History
Although Spanish has been offered at Western Michigan University since 1919, the Department of Spanish became a separate department in 2003, largely as a result of growth in undergraduate and M.A. programs, as well as the implementation of the Ph.D. program. In the early years of the 21st Century, the number of students studying Spanish increased considerably at the national level and even more so at WMU. Since 2015, and accelerating since the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of students studying languages, and Spanish is no exception, has seen a decline. Through the ups and downs, the Department of Spanish has stayed true to its mission and has continued to maintain its standards of excellence.
Undergraduate
The department has an important role in teaching undergraduate students who wish to learn Spanish for a great variety of reasons. All students in the College of Arts and Sciences either must test out of that college's two semester foreign language requirement or complete it here. Spanish is the language most often selected by students. Still, most take Spanish because they think it will be useful or simply because they like it. Most Spanish majors and a growing number of Spanish minors choose to study abroad or engage in some form of experiential learning. Thanks to the generous scholarships from our department, the majority of students pay the same or less to study abroad compared to studying on campus. Students of Spanish come primarily from:
- The College of Arts and Sciences
- The College of Education and Human Development
- Haworth College of Business
The undergraduate curriculum is characterized by its emphasis on language acquisition and by its well-balanced course offerings on the culture of Spain, Spanish America and Hispanics in the United States. Both undergraduate and graduate students of Spanish may complete a portion of their program abroad.
Graduate
The rapid growth in the M.A. program, created in 1990, and the increasing number of students who desire to continue graduate study, resulted in the establishment of the Spanish Ph.D. program in the spring of 2003. The latter was suspended in 2026 due largely to the overall decrease in student population at WMU. There is still a strong demand for graduates of our M.A. program at elite Ph.D. programs in the U.S. Over the years, our graduate programs have attracted exemplary students from the United States, Spain, Latin America, and Africa. The courses offered are well structured and of high quality. The curriculum is based on the premise that students need to comprehend and appreciate the breadth and uniqueness of Hispanic culture in its totality before they choose to limit their focus to selected portions.
Our faculty
We believe the greatest strength of our department is the faculty. Without exception, they are active and accomplished researchers, as well as dedicated teachers. They understand that they are involved in a team effort to promote academic excellence and they are energized by that goal and by each other. The greatest challenge facing the department will be to keep ahead of the demands of an ever-increasing number of undergraduate and graduate students. We are committed to meeting that challenge and to providing the very best instruction and research opportunities to WMU students at all levels.