Advanced majors with a 3.5 GPA may apply to the Honors Program in Spanish during their junior year. If accepted by the Department, they spend their senior year enrolled in Spanish 495A in the fall and in Spanish 495B WR in the spring.

The department strongly encourages students to live and study in Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking countries. Students may receive credit toward the major in Spanish for up to twelve credit hours (or six credit hours in the case of the Spanish minor) taken in an approved program of study abroad, and credit toward the Portuguese minor for up to eight credit hours (two courses) taken in approved study abroad programs. These credit limits do not apply to Emory courses taught abroad or courses taught by Emory faculty. Emory University administers its own fall and spring semester programs in Salamanca, Spain, and participates in a consortium of universities to offer additional semester study programs in Latin America (Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Mexico). Emory also administers summer programs in Salamanca, Buenos Aires, and Rio de Janeiro. The summer program in Salamanca includes course components taught on a rotating basis in a number of cities around the Iberian peninsula, including Valencia, Seville, and Barcelona.

Once students declare a major in Spanish, they are assigned an adviser in the department.

Minors in Spanish are advised by the DUS.

Minors in Portuguese are advised by the Director of the Portuguese program.

The department works to ensure that students enter the program at the appropriate level. Initial placement is based on the department's assessment of various factors: results of the online Spanish Placement Exam, results of the Spanish AP exams (if applicable), number of years of study in high school, amount of time since last studies were completed, study abroad experience, and previous contact with Spanish speakers. All students who wish to study Spanish at Emory, including native speakers as well as speakers with no previous experience, are required to take the online Spanish Placement Exam (accessible at http://www.spanish.emory.edu/) and to complete the accompanying questionnaire before enrolling in the first Spanish course in the department. After reviewing this and other information, the department emails an official placement to each student at their Learnlink account. Students should not enroll until receiving an official placement. During the first week of classes, instructors confirm that students are accurately placed, or recommend that they be transferred to a more appropriate class.

The department offers Span 314, Internship in Spanish, for variable credit. The internship is an opportunity for applied learning in a supervised Spanish-speaking work or volunteer environment.

Sigma chapter of Phi Sigma Iota, the national Romance language honor society, was installed at Emory in 1930. This society recognizes those students who have completed work in foreign language courses with a 3.7 GPA.

The department also offers awards for writing (Carlos Rojas Award for Excellence in Writing), service (Award for Excellence in Community Engagement) and overall excellence (Emilia Navarro Award for Excellence in Spanish).

Additionally, the department nominates students for the Emory College Language Center's Awards in Spanish and Portuguese.