Spanish at UFRomance Languages and Literatures Department of Romance Languages and Literatures University of Florida
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Master of Arts in Spanish

Graduate degrees in Spanish

General Information
The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures offers a graduate program leading to the degree of Master of Arts in Spanish. Students may choose to specialize in literature/culture or language/linguistics. A minor may be chosen at the Master's level in French or 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.

1) Non-thesis MA. This is considered a terminal degree for those anticipating teaching careers in secondary schools or junior colleges, or employment in business, government, tourism, etc. Requirements: 30 semester hours credit and a comprehensive examination.

2) MA with thesis. This option prepares students for later work toward a PhD. Requirements: 30 semester hours credit, a comprehensive examination, and a thesis. The quality of the MA thesis is an important consideration in the selection of applicants to the doctoral program. MA candidates will choose a concentration in either language/linguistics or literature/culture.

Description of MA Program in Spanish
Programs: Both the MA with thesis and the MA without thesis comprise 30 credits. For the MA with thesis, up to 6 credits of Thesis Research (SPW 6971) may count in the overall total. Students electing the MA without thesis take two courses (6 credits) in lieu of SPW 6971 credits. Students planning to continue with the PhD at the University of Florida must select the MA with thesis program.

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 and linguistics. Each track has separate course requirements and reading lists.

Course Requirements: All MA candidates must take SPN 6315, Advanced Composition and Syntax, unless exempted by the Graduate Coordinator and the candidate's main advisor. All MA candidates who are Teaching Assistants in the program must take SPN 6940/6943, Methodology in Romance Language Teaching, unless exempted by the Graduate Coordinator and the Director of the Beginning Spanish Program.

Registration: During pre-registration, students discuss their selection of courses for the following term with their main advisor. They must clear these courses with the main advisor before actually registering; new students usually discuss first term registration with the Graduate Coordinator. After completing the consultation, students must fill out a Semester Registration Record and return it to the secretary for the Graduate Coordinator. Pre-registration dates for the Summer and Fall terms are usually in March-April; for the Spring term, in November.

Students who choose to focus primarily on literature must take:

  • SPW 6806, Introduction to Graduate Study & Research;
  • One language/linguistics course, including SPN 6785, Advanced Spanish Phonetics (SPN 6315, Advanced Composition and Syntax, does not satisfy this requirement);
  • Literature courses: at least one course in each of the following six literature areas: Peninsular: Medieval, Golden Age, Modern; Spanish American: Colonial, 19th Century and 20th Century.

    Students who elect to focus primarily on linguistics must take:

    • One literature course to be chosen from any of the six literature areas
    • At least one course in four of the five areas of Spanish linguistics: phonetics and phonology, morphology and syntax, sociolinguistics, language acquisition, and history of the language.

    In either case, the remaining courses will reflect the chosen specialization. The Graduate Coordinator may allow certain senior-level courses to satisfy the course (but not credit) requirements outlined above.

    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 wish to teach, the Test of Spoken English (TSE, or Speak Test).

    Second Foreign Language: Functional knowledge of a second foreign language is recommended for MA students. Those who plan to do doctoral work in Romance Languages at the University of Florida should achieve functional knowledge of another language (usually Romance). The Graduate Coordinator and the student's Supervisory Committee will appraise the student's goals and advise accordingly. Minimum level of achievement: a grade of B in a 3000-level course approved by the advisor and the Graduate Coordinator, or proven proficiency at that level. In Portuguese, this may be satisfied by POR 3134 [3010], Introduction to Portuguese and Brazil (accelerated), and one additional course at or above the 5000 level. In French this may be satisfied by FRE 3070, Accelerated Introduction to French, and one additional course at or above the 5000 level.

    Teaching: Every Master's student will be given the opportunity to gain teaching experience through a teaching assistantship.

    Minor: Part of the 30 hour requirement may consist of a minor, i.e., at least six semester hours at the 5000-level or above in a field approved by the student's committee or advisor.

    Committee: In no case later than the beginning of the second semester in residence, and in consultation with the main advisor and the Graduate Coordinator, the student will choose a Supervisory Committee. The duties of the SC are to advise the student, to check on the student's qualifications and progress, and to supervise the preparation of the comprehensive examination and of the thesis. The SC for an MA degree without a thesis may consist of one member of the graduate faculty; for an MA degree with a thesis the SC must consist of at least two members selected from the graduate faculty.

    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.

    Comprehensive Examination: In the fourth semester of study, all MA candidates will take a comprehensive written examination based upon a departmental reading list.

    Graduate degrees in Spanish

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