This page answers frequently asked questions (FAQs) from undergraduates about the Spanish and Portuguese majors and minors. Here you'll find guidance on course planning, declaring, petitions, advising, and other key information to help you navigate your academic path in the department.
Instructor & Course Information
You can find the requirement sheets for your major or minor in the General Catalog. All students should meet with the department’s undergraduate advisor at least twice: once when declaring the major or minor, and again about a year before graduating. Meeting only with a College of Letters & Science advisor is not enough. Be sure to check in with our departmental advisor to stay on track for graduation.
Instructor emails and office hours are available under the People tab on this website and are updated each quarter.
If the class is full, check GOLD to see if a waitlist is available. If it is, add yourself and attend class during the first few days. If there’s no waitlist or it’s marked as “closed,” email the instructor listed for the course. Please note that only instructors can issue add codes.
Consult the General Catalog for full course descriptions. Once a quarter’s courses are posted on GOLD, you can also find brief course descriptions there.
Declaring the Major/Minor
To declare a major, schedule a Zoom meeting with the undergraduate advisor using this link, and submit a petition to change your major.
To declare a minor, email the undergraduate advisor to request a “Petition to Declare the Minor.” If you're a minor and your expected graduation quarter changes—or if you decide to drop the minor—please notify us.
As soon as you are sure you want to pursue this field of study, you should declare the major or minor. This way we can advise and guide you as you complete the requirements. The only way for the major or minor to show up on your diploma is if you declare it.
This usually takes about a week.
Petitions
If you took a course taught in English but completed all readings and assignments in Spanish or Portuguese, you must submit this petition. Have the instructor sign the petition confirming the work was done in the target language before submitting it to the department.
You should also petition any course you wish to count toward the Spanish major that is not a UCSB course in that language—for example, UCSB Portuguese classes for the Spanish major, courses taken at another college/university, or non-UC study abroad programs.
For EAP courses, use the “Petition for Major Substitution of Education Abroad Program Courses.” This is a separate form, but also readily available.