Welcome ¡Bienvenidos!

A warm welcome to Spanish at the University of Canberra.  The Spanish course was established in 1975 at the University of Canberra and, since then, it has earned a reputation of being one of the best courses in Australia to develop language skills, in a practical and enjoyable way, in order to reach a high level of communicative and cultural competence in Spanish.

UC students can incorporate Spanish in their studies as:

a)  part of your degree taking it as an elective, a minor or a major; or

b)  in combination with your degree with the Diploma in Languages; or

c)  as a separate qualification with the Graduate Diploma in Languages.

Important Facts about Spanish

Spanish is the official language of 22 countries, spoken by over 400 million people throughout the world. It will soon be the second most widely spoken language in the world. Spanish is one of the official languages used at International Conferences, the United Nations and the European Community. It is also the language of a large and growing community in Australia, particularly in the ACT Students who learn Spanish can have great career opportunities, for example, in the fields of trade, international relations, tourism and teaching, as well as direct access to the rich and vibrant cultural traditions of Spain and the Latin American countries. For all these reasons Spanish is a useful language to learn. It is also easier to learn than most other European languages.

In-Country Experience and Scholarships

The University of Canberra has an exchange agreement with the Universidad Ibero Americana and the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterey in Mexico and the Instituto Caro y Cuervo in Colombia. Graduates from all over the world go to the Caro y Cuervo Institute to undertake postgraduate studies. At present graduates from the University of Canberra can undertake a Masters degree in Linguistics or Latin American Literature. Universidad De La Serena (http://www.userena.cl).

The Institute Caro y Cuervo is a well known and highly regarded research and teaching institution in the Hispanic World. It was created in 1942 by the Colombian government as a positive response to the need for an institution that will study, research and advance the knowledge of the Spanish and indigenous languages in Colombia. The Caro y Cuervo Institute is a member of the Universidad Iberoamericana de postgrado, a select group of universities and institutes throughout the Spanish-speaking world which has been selected by the Oficina de Educación Iberoamericana, the office for Education, Science and Culture of the Organisation of Iberoamerican States, to promote and organise research and the achievement of excellence in postgraduate education in its member States.

The Seminario Andrés Bello, the teaching division of the ICC, is considered to be one of the pre-eminent higher education institutes in Latin America. It offers two year Master of Arts degrees in both Spanish Linguistics and Hispanic Literature. Graduates from the Seminario Andrés Bello hold university teaching positions not only throughout Latin America, but also in the United States and Europe.

Club and Extracurriculum Activities

Students of the Spanish Section have a very active Club: El Club Hispano UC.  They organise social functions, film screenings, conversation sessions, etc in order to practise the language and to be exposed to the cultural aspects of the Hispanic societies and its people.

Please click here for a link to the Spanish Club website

At least once a year if possible, the Spanish section conducts a "Cursillo"; a get-together to live in a Spanish enviroment for a weekend at the Field Station of the University of Canberra at Jervis Bay.

The Spanish Section encourages students to contact the Spanish Club, the Chilean and other Spanish Speaking clubs, to get involve with their cultural and social activities.