Major/Minor

Guidelines for Harpur College Major/Minor Requirement

This page informs on what courses students that are already enrolled in Harpur College should take in order to complete their major or minor in one of our languages.

How to declare a French, Italian, or Spanish major or minor: Students can declare at any time before completing their Bachelor’s Degree by submitting the  Major/Minor Declaration Google Form.

For students declaring a French major: When completing the form, please be sure to select the appropriate track within the French major — French and Francophone Studies (424) or French Language and Linguistics (524). Students who would like guidance in choosing between the two tracks are encouraged to consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Yulia Bosworth (bosworth@binghamton.edu).

Please also use this form if you wish to drop a major or minor in Romance Languages and Literatures.

Note: Check your Degree Works regularly to make sure you are on track to complete all major and minor requirements. Do not wait until your final year to review your progress.

Information on Spanish

As the second largest spoken language in the United States and around the world,
Spanish plays a key role in education and professional life. Proficiency in Spanish
opens doors to a wide range of career opportunities and is an asset in virtually any field. Through our courses, students develop the linguistic and cultural competencies needed to communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking communities in the United States and abroad.

Beyond language proficiency, our courses help students develop greater cultural
awareness, sharpen their analytical abilities, engage with different perspectives, and
communicate effectively across diverse social contexts.

Our faculty brings a wealth of linguistic, cultural, and academic perspectives to the
classroom, with professors from throughout the Spanish-speaking world, including
Argentina, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Puerto
Rico, Spain, the United States, and Uruguay. Widely recognized for their scholarship,
our faculty members bring their research into courses spanning linguistics, literature,
and cultural studies, offering students an intellectually stimulating learning environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Courses of Interest

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Click below for more information about major/minor requirements for Spanish.

  • Major in Spanish
    Requirements  (For students entering Binghamton University in Fall 2026 or later) 
    • 10 Courses beginning at the Intermediate Spanish level (SPAN 211 or 212) or above
    • At least three (3) Spanish courses at the 300-level
    • At least three (3) Spanish courses at the 400-level

    Required courses

    Students typically start at 200-level:

    • SPAN 211 Intermediate Spanish I or 212 (Heritage learners)
    • SPAN 215 Intermediate Spanish II or 213 (Heritage learners)
    • SPAN 241 Advanced Grammar (previously 250) or 249 (Heritage learners)
    Please note: 
    • Heritage learners (students who grew up in households where Spanish was spoken but did their formal education in English) should take 212 (instead of 211), 213 (instead of 215), and 249 (instead of 241, previously 250).
    • Spanish majors may count one (1) course taught in English by a faculty member in the Spanish section or cross-listed with SPAN that is relevant to their interests in the Spanish language and/or the Hispanic world toward their major requirements.
    Required courses for students entering Binghamton University prior to Fall 2026
    • SPAN 211 Intermediate Spanish I or 212 (Heritage learners)
    • SPAN 215 Intermediate Spanish II or 213 (Heritage learners)
    • SPAN 241 Advanced Grammar (previously 250) or 249 (Heritage learners)
    • SPAN 251 Advanced Writing and Debate (discontinued as of Fall ‘25: instead,
      take an additional 300 or 400-level course, depending on prerequisites).
    • SPAN 344 Advanced Reading and Interpretation
    • Two of the following three courses: SPAN 351 Introduction to Spanish
      Linguistics, SPAN 360 Hispanic Culture, SPAN 370 Hispanic Literature
    • Three SPAN courses at the 400-level
    Notes (applicable to all students, regardless of when they entered BU):
    • The number of courses required at the 300 and 400 levels depends on where
      you begin in the Spanish course sequence. Students who begin with SPAN 215
      (213) or SPAN 241 (249) cannot go back and take lower-level courses to fulfill
      major requirements. Instead, they must take an additional upper-level course
      (300 or 400 level) in Spanish.
    • Teaching College Spanish (SPAN 491) does not count toward the major.
    Other requirements
    • A minimum grade of "C" is required for any course applied toward the major (Pass/Fail courses do not count toward the major completion).
    • At least five (5) courses must be taken on Binghamton University campus, including one (1) 300/level course and two (2) 400-level courses.
    • Courses offered through the Binghamton University-sponsored programs in  Barcelona, Buenos Aires, and Cuzco are considered "on-campus" courses. Please check the updated tables of equivalent courses for each program, in the Study Abroad link under Resources.
    • All upper-level transfer credits, including credits earned through education
      abroad, require departmental approval. Students must consult with Romance Languages Faculty Advisor Dr. Azucena Trincado Murugarren atrincadomur@binghamton.edu.
  • Minor in Spanish

    Requirements (for those starting BU prior to Fall ‘25)

    • Six 4-credit courses starting at the 200 level 

    • One of the six courses must be in literature.

    • Two must be at the 300 or 400 level.

    • Three of the six courses must be completed on campus or through* Binghamton, at least one of which must be at the 300 or 400 level.

    Requirements (for those starting BU Fall ‘25 and after)

    • Six 4-credit courses starting at the 200 level 
    • Three must be at the 300 or 400 level.
    • Three of the six courses must be completed on campus or through Binghamton, at least one of which must be at the 300 or 400 level.

    Please note:

    • Heritage learners (students who grew up in households where Spanish was spoken but did their formal education in English) should take 212 (instead of 211), 213 (instead of 215), and 249 (instead of 241, previously 250).

    • A minimum grade of "C" is required for all Spanish courses applied toward the minor.

    • Courses taken Pass/Fail may not be applied toward the minor.

    • Teaching College Spanish (SPAN 491) does not count toward the minor.

Information on Italian

In the global context of the 21st century, a degree in Italian offers students a distinct set of advantages, both personal and professional. We examine Italy as the geographic, cultural and economic heart of Europe; a center of Western civilization from Roman times to the present day.

The mastery of spoken and written Italian is developed through the study of an evolving artistic tradition: Medieval literature and culture, Renaissance philosophy, modern Italian poetry and prose, cinema and new media. Such textual landscapes deliver global perspectives that launch students into diverse fields, from education to diplomacy, travel journalism to museum curating, interpreting and translation to international trade and finance.

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Click below for more information about major/minor requirements for Italian.

  • Major in Italian

    Standard program (code 330)
    (No previous preparation or some prior elementary Italian preparation)

    10 courses

    The 10 required courses for the major shall be distributed as follows: 

    • One of the following: ITAL 113, ITAL 115, or one course at the 200 level or above,
    • Three ITAL courses at the 200 level or above,
    • Two ITAL courses at the 300 level or above, and
    • Four ITAL courses at the 400 level or above. 

    Other requirements (applicable to all students, regardless of the chosen major track option):

    • A minimum grade of "C" is required for any course in Italian applied toward the major and defines "satisfactory performance" in the course.

    • Occasionally one 300-level course may substitute for a 400-level course with permission of student's advisor.

    • Courses from other institutions or Study Abroad, especially at the 400-level, must be approved by student's advisor.

    • At least three (3) 400-level courses must be taken on campus.

    • Teaching College Italian (ITAL 491) does not count toward the major. 
  • Minor in Italian

    Requirements (for those starting BU prior to Fall ‘26)

    • Six 4-credit courses starting at the 200 level
    • One of the six courses must be in literature.
    • Two must be at the 300 or 400 level.
    • Three of the six courses must be completed on campus.
    • At least one 300 or 400-level course must be completed on campus.

    Requirements (for those starting BU Fall ‘26 and after)

    • Six 4-credit courses starting at the 200 level
    • Three must be at the 300 or 400 level.
    • Three of the six courses must be completed on campus or through Binghamton, at least one of which must be at the 300 or 400 level.

    Please Note: 

    • A minimum grade of "C" is required for all Italian courses applied toward the minor.
    • Courses taken Pass/Fail may not be applied toward the minor.
    • Teaching College Italian (ITAL 491) does not count toward the minor.

Information on French

The French major provides students with advanced proficiency in written and spoken French while cultivating skills in critical analysis, effective communication, and intercultural competence. Through two tracks — French and Francophone Studies, and French Language and Linguistics — students study French as a global, living language, engaging with its cultures, histories, literatures, politics, and with structures, uses, and social meanings of language across diverse French-speaking communities. The program’s interdisciplinary approach prepares students for advanced study and for careers in education, translation and interpretation, international affairs and development, diplomacy, publishing and media, and ESL.

Faculty research and teaching span a wide range of contemporary and historically grounded fields, including Caribbean feminisms, culinary fiction, French language and politics, gender and power in the early modern period, Québec studies, and North American French sociolinguistics. Students engage with issues related to language attitudes and ideologies, language and identity, language and power, and linguistic variation, and examine literature as a site of cultural and political expression. Benefiting from close faculty mentorship, students engage in research (including student-faculty collaborations), experiential learning (education abroad programs and internships), and extracurricular opportunities that foster academic enrichment and community-building.

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Click below for more information about major/minor requirements for French.

  • Major in French
    French and Francophone Studies

    Students who choose the French and Francophone studies track of the major can expect to develop a high level of fluency in both written and spoken dimensions of the language. Through an interdisciplinary approach, they will also gain knowledge of the literatures, culture, history, and politics of those parts of the world where the French language is an important medium of expression. This major consists of ten courses: 

    A. Three (3) 200-, 300-, or 400-level FREN courses (beginning with FREN 215)
    B. One (1) 300- or 400-level FREN course
    C. One (1) 300-level topics course in French and Francophone studies
    D. Two (2) 400-level topics courses in French and Francophone studies
    E. One (1) 400-level course in French Language and Linguistics

    Suggested sequence:  

    1. FREN 211
    2. FREN 215
    3. FREN 241
    4. FREN Elective (300/400 level)
    5. FREN Elective (300/400 level)
    6. FREN 381
    7. FREN 481 (variable topic)
    8. FREN 481 (variable topic)
    9. FREN 481 (variable topic)
    10. FREN 480 (variable topic) 

    French Language & Linguistics
    Students who choose this track can expect to develop a high level of fluency in both written and spoken dimensions of the language. Through the study of language and linguistics, they will also gain knowledge of linguistic forms and structures, language use and variation, and sociohistorical context of French speaking communities throughout the world. This major consists of ten courses:

    A. Three (5) 200-, 300-, or 400-level FREN courses (beginning with FREN 215)
    B. One (1) 100-level Linguistics course
    C. Two (2) 300- or 400-level courses in French Language and Linguistics
    D. Two (2) 300- or 400-level Linguistics courses (including FREN courses cross-listed as LING)
    E. One (1) 300-level topics course in French and Francophone Studies
    F. One (1) 400-level topics course in French and Francophone Studies

    Suggested sequence: 

    1. FREN 215
    2. FREN 241
    3. FREN 351
    4. LING 118
    5. FREN 380 (variable topic)
    6. FREN 380 (variable topic)
    7. FREN 381 (variable topic)
    8. FREN 480 (variable topic)
    9. FREN 480 (variable topic)
    10. FREN 481 (variable topic)
    Other requirements (applicable to all students, regardless of the chosen major
    track option):
    • The number of courses required at the 300 and 400 levels depends on where
      you begin in the French course sequence. Students who begin with FREN 215 or FREN 241 cannot go back and take lower-level courses to fulfill major requirements. Instead, they must take an additional upper-level course (300 or 400 level) in French.
    • A minimum grade of "C" is required for any course applied toward the major (Pass/Fail courses do not count toward the major completion).
    • At least five courses must be taken on campus, including one (1) 300-level course and two (2) 400-level courses.
    • All upper-level transfer credits, including credits earned through education abroad, require departmental approval. Students must consult with Romance Languages Faculty Advisor Dr. Azucena Trincado Murugarren (atrincadomur@binghamton.edu) or Director of Undergraduate Studies Dr. Yulia Bosworth (bosworth@binghamton.edu).
    • Teaching College French (FREN 491) does not count toward the major.
  • Minor in French

    Requirements 

    • Six 4-credit courses starting at the 200 level
    • One of the six courses must be in literature.
    • Two must be at the 300 or 400 level.
    • Three of the six courses must be completed on campus.
    • At least one 300 or 400-level course must be completed on campus.

    Please Note:  

    • A minimum grade of "C" is required for all French courses applied toward the minor.
    • Courses taken Pass/Fail may not be applied toward the minor.
    • Teaching College French (FREN 491) does not count toward the minor.