Students who complete this certificate will be functionally bilingual and able to perform linguistically in a culturally sensitive manner within the biomedical environment. A required study abroad will allow students to gain experiential knowledge, expanding their cultural sensitivities and functionality in a foreign environment. A required independent shadowing experience in the biomedical environment will allow students to employ attained language skills in both social and formal settings. Because of limited resources, the program will have a cap on the number of students admitted.
Requirements
Spanish Credit
Students will be required to have a minimum of 9 hours of Spanish credit to include:
- SPAN 201*
- SPAN 202
- SPAN 300/400 level course of your choice**
*SPAN 101 and 102 credits may be gained from a departmental placement exam or AP credit. These credits are required before taking SPAN 201. SPAN 221 and 222 are acceptable substitutions, when taken abroad, for 201 and 202.
**See your academic advisor for courses that are acceptable choices.
Courses in Cultural Competency
Students must choose one course for a total of 3 credit hours. Students should check with their individual catalogs to determine if a course has prerequisites and is included in the Texas A&M core curriculum as a humanities, visual and performing arts, social science or international cultural diversity elective. Students should check with their advisor as to applicability of the cultural competency course to their degree plan.
For Catalog 137 (2014-2015) and forward:
- B = BIMS Directed Elective
- I = International & Cultural Diversity
- S = Social & Behavioral Science
If you are in an earlier catalog, please check with your academic advisor as to the category of the elective you choose.
- COMM 335: Intercultural Communication = I, S
- ENTO 210: Global Public Health Entomology = B
- GEOG 323: Geography of Latin America = I
- HIST 307: Latino Communities of the USA = I
- HLTH 236: Race, Ethnicity and Health = I, S
- POLS 323: Political Systems of Latin America = I
- SOCI 317: Racial and Ethnic Relations/Minority Groups = I
- SOCI 330: Sociology of Nutrition = I
- SOCI 403: Sociology of Mexican Americans = I
- VIBS 222: Great Poisonings of the World = B (fall only)
- VIBS 413: Intro to Epidemiology = B (even spring only)
- VIBS 432: Public Health Practices = B (fall only)
- VTPB 221: Great Diseases of the World = I (B, I for 2014-2015 to present Catalogs only)
Capstone Courses
Students are required to complete a 5 hour experience, the goals of which are the following:
- To gain functionality in biomedical terminology in Spanish
- To gain confidence in cross-cultural communication skills
- To gain confidence in biomedical communication skills
It is suggested that students participate in this experience after completing at least through SPAN 201 (or equivalent). Please see your academic advisor to learn about the details and course(s).
International Experience
Students are required to complete a minimum 9 consecutive days abroad in a Spanish-speaking country (i.e. Spanish is the primary language).* Students who are natives of, or have first-degree relatives in a Spanish-speaking country are highly encourage to study in a new/different location from that which they are accustomed.
*Your academic advisor will have suggestions for finding a suitable international experience. Please also see your advisor for acceptable alternatives in work experiences within areas such as the Colonias of South Texas. Credit may be requested per departmental/degree plan rules. Please see your academic advisor.
Stipulations
All coursework for the certificate must be completed with a “C” or better. Students must sign up for the certificate prior to receiving 75 hours of credit passed (includes all credit passed, regardless of where taken or applicability to degree plan). Students will receive the certificate and have the denotation added to their transcript upon graduation with a degree in Biomedical Sciences. If you decide to drop the Spanish Certificate, you will need to meet with either a Spanish Certificate academic advisor or Dr. Crouch to verify your degree progress.