Mar 28, 2024  
2019-2020 Graduate Catalog 
    
2019-2020 Graduate Catalog [Not Current Academic Year. Consult with Your Academic Advisor for Your Catalog Year]

Spanish, MA


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College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences  > Department of Hispanic Studies  > Spanish, MA


The M.A. program in Spanish offers an academic environment for students interested in advanced studies in the fields of Hispanic, Latin American and Peninsular Literature, and Spanish Linguistics. The program has been designed to provide knowledge and develop critical thinking on traditional and modern approaches used in these fields. The main goal of the M.A. program in Spanish is the preparation of future professionals to develop successful careers in education, administration, interpretation, and translation in diverse public and private institutions. The M.A. program in Spanish provides a strong preparation to pursue advanced studies at the Ph.D. level.

For more information, please visit the Hispanic Studies program website.

Admission Requirements


For unconditional admission to the M.A. program in Spanish, applicants must have earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish from an accredited institution, with an overall grade point average of at least 3.00 (A=4.00) for the last 60 hours of course credit. Students who have a Bachelor’s Degree in a field other than Spanish must take SPAN 3304, two courses in Spanish Literature at the 4000-level, and one course in Spanish Linguistics before entering the M.A. (equivalent courses taken in other institutions are accepted).

Applicants must have acceptable scores on the General Aptitude section of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Students must meet English language proficiency requirements as seen on the International Graduate Student page. Two confidential letters of recommendation from professors detailing the potentials of the candidate as a student, a statement of purpose in Spanish (500-1000 words) explaining why you wish to pursue a graduate degree, a writing sample (research paper 7-10 pages typed, double-spaced), and official transcripts are also required.

Conditional admission may be granted a domestic applicant who has a grade point average of at least 2.67 and whose scores on the Graduate Record Examination are high enough to indicate probable success in the graduate program.

For further information, please call or write:

Department of Hispanic Studies
The University of Houston

3553 Cullen Boulevard Rm 416
Houston, Texas 77204-3062

713-743-3007

Degree Requirements


Credit hours required for this degree: 36.0

A total of 36 hours is required for the M.A. in Spanish, all at the 6000-level or above. Students may elect to write a thesis; if they do so, a maximum of 6 hours of thesis credit may count as part of the 36. A maximum of 6 hours, as well, may be taken in a complementary field outside the department if students obtain written permission in advance from the Graduate Director.

Once admitted to the program, no course in which a grade below B- (2.67) is received may be applied toward the Master’s degree. Comprehensive written and oral examinations are required to obtain the degree; these are scheduled during the last term of course work. A minimum of 27 term hours must be earned in residence at the University of Houston.

At the end of each student’s first year of course work at the graduate level, a screening procedure will be conducted by all faculty members with whom the student has studied in order to determine whether the individual is progressing satisfactorily toward the degree objective.

Before entering the M.A. Program, students should decide on the concentration they wish their M.A. in Spanish to reflect.

Possible concentrations include:

  1. Spanish literature
  2. Spanish literature and linguistics
  3. Spanish linguistics

Students must take the following required hours in accord with their selected concentration:

Concentration in Literature:

  • Peninsular Literature Cr. 9
  • Latin American Literature Cr. 9
  • Hispanic Literature of the US Cr. 9
  • Spanish Linguistics Cr. 6
  • Literature elective Cr. 3

Concentration in Literature/Linguistics:

  • Literature Cr. 15-18
  • Linguistics Cr. 15-18

Concentration in Linguistics:

  • Spanish Linguistics Cr. 30
  • Literature Cr. 6

Thesis option:

A master’s thesis may be substituted for 6 hours in any of these concentrations.

Course lists to accompany fields of study above:

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