The United Nations has designated April 23 Spanish Language Day.

Spanish is spoken by more than 500 million people worldwide, and is the most common non-English language spoken in U.S. homes—spoken by more than 38 million people. Spanish has regional varieties that are mutually intelligible, while diverging from one another in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary.

Reflecting the diversity of histories and cultures across the Hispanic world, Spanish is the language of many world-renowned authors, filmmakers, and musicians, in addition to important scientists, engineers, and inventors.

MIT Global Languages offers a concentration, minor, and major in Spanish. Undergraduates can also combine a degree in any STEM-related field with in-depth Spanish language and cultural studies (including Latin American and LatinX). Students can also minor in Latin American Studies.

MIT offers a number of study abroad and internship possibilities in the Spanish-speaking world, including the MIT International Studies and Technology Initiative (MISTI-Spanish), the MIT-Madrid Spring Semester Abroad, and IAP-Madrid.