""

There are many reasons to learn the language and the culture of Portuguese speakers:

  • Portuguese shares some grammar rules, sentence structure, and similar vocabulary words with other Romance languages like French, Spanish, and Italian. Portuguese is an easy and fun language to learn.
  • An estimated 1.3 million native Portuguese speakers live in the United States.
  • Portuguese is the sixth-most widely spoken language in the world, more than German, French, or Italian. 265 million people speak Portuguese. Brazil alone has a population of 205 million. Portuguese is the official language of Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, East Timor, and is also widely spoken in Equatorial Guinea, Macau (China), and Goa (India).
  • Portuguese is a working or official language of important international organizations, such as the African Union, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, the European Union, Mercosul, the Organization of American States, and the Organization of Ibero-American States.
  • To study Portuguese is an asset in today’s global economy. For example, Brazil’s economy is among the largest in the world.
  • The Portuguese novelist José Saramago won the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature. The music, festivities, culture, and art of the Portuguese-speaking countries are appreciated all over the world.
  • Last but not least, Brazil is the only country that has won the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament five times.

How to Get in

Requirements Details
How to get in No application required. All students who meet the requirements listed below are eligible to declare. For information on how to declare, visit Advising & Careers.
Courses required to get in None
GPA requirements to get in None
Credits required to get in None
Other None
On This Page

University Requirements

All undergraduate students must complete both the following Core General Education (Core GenEd) and University Degree and Quality of Work requirements. The requirements below apply to students whose first term at UW-Madison or whose earliest post-high school college attendance at any institution is Summer 2026 or later. 

Students whose first term at UW-Madison or whose earliest post-high school college attendance at any institution occurred before Summer 2026 should refer to the archived Guide for the requirements that apply to them.

Core General Education (Core GenEd) Requirements

Civics & Perspectives 3 credits of Civics & Perspectives coursework.
Communication & Literacy 6 credits of Communication & Literacy coursework. This requirement may be partially satisfied by a qualifying placement test score. For more information see this tiny url: https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingenglishplacement
Humanities & Arts 6 credits of Humanities & Arts coursework.
Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning 6 credits of Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning coursework. This requirement may be partially satisfied by a qualifying placement test score. For more information see this tiny url: https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingmathplacement
Natural Science & Wellness Complete both:
  • 6 credits of Natural Science & Wellness or Natural Science & Wellness + Laboratory coursework.
  • one course must be in Natural Science & Wellness + Laboratory coursework.
Social & Behavioral Science 3 credits of Social & Behavioral Science coursework.
Total Credits 30 credits.

For more information see the policy.

University Degree and Quality of Work Requirements

All undergraduate degree recipients must complete the following minimum requirements. Requirements for some programs will exceed these requirements; see program requirements for additional information.

Total Degree 120 degree credits.
Residency Complete 30 credits in residence. A course is considered “in residence” if it is taken when in undergraduate degree-seeking status and:
  • is offered by UW-Madison and completed on the UW-Madison campus or at an approved off-site location, or
  • is offered by UW-Madison in an online or distance format, or is completed during participation in a UW-Madison study abroad/study away program.
Quality of Work Achieve at least the minimum grade point average specified by the school, college, and/or academic program.
Math Demonstrate minimal mathematics competence by:
English Language If required to take the UW-Madison English as a Second Language Assessment Test (MSN-ESLAT), demonstrate minimal English language competence by:
  • earning credit for ESL 118 at UW-Madison, or
  • achieving a qualifying MSN-ESLAT placement test score.
Language Complete one:
  • 2 high school units of a single language other than English, or
  • one course with the second semester Language designation.
Major Declaration Declare and complete the requirements for at least one major.

College of Letters & Science Degree Requirements: Bachelor of Science (BS)

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in the College of Letters & Science must complete all of the requirements below. Some courses satisfy more than one L&S degree requirement (visit College of Letters & Science: Requirements for details). 

This major can be paired with either the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science degree requirements.

Bachelor of Science Degree Requirements

Communication Complete both:
  • Part A: one course with the Communication A designation or eligible UW Placement Score; and
  • Part B: one course with the Communication B designation
Quantitative Reasoning Complete both:
  • Part A: one course with the Quantitative Reasoning A designation or eligible UW Placement Score; and
  • Part B: one course with the Quantitative Reasoning B designation
Ethnic Studies one 3+ credit course with the Ethnic Studies designation
Language the third unit of a language other than English
Mathematics Complete two courses of 3+ credits at the Intermediate or Advanced level in MATH, COMP SCI, or STAT subjects. A maximum of one course in each of COMP SCI and STAT subjects counts toward this requirement.
L&S Breadth: Humanities Complete 12 credits with the Humanities or Literature designation, which must include at least 6 credits with the Literature designation.
L&S Breadth: Social Sciences Complete 12 credits with the Social Science designation.
L&S Breadth: Natural Sciences Complete 12 credits, which must include both:
  • 6 credits with the Biological Science designation, and
  • 6 credits with the Physical Science designation.
Liberal Arts and Science (LAS) Coursework at least 108 credits
Depth of Intermediate/Advanced Coursework at least 60 credits at the Intermediate or Advanced level
Major Declare and complete at least one major.
Total Credits at least 120 credits
UW-Madison Experience
  • 30 credits in residence, overall, and
  • 30 credits in residence after the 86th credit
Quality of Work
  • 2.000 in all coursework at UW–Madison
  • 2.000 in Intermediate/Advanced level coursework at UW–Madison

Non–L&S students pursuing an L&S major

Non–L&S students who have permission from their School/College to pursue an additional major within L&S only need to fulfill the major requirements. They do not need to complete the L&S Degree Requirements above.

Requirements for the Major

25 credits from PORTUG 202-699, to include:

Portuguese Literature
PORTUG 221Introduction to Luso-Brazilian Literatures4
And complete one of the following:3
PORTUG 411
Survey of Portuguese Literature before 1825
PORTUG/​GEN&WS  450
Brazillian Women Writers
PORTUG/​AFRICAN  451
Lusophone African Literature
PORTUG 467
Survey of Portuguese Literature since 1825
PORTUG 468
Survey of Brazilian Literature since 1890
Portuguese Culture/Civilization (complete one):3
PORTUG 361
Portuguese Civilization
PORTUG 362
Brazilian Civilization
PORTUG/​GEN&WS  460
Carmen Miranda
PORTUG 642
Topics in Luso-Brazilian Culture
Composition and Conversation (complete two):6
PORTUG 225
Third Year Conversation and Composition
PORTUG 226
Third Year Conversation and Composition
PORTUG 311
Fourth Year Composition and Conversation
PORTUG 312
Fourth Year Composition and Conversation
Elective Courses from PORTUG 202-699 19
Total Credits25

Residence and Quality of Work

  • 2.000 GPA in PORTUG and all major courses
  • 2.000 GPA on 15 upper-level major credits in residence2
  • 15 credits in PORTUG, taken at UW–Madison

Honors in the Major

Students may declare Honors in the Major in consultation with the Portuguese undergraduate advisor.

Honors in the Portuguese Major Requirements

To earn Honors in the Major, students must satisfy both the requirements for the major (above) and the following additional requirements:

  • Earn a 3.300 University GPA
  • Earn 3.500 GPA for all PORTUG courses at or above PORTUG 302, and any course that counts for the major
  • Complete at least 16 credits, taken for Honors, with individual grades of B or better, to include:

Footnotes 

1

May not include PORTUG 301 which is the equivalent of PORTUG 101 and PORTUG 102.

2

 PORTUG courses with the Advanced level designation are considered upper-level in the major.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Develop communication skills in Portuguese and integrate these skills to exchange and assess ideas effectively and with level-appropriate accuracy in written and spoken Portuguese.
  2. Demonstrate understanding of linguistic, pragmatic, sociolinguistic, and stylistic features of written and spoken Portuguese, understand how they influence meaning, and apply these features in level-appropriate ways in writing and speech.
  3. Demonstrate knowledge of Lusophone cultures across historical epochs, including awareness of the social, cultural, and linguistic diversity that characterizes the Portuguese-speaking world.
  4. Demonstrate familiarity with and apply basic methods of literary and/or linguistic analysis, which for literary analysis includes interpretation of written texts and other forms of artistic/cultural creation, both in and of themselves and in the context of the particular social, cultural, and historical milieus in which they were created.

Four-Year Plan

This Four-Year Plan is only one way a student may complete an L&S degree with this major. Many factors can affect student degree planning, including placement scores, credit for transferred courses, credits earned by examination, and individual scholarly interests. In addition, many students have commitments (e.g., athletics, honors, research, student organizations, study abroad, work and volunteer experiences) that necessitate they adjust their plans accordingly. Informed students engage in their own unique Wisconsin Experience by consulting their academic advisors, Guide, DARS, and Course Search & Enroll for assistance making and adjusting their plan.

First Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
PORTUG 1014PORTUG 1024
Communication A3Ethnic Studies3
Quantitative Reasoning A3Biological Science Breadth3
Social Science Breadth3Social Science Breadth3
Elective2Elective3
 15 16
Second Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
PORTUG 2014PORTUG 2024
First Semester of Another Romance Language4Second Semester of Another Romance Language4
Communication B (LITTRANS 226, a Communication-B course, often meets with PORTUG 221.)3-4Physical Science Breadth3
Elective3Social Science Breadth 3
INTER-LS 2101 
 15 14
Third Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
PORTUG 2253PORTUG 2263
Quantatative Reasoning B / Intermediate/Advanced COMP SCI/MATH/STAT (if needed for BS)3PORTUG 2214
Social Science Breadth3Intermediate/Advanced COMP SCI/MATH/STAT (if needed for BS)3
Electives6Electives6
 15 16
Fourth Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
Portuguese Culture/Civilization3Additional Portuguese Literature3
Portuguese Elective3Portuguese Elective3
Science Breadth3Science Breadth3
Electives6Electives5
 15 14
Total Credits 120

Advising and Careers

Declare or Cancel This Major

Please follow the process described on the Spanish & Portuguese website.

Advising

Please contact the undergraduate advisor (listed in Contact Information) with your questions and visit spanport.wisc.edu/undergrad-advising/.

Careers

International Directions Advisor
languages.wisc.edu/make-an-appointment

Study Abroad

Learning in Letters & Science emphasizes discovery, growth, understanding different perspectives, and challenging yourself, which makes studying abroad an excellent fit for many L&S students: studyabroad.wisc.edu

As a university with global influence, we have more than 300 study abroad programs in over 80 countries. These vary in length, academic focus, teaching format, language requirements, cost, and level of independence. There are many programs to complement every major and any year of college (including the final semester)—and all meet UW–Madison’s high academic standards. Students admitted into Letters & Science can even choose a short program in the summer before they start college or their whole first year: studyabroad.wisc.edu/launch. Talk with your academic advisor about how studying abroad might fit with your academic plan.

SuccessWorks

SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps you turn the academic skills learned in your classes into a fulfilling life, guiding you every step of the way to securing jobs, internships, or admission to graduate school.

Through one-on-one career advising, events, and resources, you can explore career options, build valuable internship and research experience, and connect with supportive alumni and employers who open doors of opportunity.