2025-2026

Secondary Education - Spanish, Bachelor of Science in Education

Department of Global Languages and Cultures

College of Arts and Letters

This program prepares future educators to teach Spanish language and stylistics, heightened by exposure to Spanish/Latino civilization and literature. Students also become versed in the theories of language acquisition and best practices for teaching language.

This program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)

This program is nationally recognized by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)

  • To receive a bachelor's degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete at least 120 units of credit that minimally includes a major, the general studies requirements, and university requirements as listed below.

    • All of Northern Arizona University's diversity, general studies, junior-level writing, and capstone requirements.
    • All requirements for your specific academic plan(s).
    • At least 30 units of upper-division courses, which may include transfer work.
    • At least 30 units of coursework taken through Northern Arizona University, of which at least 18 must be upper-division courses (300-level or above). This requirement is not met by credit-by-exam, retro-credits, transfer coursework, etc.
    • A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 on all work attempted at Northern Arizona University.

    The full policy can be viewed here.

In addition to University Requirements:

  • 69 units of major requirements which includes 27 units of Teacher Preparation Coursework.

  • Up to 9 units of major prefix courses may be used to satisfy General Studies Requirements; these same courses may also be used to satisfy major requirements.

  • Candidates in this program are required to demonstrate content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and skills, professional knowledge, and ethical and professional dispositions to be eligible to enter student teaching or internship placements.

  • Content, pedagogical, and professional knowledge or skills, and professional dispositions are demonstrated through candidate performance on key assessments embedded in the following course(s):

  • Elective courses, if needed, to reach an overall total of at least 120 units.

Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

Minimum Units for Completion 120
Major GPA 3.0
Highest Mathematics Required MAT 114
Additional Admission Requirements Required
Foreign Language Required
Fieldwork Experience/Internship Required
Student Teaching/Supervised Teaching Required
University Honors Program Optional
Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan Optional
AZ Transfer Students complete AGEC-A Recommended
Progression Plan Link Not Available
Licensure

This program may lead to licensure.

Purpose Statement

The Bachelor of Science in Education, Spanish program prepares future educators to teach Spanish language and stylistics, heightened by exposure to civilization, culture, and literature by becoming versed in the theories of second language acquisition and best practices for language teaching. The programs emphasize the development of a teacher's ability to develop research-based teaching strategies developed from second language acquisition research that informs our field and makes language learning accessible to learners. Specific attention is directed at the interaction of second language acquisition theories, foreign language pedagogy, individual differences that learners bring to the language learning process (e.g., motivation, aptitude), curriculum, classroom management theories and competence in the language candidates will teach, the target language. Attaining a high level of communicative competence in the target language is an emphasis of the program such that candidates who enter future classrooms enjoy a relatively high level of proficiency; most candidates spend at least a semester studying abroad to do so and to build competency and knowledge of the cultural products, practices, and perspectives related to the languages they will teach. The program is unique in that it focuses solely on foreign language education. This allows candidates to be in a supportive cohort of high-achieving peers taught by faculty who specialize and conduct research in second language acquisition. We strive to provide a cutting-edge, high-quality program that will utilize and build upon candidates' knowledge, proficiency, and experiences living in the target culture to become an innovative middle or high school teacher who bases classroom practices on second language acquisition research. The program is designed for students with interested in Spanish education seeking teacher certification.

Student Learning Outcomes

Outcomes align with Standards from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, and the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium.

  • Language, Linguistics, Comparisons
    • Demonstrate a high level of proficiency in the target language, and they seek opportunities to strengthen their proficiency.
    • Know the linguistic elements of the target language system, recognize the changing nature of language, and accommodate for gaps in their knowledge of the target language system by learning on their own.
    • Know the similarities and differences between the target language and other languages, identify the key differences in varieties of the target language and seek opportunities to learn about varieties of the target language on their own.
  • Cultures, Literature, Cross-Disciplinary Concepts
    • Demonstrate that they understand the connections among the perspectives of a culture and its practices and products, and they integrate the cultural framework for foreign language standards into their instructional practices.
    • Recognize the value and role of literary and cultural texts and use them to interpret and reflect upon the perspectives of the target language.
    • Integrate knowledge of other disciplines into foreign language instruction and identify distinctive viewpoints accessible only through the target language.
  • Language Acquisition Theories and Instructional Practices
    • Demonstrate an understanding of language acquisition at various developmental levels and use this knowledge to create a supportive classroom learning environment that includes target language input and opportunities for negotiation of meaning and meaningful interaction. 
    • Develop a variety of instructional practices that reflect language outcomes and articulated program models and address the needs of diverse learners described in the evidence for a standard gathered in a course or a field experience language learners.
  • Integration of Standards into Curriculum and Instruction
    • Demonstrate an understanding of the goal areas and standards of the Standards for Foreign Language Learning and their state standards, and they integrate these frameworks into curricular planning.
    • Integrate the Standards for Foreign Language Learning and their state standards into language instruction.
    • Use standards and curricular goals to evaluate, select, design, and adapt instructional resources.
  • Assessment of Languages and Cultures
    • Believe that assessment is ongoing and demonstrate knowledge of multiple ways of assessment that are age- and level-appropriate by implementing purposeful measures.
    • Reflect on the results of student assessments, adjust instruction accordingly, analyze the results of assessments, and use success and failure to determine the direction of instruction.
    • Interpret and report the results of student performances to all stakeholders and provide opportunities for discussion.
  • Professionalism
    • Engage in professional development opportunities that strengthen their linguistic and cultural competence and promote reflection on practice.
    • Know the value of foreign language learning to the overall success of all students and understand that they will need to become advocates with students, colleagues, and community members to promote the field.

Additional Admission Requirements

  • Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

    • To receive Professional Education Programs (PEP) approval, candidates must:
      • Be a declared Secondary Education major in this program.
      • Complete EDF 200 with a Grade of "C" or better. 
      • Complete the Program's Mathematics Foundations requirement with a Grade of "C" or better. 
      • Complete the English foundations requirement (ENG 105 or equivalent) with a minimum GPA of 3.0. (If your English GPA is below 3.0, you may take an approved writing course to achieve the 3.0 GPA). 
      • A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 
      • Complete and submit your IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card; Youth Suicide Prevention Training; Professional Dispositions Modules; Equity Survey; and a Professional Responsibility Statement. Your State-approved Identity-Verified Print (IVP) fingerprint clearance card is obtainable through the Arizona Department of Public Safety (602-223-2279).
         
Major Requirements

  • This major requires 69 units distributed as follows:

    • Spanish and Language Courses: 42 units
    • Foundation Teaching Requirements: 27 units


    Take the following 69 units:

    • A minimum NAU cumulative GPA of 2.5 is required.
    • A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required for all LAN and SPA coursework.
    • A grade of "C" or better or a grade of P for pass/fail coursework is required for all major requirements.
    • To be cleared for student teaching, a GPA of 2.5 is required in major requirements.
      • You may not count SPA 100- to 200-level courses toward your major requirements
      • You may only take lower-level SPA courses if you have not already taken advanced SPA coursework. For example, after you have completed 200-level SPA courses, you may not take SPA courses at the 100-level; after completing a 300-level course, you may not take 100- or 200-level courses.

       

Teacher Preparation

  • Teacher education programs require a student teaching or internship experience. A minimum number of practicum units are also required, which involves supervised field experience with a practicing teacher. These required experiences are embedded in the major requirements courses. 

    Before being accepted to student teaching, the following criteria must be met:

    • Admission to the Professional Education Programs (PEP)
    • GPA and course grade requirements for degree program as stated in Additional Admission and Major Requirements
    • Complete all plan requirements. All major coursework, with the exception of EDF 200 must be completed within the six years prior to student teaching.
    • Successful completion of required state and university training modules
    • All candidates must demonstrate professional and ethical standards of practice as described in the Model Code of Ethics for Educators and adhere to NAU's and PEP's Student Code of Conduct
    • All outstanding PEP Alerts must be resolved per improvement plan
    • Attend mandatory Student Teaching Orientation

  • Arizona Teacher Certification

    You must pass the National Evaluation Series Secondary Assessment Professional Knowledge Exam to obtain an Arizona teaching certificate.

Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Program

    • This program is available as an Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan wherein a student may start a master's degree while simultaneously completing their bachelor's degree.

    • Students enrolled at the Flagstaff campus for both undergraduate and graduate programs are eligible to complete the Bachelor of Science in Education, Secondary Education - Spanish, students can start a Master of Arts in Teaching Spanish at NAU.

    • Students must apply to the master's program by the graduate program's application deadline, meet all admissions requirements listed in the policy Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Programs, as well as the admissions requirements for the specified master's plan to be considered for admission. Admission to programs is competitive and qualified applicants may be denied because of limits on the number of students admitted each year.

      Be sure to speak with the Master's Program Director/Coordinator regarding your interest in the accelerated plan.

    • Students accepted into the Accelerated Program should complete the following requirements:

    • Major Requirements
       

      This major requires 69 units distributed as follows:

      • Spanish (SPA) and Language (LAN) courses: 42 units
      • Foundation Teaching Requirements: 27 units


      A minimum NAU cumulative GPA of 2.5 is required and a minimum GPA of 2.5 is required for all SPA and LAN coursework. For all major requirements, a passing grade is required and a Grade of 'C' or better is required for courses evaluated on an A-F scale.

      Take the following 69 units:

      • You may not count SPA 100- or 200-level courses toward your major requirements
      • You may only take lower-level SPA courses if you have not already taken advanced SPA coursework. For example, after you have completed 200-level SPA courses, you may not take SPA courses at the 100-level; after completing a 300-level course, you may not take 100- or 200-level courses.

    • Teacher Preparation

      Teacher education programs require a student teaching or internship experience. A minimum number of practicum units are also required, which involves supervised field experience with a practicing teacher. These required experiences are embedded in the major requirements courses. 

      Before being accepted to student teaching, the following criteria must be met:

      • Admission to the Professional Education Programs (PEP)
      • GPA and course grade requirements for degree program as stated in Additional Admission and Major Requirements
      • Complete all plan requirements. All major coursework, with the exception of EDF 200 must be completed within the six years prior to student teaching.
      • Successful completion of required state and university training modules
      • All candidates must demonstrate professional and ethical standards of practice as described in the Model Code of Ethics for Educators and adhere to NAU's and PEP's Student Code of Conduct
      • All outstanding PEP Alerts must be resolved per improvement plan
      • Attend mandatory Student Teaching Orientation

    • Arizona Teacher Certification

      You must pass the National Evaluation Series Secondary Assessment Professional Knowledge Exam to obtain an Arizona teaching certificate.

General Electives

  • Additional coursework is required if, after you have met the previously described requirements, you have not yet completed a total of 120 units of credit.

    You may take these remaining courses from any of the academic areas, using these courses to pursue your specific interests and goals. You may also use prerequisites or transfer credits as electives if they weren't used to meet major, minor, or General Studies Requirements.

    We encourage you to consult with your advisor to select the courses that will be most advantageous to you.

Additional Information

  • All candidates for the BSEd Secondary Education, Spanish degree must take the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Advanced-Low Level Check. See your advisor for details.

  • Arizona state teacher certification requirements leading to an Institutional Recommendation may change at any time and may impact program of study requirements.

  • Some courses may have prerequisites. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.