A dynamic program strong in cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary research and teaching

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese offers courses leading to the Master of Arts and the Doctor of Philosophy in Spanish, with emphases on literature or linguistics, as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Spanish Creative Writing. 

The literature track focuses on training in literary analysis and a broad knowledge of representative works; the linguistics track provides training in linguistic analysis and argumentation and a broad knowledge of the principal subfields of Hispanic linguistics. The Ph.D. program combines structured coursework with individual research in Hispanic Linguistics or in Latin American, Latino/a and Spanish literatures and cultures. Students in the literature track can specialize in one or more of the different areas of scholarly focus represented by the faculty, ranging from medieval Iberia and colonial Latin America to contemporary cultural production. Students in linguistics can specialize in any of the areas represented by the linguistics faculty of the department: formal syntax, acquisition, phonology or sociolinguistics. The M.F.A. program is designed to train fiction and non-fiction writers and to prepare educators to teach students through creative writing in Spanish. It includes writing workshops in several genres and courses in literary studies from the department’s own graduate offerings and offerings in related programs. 

Our graduate students have ample opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty. They are very active in presenting and publishing their work and in achieving funding for their research. Our doctoral students have gone on to secure positions at various colleges and universities, and the graduates of our M.F.A. program have been successful in publishing their creative work. 

For information on the M.A.T. program in foreign and second languages education, visit the College of Education.