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Spanish Certificate

One of the goals of Vision 2020 is to "diversify and globalize the A&M community." Two key indicators in Texas A&M's (TAMU) Quality Enhancement Plan are specific to creating excellence in diversity for student learning and in internationalization. These two goals are stated as follows:

  • Students graduating from Texas A&M University should be able to function successfully in complex, diverse, social, economic, and political contexts.
  • Students graduating from Texas A&M University will be able to function effectively in their chosen career fields in an international setting.

Specifically, students who complete the BIMS international certificate will:

  1. be functionally bilingual and employ attained language skills in both social and formal settings,
  2. be able to perform linguistically and in a culturally sensitive manner within the medical and/or agricultural environment,
  3. gain experiential knowledge abroad, expanding their cultural sensitivities and functionality in a foreign environment. Students should be able to compare and contrast Latin American and Spanish cultural ideas with those of the Anglo population within the United States. Students should recognize cultural differences, using language and social skills to interact effectively within a foreign environment.

The certificate has been generated with the student's required TAMU core curriculum in mind. Many students may wish to discuss a minor in language, political science, sociology, etc. based upon the courses taken to satisfy the certificate requirements. To discuss a minor, please speak with your academic advisor, as well as the college/department in which you wish to minor.

Requirements

Spanish Credit

Students will be required to have a minimum of 9 hours of Spanish credit to include:

  • SPAN 201 †
  • SPAN 202
  • SPAN 300/400 level course of your choice ‡

† Spanish 101 and 102 credits may be gained from a departmental exam or AP credit. Spanish 221 and 222 are acceptable substitutions, when taken abroad, for 201 and 202.

‡ See your academic advisor for courses that are acceptable choices.

Courses in Cultural Competency

Students must choose one course for a total of 3 credit hours. Students should check with their individual catalogs to determine if a course has prerequisites and is included in the TAMU core curriculum as a humanities, visual and performing arts, social science or international cultural diversity elective. Students should check with their advisor as to applicability of the cultural competency course to their degree plan.

For Catalog 131 and forward:

  • I = International and Cultural Diversity Credit
  • B = BIMS Directed Elective
  • S = Social Science
  • H = Humanitites

If you are in an earlier catalog, please check with your academic advisor as to the category of the elective you choose.

  • COMM 335: Intercultural Communication = I, S
  • GEOG 323: Geography of Latin America = I, H
  • HIST 307: Latino Communities of the USA = I, H
  • HLTH 236: Race, Ethnicity and Health = I, S
  • POLS 323: Political Systems of Latin America = I, S
  • SOCI 317: Racial and Ethnic Relations/Minority Groups = I, S
  • SOCI 330: Sociology of Nutrition = I, S
  • SOCI 403: Sociology of Mexican Americans = I, S
  • VIBS 432: Public Health Practices = B
  • VTPB 221: Great Diseases of the World = I, S

Capstone Courses

Students are required to complete a 5 hour experience, the goals of which are the following:

  • To gain functionality in biomedical terminology in Spanish
  • To gain confidence in cross-cultural communication skills
  • To gain confidence in biomedical communication skills

It is suggested that students participate in this experience after completing at least through Spanish 201 (or equivalent). Please see your academic advisor to learn about the details and course(s).

International Experience

Students are required to complete a minimum 9 consecutive days abroad in a Spanish-speaking country (i.e. Spanish is the primary language).† Students who are natives of, or have first-degree relatives in a Spanish-speaking country are highly encourage to study in a new/different location from that which they are accustomed.

† Your academic advisor will have suggestions for finding a suitable international experience. Please also see your advisor for acceptable alternatives in work experiences within areas such as the Colonias of South Texas. Credit may be requested per departmental/degree plan rules. Please see your academic advisor.

Stipulations

All coursework for the certificate must be completed with a "C" or better. Students must sign up for the certificate prior to receiving 75 hours of credit passed (includes all credit passed, regardless of where taken or applicability to degree plan). Students will receive the certificate and have the denotation added to their transcript upon graduation with a degree in Biomedical Sciences.

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