this interview. Additional information is at:  https://www.languagetesting.com/

Additional Requirements for Certification

In addition to the stated course and program requirements listed in this section, New York State also has workshop, fingerprinting and other requirements for certification, which can be found on the SPD website.

Workshops and Fingerprinting

To be certified in New York State, candidates must take a selection of workshops  and must be fingerprinted. For descriptions and registration links, visit Certification and Licensing Workshops.

Language Requirement

New York State certification requires at least one year (6 credits) of college-level study of a foreign language. Satisfaction of SBU’s SBC LANG fulfills the foreign language requirement.