University of Florida Homepage
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Spanish and Portuguese Studies

Information for U.S. Citizen Applicants

Requirements for U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents applying to the Spanish Graduate Program (MA or Ph.D.)

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

General Requirements

1. A degree in Spanish or a closely related field in the Humanities or Social Sciences, with a GPA of 3.0 or better.

  • Candidates holding a BA may apply to the MA program only.
  • At the discretion of the Department, candidates with MAs in disciplines other than Spanish may be granted conditional admission to the PhD program.

2. Spanish Proficiency

  • All students must demonstrate oral and written proficiency in Spanish at a level that is commensurate with their intended degree.
  • Class instruction and most assignments (including examinations, thesis and dissertations) are conducted in Spanish.
  • Meeting this requirement is of particular importance for those candidates applying for teaching assistantships.

3. English Proficiency

  • According to Graduate School regulations, applicants from Puerto Rico who do not hold graduate degrees from US, mainland institutions, need to demonstrate English proficiency by submitting TOEFL scores.
    • Information about this text is available at ETS. Please bear in mind that TOEFL scores submitted to the UF Office of Admissions must be official.
    • Minimum TOEFL scores required: 80 (internet); 213 (computer); 550 (paper).
    • NOTE:  GRE scores are not required

Application Materials

Applying to the Spanish Graduate Program at the University of Florida is a twofold process that involves both the UF Office of Admissions and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies.
Please download this checklist for your records.

1. Application to the UF Office of Admissions.

Submit your online application by following this link (review the entire page before you click on “Apply”)

Important tips:

  • Make sure you apply to the appropriate degree (MA in Spanish or Ph.D. in Romance Languages – Spanish) and term (fall of the following year).
  • Include information about your intended specialization: literature/culture or linguistics.
  • It is recommended not to exit your application until all necessary materials have been uploaded.
  • Should you need to mail any hard copies of documents to the Office of Admissions, the address is:
    • 201 Criser Hall, PO Box 114000, Gainesville, FL 32611-4000

Materials to be Included with your Online Application

  • A Statement of Purpose in English explaining:
    • The degree (MA or Ph.D.) and field (Spanish or Spanish-American Literature/Culture or Hispanic Linguistics) you are applying to.
    • Your academic and non-academic background, describing how it relates to the intended field of study.
    • Goals for graduate study and your professional future.
    • For Ph.D. applicants, specific topics of interest and likely faculty members who might supervise your work.
    • Any other factor that you consider relevant to your application.
  • A Curriculum Vitae listing degrees received publications, participation in professional meetings, and any other pertinent information.
  • Official transcripts from each postsecondary institution attended. (Make arrangements to have them sent to the UF Office of Admissions.)
    • Important: If you send unofficial documents or photocopies, your application will not be processed.
  • TOEFL scores if applicable (see above for requirements). Make arrangements to have them sent to the UF Office of Admissions.
    • The institutional code is 5812.
  • Make arrangements for three letters of recommendation to be submitted on your behalf.
    • Letter writers should be faculty members from the last academic institution attended, familiar with your academic work and/or your teaching.
    • As you include the full information of your references in the online application, evaluation forms and letter requests will be generated by the system so that your references can submit their documents confidentially.

2. Materials to be submitted to the SPS Department (via email to grad-coord@spanish.ufl.edu)

  • A sample of academic writing (preferably in Spanish). This may be a term paper or a thesis chapter, and it should be related to the intended field of study.
  • Graduate Fellowship or Assistantship application form (pdf) along with a statement on qualifications, if you want to be considered for either appointment.
  • A 5-minute audio recording in mp3 format in which you speak extemporaneously in Spanish–you should not read from a written script. On this recording, you should talk about the following topics:
    • Relevant aspects of your experiences learning Spanish (including any stays in Spanish-speaking countries), if applicable.
    • Your reasons for applying to our program, and your academic goals at UF.
    • Professional goals after obtaining your graduate degree.

Exemption: upon informing the Graduate Coordinator, native speakers of Spanish are exempt from this requirement.

Additional Fellowship Opportunities

African American and Hispanic doctoral candidates (US citizens only) are encouraged to apply simultaneously to our Program and the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Program.

The application deadline for the McKnight Fellowship is January 15th.

Visit FEF Online for more information.

Questions? Contact the: Graduate Coordinator