especialidad académica
/espeθjalidad akademika/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'school major' is translated into Spanish as especialidad académica.
The term refers to the specific subject or field of study that a student chooses to specialize in while earning a college degree. In a university setting, you can ask someone about their field of study using the question ¿Cuál es tu especialidad?
Which one should you use?
While especialidad refers specifically to the subject or specialization, the word carrera is often used to refer to the entire degree program or the course of study a person is enrolled in.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, you may hear the word titulación used instead of carrera to refer to a school major.
Did you know?
- While an English speaker might say 'I am a Biology major', a Spanish speaker is more likely to say Soy de Biología, which literally translates to 'I am from Biology'.
- The common term carrera for a degree program comes from the word for 'race', implying that a university major is a long-distance competition toward a finish line.
- In Spain, using the word especialidad to describe a major might actually make you sound like a medical doctor or a highly specialized expert rather than a student.
Examples in context
- Mi carrera es Economía.My major is Economics.
- Estudio Arquitectura.I study Architecture.
- Mi especialidad es Ingeniería Civil.My specialization is Civil Engineering.
- Estoy estudiando Derecho.I'm studying Law.
- Su especialidad académica es la biología marina.Her school major is marine biology.
- Él cambió su especialidad académica el semestre pasado.He changed his school major last semester.
Example conversation
Two students meet for the first time on campus.
- DanielHola, soy Daniel. ¿Cuál es tu especialidad académica?Hi, I'm Daniel. What is your school major?
- LucíaHola, Daniel. Soy Lucía y mi especialidad académica es historia.Hi, Daniel. I'm Lucía and my school major is history.
- Daniel¡Qué interesante! Yo estudio economía.How interesting! I study economics.
- LucíaEs una especialidad académica muy difícil.That is a very difficult school major.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
