Doctor of Philosophy in Spanish
The Doctor of Philosophy program in Spanish requires a total of at least 72 s.h. of graduate credit. Students must maintain a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 3.00.
In this research-oriented degree, Ph.D. students choose from two different tracks: literatures/cultures and Hispanic linguistics. The literatures/cultures track trains students in textual analysis and literary history, criticism, and theory. The linguistics track provides training in linguistic analysis and theory. All courses taken to fulfill the semester hour requirement for the degree must be taken on a graded basis; no graduate credit is awarded for a grade lower than C-minus.
Both tracks require a specified number of semester hours of coursework, of which up to, but not more than, 30 s.h. (10 courses) may be counted from the M.A. in Spanish or the M.F.A. in Spanish creative writing at the University of Iowa or elsewhere, as approved by the director of graduate studies. The Ph.D. also requires 3-15 s.h. for the thesis in SPAN:6999 - Thesis. The degree also requires successful completion and defense of a dissertation representing original research or creative work.
No credit is awarded for coursework completed after the M.A. is granted and prior to entrance into the Ph.D. program. If, in the course of doctoral study, the advisory committee recommends a student take coursework at another institution, the student may petition the director of graduate studies well in advance of undertaking the coursework, for approval of up to 9 s.h. of transfer credit. At least 39 s.h. of the 72 s.h. required for the degree must be in coursework taken at the University of Iowa.
Listed below are the general categories of coursework required to earn the degree; for more specific information on courses, curriculum, and requirements of the Doctor of Philosophy in Spanish visit the UI General Catalog.
Literatures/Cultures Track
Students must complete at least 36 s.h. (12 courses) beyond the master's degree (or 22 courses beyond the bachelor's degree). The following courses are required; courses taken for the M.A. may be used to meet part of this requirement.
| Title | Hours |
|---|---|
| Pedagogical Practicum course | 2 |
| Proseminar course focused on professional training and development | 1 |
| Three courses in Spanish American literature or culture; at least one course must be in pre-1700 literature | 9 |
| Three courses in Spanish literature or culture; at least one course must be in pre-1700 literature | 9 |
| Six courses chosen in conjunction with advisor (students approved for a creative writing dissertation must take at least three graduate courses in Spanish creative writing, and students approved for a literary or cultural studies dissertation must take at least three graduate courses in Spanish or Spanish American literature or culture) | 18 |
| Thesis work | 3+ |
| Total Hours | 42 |
Language Tool Requirement
Students in this track must complete the equivalent of three years of college-level study in one language.
Students who plan to write dissertations on topics in Spanish or Spanish American literature before 1700 are strongly encouraged to select Latin, Arabic, or an Amerindian language to satisfy this requirement; they should consult specialists in their field to determine which language is most appropriate. Students may take more than two languages if their coursework permits.
Language tool coursework below the third-year college level does not count toward the 72 s.h. required for the degree. Courses taken to fulfill the language tool requirements may be taken on a nongraded basis. If the language tool requirements are satisfied by examination, the exam results must be documented in a student's file.
Hispanic Linguistics Track
Students must earn at least 27 s.h. (9 courses) beyond the master's degree (or 19 courses beyond the bachelor's degree). The following courses are required; courses taken for the M.A. may be used to meet part of this requirement.
| Title | Hours |
|---|---|
| Required Courses | 30 |
| One additional course in the dissertation research area | 3 |
| One course in historical linguistics, sociolinguistics/language variation, or language acquisition/psycholinguistics | 3 |
| One Hispanic linguistics seminar numbered 7000 or above | 3 |
| Thesis work | 3+ |
| Total Hours | 42 |
Language Tool and Additional Requirements
Students in this track must complete the equivalent of three years of college-level study of Portuguese, and the equivalent of one year of college-level study in each of two other languages. For students specializing in historical linguistics, one of those two languages must be Latin.
Students may satisfy the language tool requirement by examination or by coursework at the University of Iowa or at another accredited university. Courses taken to fulfill the language tool requirements may be taken on a nongraded basis. If the language tool requirements are satisfied by examination, the exam results must be documented in the student's file. The language tool coursework does not count toward the 57 s.h. of pre-thesis coursework required for the degree, except for the third-year-level coursework in Portuguese, which may be counted with the faculty advisor's approval if a student completed the course with a grade.
Students also must write two extended research papers and give two colloquium presentations based on these papers. The first paper must be in an area distinct from the intended dissertation research; it must be approved by a student's advisory committee by the end of fall semester of the second year of Ph.D. coursework in order for the student to continue in the track. The second paper must be in the dissertation research area, must be of publishable quality, and must be approved by the student's advisory committee no later than the beginning of the semester in which the student takes the comprehensive exam.
Important Deadlines
Application Deadline: January 15th (for financial support)
Admission
Admission decisions are based on prior academic performance, letters of reference, and the applicant's statement about background and purpose. Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate College; see the Manual of Rules and Regulations of the Graduate College on the Graduate College website. For more information, see the Graduate Admissions Process page.
Comprehensive Examinations
The purpose of the comprehensive examination is to determine whether students have gained sufficient breadth and depth of research knowledge in Hispanic literatures or linguistics to enter the profession as a teacher-scholar. The examining committee is composed of five departmental faculty members, or four departmental faculty members and a fifth faculty member from a related department.
Graduate students who plan to take the examination must file the departmental Notification of Intent to Take M.A. or Ph.D. Exams form with the graduate student academic coordinator by the third week of the relevant semester; see the Graduate Program Manual. Students presenting the comprehensive exams cannot have more than one coursework requirement left to be completed, including courses for the fulfillment of the language tool requirements, after the semester in which the exams are presented. Generally, students either have finished their coursework requirements prior to presenting the comprehensive exams or they are completing them in the semester of their exams.
Dissertation
After the comprehensive examination is completed, a student submits a dissertation prospectus for the dissertation committee's approval. The dissertation committee is composed of five faculty members; at least four committee members must be from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.
The dissertation, complete and in final form, must be submitted in the required electronic format to the Graduate College office by the first-deposit deadline date of the session in which the degree is to be conferred. The final deposit of the approved dissertation in electronic format must be deposited at the office by the appropriate deadline in a student's graduation semester.
Students must adhere to the Graduate College regulations regarding preparation of the dissertation copy; consult the Graduate College. For information on the dissertation and final examinations, see the Manual of Rules and Regulations on the Graduate College website.
Additional Requirements
Only 3 s.h. earned for post-M.A. independent study may be applied toward the 72 s.h. required for the degree; the department discourages students from including independent study as a part of their coursework. Exceptions are made under extraordinary circumstances, but must be preapproved by the director of graduate studies. For consideration of a request for independent study credit, students must complete the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Independent Study Contract for Graduate Students form obtained from the director of graduate studies, then secure the approval of the director of graduate studies and the chair of the department, and submit a copy of the form to the graduate student academic coordinator before the first day of the semester. Only students in good academic standing may enroll in an independent study course.