The Department of Spanish and Italian has several distinct missions to fulfill at Montclair State University on the undergraduate and graduate level. Foremost among its goals is to provide Spanish and Italian majors with the opportunity to achieve fluency in the target language and a deep understanding of the Spanish, Latin American and Italian literatures and cultures.

Language requirements and electives prepare our majors for professional careers and broaden their intellectual horizons by developing their analytical and critical abilities. The major program in both fields consists of 36-39 credit hours.

The minor in both fields consists of an 18 credit course of study which provides a balance of language, literature and culture. Students majoring in such diverse fields as Business Administration, English, Sociology and Psychology find that a minor in Spanish and Italian and the ability to speak another language provides a rich addition to their major field as well as greater possibilities in the job market.

The Department of Spanish and Italian provides courses for students to fulfill the University's General Education Requirement of 6 credits of a foreign language.

The Department of Spanish and Italian offers a Master of Arts degree in Spanish literature with a wide range of courses in Spanish and Spanish American literature as well as Literary Theory and History of the Spanish Language. Students matriculated in this 36-39 credit hour program are allowed to select either a thesis or a comprehensive exam as their exit requirement. Conferences and lectures by Latin American and Spanish writers are an integral part of the cultural life of the Department of Spanish and Italian and students frequently have the opportunity to meet authors they have read in class. The annual conference on Latin American Literature, which has recently been expanded to include works and authors from Spain, is an event that directly relates to the literature and cultural history courses offered by the Department.

Conferences and lectures by Latin American and Spanish writers are an integral part of the cultural life of the Department of Spanish and Italian and students frequently have the opportunity to meet authors they have read in class. The annual conference on Latin American Literature, which has recently been expanded to include works and authors from Spain, is an event that directly relates to the literature and cultural history courses offered by the Department.