Spanish, M.A.

Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Amanda Boomershine

The Department of World Languages and Cultures offers a 30-hour graduate program culminating in the Master of Arts degree in Spanish. Our faculty prepare our students to enter doctoral programs and to find satisfying careers in both academic and applied settings. Students can select to write a thesis as part of their M.A. Classes are offered in the evenings to accommodate the schedules of working professionals. We also offer a Distance Education/online option. Students in the main campus and DE programs enroll in the same courses and are able to work collaboratively.

The goals of the program are to: (1) raise the level of communicative competence of native and non-native speakers of Spanish; (2) provide critical and and practical skills necessary for analyzing, assessing, and addressing academic and societal issues related to Hispanic cultures; (3) provide knowledge and advanced skills in the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures necessary for higher-level graduate work; (4) increase, improve and promote cultural understanding and awareness of regional, national and international Spanish-speaking communities, and (5) train professionals ready to work and interact with the Latinx population in the U.S. and abroad.

Admission Requirements

Applicants are required to submit the following materials to the Graduate School:

An application for graduate admission.
Official transcripts of all college work (undergraduate and graduate, including US and foreign institutions).
Three letters of recommendation, with at least one from a professor familiar with candidate’s academic performance.
Two speaking samples, one in English and one in Spanish, in which the applicant introduces her/himself and describes a meaningful cultural experience.
A 500-word written statement in English describing career goals after completion of the M.A.
A 500-word writing sample in Spanish in which the applicant states and defends an opinion.

Applicants seeking admission to the master’s degree program in Spanish must hold a bachelor’s degree in Spanish with an overall 3.00 GPA, or native or near-native proficiency in both written and spoken Spanish. Admissions decisions are based upon the examination of several factors, and where other indicators of success warrant, individuals who fall below the established criteria may still be considered for admission.

Degree Requirements (30 total credit hours)

The M.A. program requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate study (only six of which may be transferred from another institution). Students may select a thesis or non-thesis option.

Non-Thesis Option:

Students pursuing the non-thesis option will complete 30 credit hours of graduate course work and must complete a comprehensive exam. The 30 credit hours of coursework must be distributed as follows:

Core requirements (9 credit hours)

Choose one from each group:

SPN 507 - Spanish Phonetics and Phonology Credit Hours: 3
or
SPN 508 - Hispanic Linguistics Credit Hours: 3
SPN 511 - Topics in Spanish Civilization Credit Hours: 3
or
SPN 512 - Topics in Spanish American Civilization Credit Hours: 3
SPN 521 - Studies in Spanish Literature Credit Hours: 3
or
SPN 522 - Studies in Spanish American Literature Credit Hours: 3

Electives (21 credit hours)

Chosen from any of the remaining SPN graduate courses. SPN 508 , 511 , 512 , 521 , 522 , 585 , and 595 may be repeated with different subtitles.

Thesis Option:

Students pursuing the thesis option must complete 27 credit hours of graduate course work in addition to registering for SPN 599 (3 credit hours) in their last semester, for a total of 30 credit hours. Students must successfully complete a comprehensive exam, and defend a thesis acceptable to the student’s thesis committee, prior to graduation.

Core requirements (12 credit hours)

SPN 599 - Thesis Credit Hours: 3

Choose one from each group:

SPN 507 - Spanish Phonetics and Phonology Credit Hours: 3
or
SPN 508 - Hispanic Linguistics Credit Hours: 3
SPN 511 - Topics in Spanish Civilization Credit Hours: 3
or
SPN 512 - Topics in Spanish American Civilization Credit Hours: 3
SPN 521 - Studies in Spanish Literature Credit Hours: 3
or
SPN 522 - Studies in Spanish American Literature Credit Hours: 3

Electives (18 credit hours)

Chosen from any of the remaining SPN graduate courses. SPN 508 , 511 , 512 , 521 , 522 , 585 , and 595 may be repeated with different subtitles.

Additional Information

A student must maintain no less than a 3.0 GPA on all graduate-level courses and has five calendar years to complete the degree program. This five-year period begins with the student’s first term of work after formal admission to the program.