University of Florida Homepage

Master of Arts

Machu Pichu, Peru (Aled, Flickr)

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies offers a graduate program leading to the degree of Master of Arts in Spanish.

For details on the application process, including deadlines, please see the main Graduate Studies page.

MA students may specialize in either Literatures/Cultural Studies or Linguistics, with the possibility of completing a secondary specialization in Portuguese. Qualified applicants to the MA program are eligible for teaching assistantships. A Master of Arts in Spanish may be earned in one of two ways. Graduate students in our program primarily earn their MA through the non-thesis option.

  • Non-thesis MA. Requirements: 30 credit hours and a comprehensive examination.
  • MA with thesis.  Requirements: 30 credit hours, a comprehensive examination, and a thesis.

Description of MA Program in Spanish

Programs

The MA comprises  a minimum of 30 credits. Students on teaching assistanceships should be enrolled in 9 credit hours per semester (a typical course/seminar is 3 credit hours).

Graduate credit for work in and outside major field: Graduate credit is awarded for courses numbered 5000 and above. The work in the major field must be in courses numbered 5000 or above. For work outside the major (minor or second foreign language requirement: see below) courses numbered 3000 or above, not to exceed 6 credits, may be taken provided they are part of an approved plan of study (Graduate Council, 2/17/00).

Tracks

Two tracks are available: literature/culture and linguistics. Each track has separate course and exam requirements.

Course Requirements

All MA candidates who are Teaching Assistants in the program must take SPN 6943, Romance Language Teaching Methods in their first semester of enrollment.

Students specializing in Literatures/Cultural Studies must take at least one course in each of the following six areas: Peninsular Medieval and Golden Age, 18th and 19th centuries, and contemporary; Spanish American Colonial, 19th century, and contemporary.

Students specializing in Linguistics must take at least one course in each of six areas of Spanish linguistics: phonetics and phonology, morphology and syntax, sociolinguistics, language acquisition, psycholinguistics, and history of the language.

Language Competence

All entering graduate students must demonstrate competence in oral and written Spanish. A candidate who is judged by the Graduate Faculty to have inadequate command of Spanish will be asked to do remedial work (such as SPN 6315 and/or other suitable courses). International students are required by state law to demonstrate competence in English by satisfactory performance on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and, if they apply for a teaching assistantship, the TOEFL iBT or Speak Test.

Teaching

Most Master’s students will be given the opportunity to gain teaching experience through a teaching assistantship, dependent upon departmental need and availability of funds. Renewal of the assistantship is contingent upon satisfactory performance as a teaching assistant and as a graduate student.

Minor

Part of the 30-hour requirement may consist of a minor (or secondary specialization, if within the department), i.e., at least six semester hours at the 5000-level or above in a field approved by the student’s committee or advisor.

Performance

Any student whose average falls below B for two consecutive terms will be dropped from the program. Grades of “I” (Incomplete) will be given only for compelling reasons in accordance to a departmental contract.

Comprehensive Examination

In the fourth semester of study, all MA candidates will take a comprehensive examination (written and/or oral based on track). Exam details are available in the Graduate Student Handbook.

Questions? Contact the Graduate Coordinator at
grad-coord@spanish.ufl.edu