Careers
Study Spanish. Do Anything.
What can I do with a Spanish major?
The world is more interconnected now than it ever has been before. Knowledge of the diverse languages and cultures is vital to our engagement with the global community at large. The study of Spanish is indispensable for many sectors, including business, humanities, social sciences, communications, technology, and the arts. Notre Dame Spanish majors find full-time employment in a variety of positions, enroll in graduate school, service programs, join the military, or launch independent projects after graduation.
Skills you'll learn
- Effective oral communication
- Strong writing
- Team Work
- Critical thinking and analytical reasoning
- Ability to apply knowledge to real-world settings
- Ethical judgment and decision making
- Ability to analyze and solve problems with people from different backgrounds
- Research and Data Analysis
- Cultural Sensitivity
- Social Adaptability
Cole Johnson '11
medical student at UNC Chapel Hill
"The Spanish education I received at ND has been a key part of my career trajectory, both as a professional baseball player and now as a healthcare provider. By the time I graduated from ND, I had a solid foundation of written and spoken Spanish language skills that allowed me to communicate effectively with my Spanish-speaking teammates from all over Latin America.
"Later, during medical school, I was able to test into an advanced medical Spanish curriculum that leads to certification as a bilingual provider in the UNC Health system. Having the ability to speak to a patient and their family directly, without using an interpreter, helps build trust and really strengthens the patient-provider relationship."
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Cole Johnson '11
medical student at UNC Chapel Hill
"The Spanish education I received at ND has been a key part of my career trajectory, both as a professional baseball player and now as a healthcare provider. By the time I graduated from ND, I had a solid foundation of written and spoken Spanish language skills that allowed me to communicate effectively with my Spanish-speaking teammates from all over Latin America.
"Later, during medical school, I was able to test into an advanced medical Spanish curriculum that leads to certification as a bilingual provider in the UNC Health system. Having the ability to speak to a patient and their family directly, without using an interpreter, helps build trust and really strengthens the patient-provider relationship."
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Christina Sollitto '17 B.A., '18 M.A.
Evaluation Research Assistant — UN Women
"Completing my combined BA/MA in Latin American and Iberian studies gave me the opportunity to further develop my analytical and language skills, work closely with international colleagues and grow in my appreciation and sensitivity to cultures different than my own.
"The qualitative data analysis and academic writing abilities I acquired through my experience in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures have been extremely applicable to my work supporting research efforts in the international development space."
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Maya Younes '12
trial attorney, McManis Faulkner
"The Department of Romance Languages and College of Arts and Letters provided me with interpersonal skills to work with people from multiple backgrounds.
"As an attorney, I have represented clients from all income levels, many of them immigrants with English as a second language. I have used my Spanish language skills to explain to my client his or her rights, options under the law, and the potential consequences of pursuing different trial or settlement strategies."
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Susan Carvalho '84
Associate provost and dean of the Graduate School at The University of Alabama
"The excitement of a career in literary studies was born directly from my experiences within and beyond the classroom at Notre Dame."
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Matthew Heeder '19
High school math teacher, Alliance for Catholic Education
"In my career, speaking Spanish is certainly an asset as I can communicate with families who are not as comfortable with English, and I can also help my coworkers as a translator. I've translated at parent-teacher conferences, I've translated emails to be sent home to parents, and I've translated assignments and projects so that they can be assigned to students who are emerging English learners.
"In everyday life, I speak with some of my coworkers in Spanish, I read and write in Spanish, and I continue to try to expose myself to the language and culture as much as possible."
98% of recent Notre Dame Spanish majors started full-time jobs, enrolled in graduate school, entered service programs, joined the military, or launched independent projects within six months of graduation.
Note: Outcomes data comes from First Destination reports, a survey of recent graduates conducted by the Notre Dame Center for Career Development and Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Research. Status is known for more than 90% of each graduating class.