Spanish, Practical and Business

Learning to speak, read and write Spanish opens up career and travel opportunities, deepens your appreciation of Spanish and Latin cultures, and helps you connect with community members in North America and around the world.

The UBC Certificate in Practical and Business Spanish is designed to improve your practical and business Spanish language skills so you can talk in detail about familiar topics, read contemporary texts, and write clearly on a range of subjects. Throughout your courses, you’re introduced to different facets of Spanish-speaking and Latin societies, cultures and customs so you can communicate comfortably and respectfully with native Spanish speakers.

A personalized final project gives you the opportunity to explore in detail a topic related to your personal or business interests.

Program Format: Can be completed 100% online in instructor-supported courses with real-time classes, and in self-paced courses with modules released weekly
Duration: A minimum of five Spanish language courses of nine weeks each, and a final project
Cost: Approximately $2,800–$3,000
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What This Program Offers

This program helps you become more proficient in spoken and written Spanish, and understand and appreciate Spanish and Latin cultures in a variety of countries.

Learn grammar, verb tenses and nuances of colloquial and formal Spanish language. Understand how to use the correct protocols, practise conversation scenarios, and prepare and deliver presentations.

After you have completed the required courses, you have the opportunity to learn specialized Spanish vocabulary related to your professional expertise or organization.

Who Is This Program For?

This program is designed for professionals who want to communicate in Spanish fluently and comfortably, and understand Spanish and Latin cultures and customs for work and travel.

Before applying to this program, we recommend you have a basic command of spoken and written Spanish. Conversation courses start at the lower intermediate level. Our reading and writing courses require that you have a lower intermediate level of Spanish before you enrol. Read an overview of our conversational language course levels to understand what level you’re at, or contact us if you need guidance.

How We Deliver This Program

The UBC Certificate in Practical and Business Spanish is a part-time program consisting of a minimum of five courses and a final project.

Expected Effort

Expect to spend 2-3 hours on your course per week, including time spent in class sessions, and completing homework and course materials.

Outside of class time, you can access handouts and other materials online at your own pace and rhythm. You might be doing readings or watching videos to prepare for your next class, or practising with the material you have learned in your previous class.

Technology Requirements

To take these courses, you’ll need access to:

an email account
a computer, laptop or tablet under five years old and using Windows or macOS
the latest version of a web browser (or previous major version release)
a reliable internet connection

For live virtual classes, you’ll also need:

a video camera and microphone.

Program Courses

The curriculum consists of a minimum of five courses of nine weeks each, followed by a final project.

If you start at the lower intermediate level, you then take four intermediate/advanced level courses, at least two of which must be conversational courses.

If you start at an intermediate or advanced level, you can take intermediate and advanced courses up to four times, which will cover different topics and allow you extended conversational practice. Only two of these courses can be Reading and Writing courses.

You work on your final project over nine weeks, and then present and discuss it before a small committee.

If you’ve taken an eligible Spanish course with UBC Extended Learning in the past year, you can ask to have it applied retroactively to the certificate. Note that only one Spanish course can be applied retroactively.

View all Spanish language courses.

Personalized Final Project

For the final project, you work one-on-one with an instructor for nine weeks. Under their guidance, you select a topic relevant to your business or organization, and write an essay in Spanish of a minimum of 3,000 words. You also prepare an oral presentation about your essay that you present before a small committee of instructors. Every week, your instructor provides you feedback and support on your progress.

How Am I Assessed?

These are non-credit courses without letter or numerical grades. In conversational courses, you receive verbal feedback on your conversation and grammar skills from your instructor during class. Written homework is typically corrected in class. In self-paced writing courses, lessons may include auto-corrected quizzes, exercises for which you’ll receive written feedback and occasional forum posts from your instructor.

Meet Your Instructors

Instructors are native Spanish speakers with experience working in Spanish-speaking countries.

Program Costs

Each language course (including course materials) is $380−$555. The cost for the personalized final project is $610. A non-refundable application fee of $175 is due when you’re accepted into the program.

You can pay for one course at a time. The cost to complete the program is approximately $2,800–$3,000, and depends on how many courses you complete, and if you can take advantage of earlybird savings of $30 per course.

Course and application fees are in Canadian dollars and are subject to change. Fees may be paid by Visa®, Mastercard®, money order or certified cheque.

How to Apply

Admission Requirements

The admissions process helps to ensure that the needs, intentions and expectations of participants are adequately matched to the program's objectives and capabilities.

Follow These Steps to Apply:

Complete the following steps to submit your application:

Complete the online application form. You should include personal and/or career goals, interests and program expectations.
Once you have been accepted into the certificate program, pay the $175 non-refundable application fee online. You can now begin registering for courses.

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UBC Certificate Program

Who Is This Program For?

Expected Effort

Technology Requirements

Personalized Final Project

How Am I Assessed?

Admission Requirements

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