Master of Arts in Spanish
General Information
The M.A. in Spanish seeks to prepare students for a global economy, a multicultural community and a changing workplace through the study of language, culture, linguistics, translation, interpretation and Spanish in the workplace. Prerequisite for admission to the Spanish program is the ability to read, comprehend, speak, and write the language proficiently. Any undergraduate major is acceptable for admission; however, students without the equivalent of a minor in Spanish may be required to take preparatory courses before beginning the M.A. curriculum or in addition to the M.A. curriculum. The Master of Arts in Spanish requires 30 hours of academic work in Spanish at the graduate level. At least 18 of the 30 hours must be in courses open to graduate students only (i.e., courses at the 600 level). All students are required to complete and present a directed study project. The M.A. in Spanish may be completed in four semesters (fall/spring). Most courses are offered in late afternoon or evening.
The program offers courses that will be useful to classroom teachers of Spanish as
well as to individuals who seek training in order to work and live actively in
a more global or multi-ethnic local community.
Graduate level coursework done as a non-degree student may transfer into this program.
Applicants must mee the requirements of the Graduate School outlined in the General Information section.
Program Information/Program Admission Procedure
Students must meet the admission criteria established by the UofL Graduate School (submit a complete application, submit official transcripts verifying the receipt of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, and pay the application fee.) All University of Louisville transcripts will automatically be submitted with completion of an application. Students must have a 3.0 GPA in undergraduate work. Provisional admission is possible for students who do not meet this requirement. Students must submit two letters of recommendation (submitted directly to the Graduate School), preferably from recent language or literature professors. Letters of recommendation must be current (written within the last year) and should attest to the student’s potential to do graduate work and to their proficiency in Spanish.Students must achieve a combined score of at least 900 on the GRE verbal and quantitative sections prior to admission. Provisional admission is possible for students with lower scores. All applicants for whom English is a second language must also present scores of at least 550 on the TOEFL Examination (paper test) or at least 210 on the TOEFL Exam (computer test) prior to admission. Students must submit one sample of critical academic writing of at least five pages, preferably a paper written in English or Spanish as part of the requirements of a university or college course (mail directly to the Director of Graduate Studies in Spanish in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages). Students must submit a personal statement of 1-2 pages in Spanish discussing how the M.A. in Spanish relates to the student’s professional or personal goals (mail directly to Director of Graduate Studies in Spanish of the Department of Classical and Modern Languages). Applicants with a B.A. in a field other than Spanish, or with fewer than 24 credit hours in Spanish beyond the intermediate level may be eligible for admission to the M.A., but the Director of Graduate Studies in Spanish may require that such students make up deficiencies on an individual basis. Students must maintain a 3.0 average in order to remain in good standing. Up to 6 hours of graduate-level, “A” or “B” work in Spanish done at another institution may be applied toward the student’s UofL degree, upon approval of the director.The Director of Graduate Studies in Spanish reviews all applications and, in consultation with the Spanish Graduate Committee, makes all admission decisions. Complete applications to the Master’s program are considered throughout the academic year. No student will be admitted to degree status until all materials required for his or her file have been submitted, and the student meets all other requirements.
In line with Graduate School regulations, the application should be complete no later than thirty days before the first day of classes of the semester in which the applicant plans to enroll.
Applicants who wish to be considered for a Graduate Assistantship should submit all their application materials by March 1 (not postmarked by March 1). Students may enter the program in the Fall or the Spring semester, but all assistantship decisions are made in the spring to take effect in the following academic year.
Time Limit and Residency for Masters
All work for the M.A. must be completed within six years of admission to the program. The student must complete a minimum of 24 hours at the University of Louisville.
Prerequisite for all Spanish courses in the department offered
at the graduate level is the ability to read, comprehend, speak, and write the
language. This usually means having completed the equivalent of an
undergraduate major in Spanish.
In addition, it is strongly recommended that the applicant have some
knowledge of a second romance language.
Degree requirements
- Thirty hours of academic credit, 18 hours of which must be in courses open to graduate students only (i.e., courses at the 600 level). Completion and presentation of a directed study project, under the supervision of a faculty member.
Curriculum
In addition to coursework, all students are required to complete and present a directed study project prior to graduation.
*With the approval of the graduate advisor, candidates may take six hours of electives within the Humanities Division, in courses at the 500 or 600 levels.
Directed Study Project
During their last semester of graduate study, each student will work, under the supervision of a faculty member, on a scholarly project that goes beyond work done previously in class. Each student will turn in a finished paper to their supervisor and, in addition, present their project at the Graduate Student Research Colloquium held at the end of the semester in which the student is to graduate. Each student must inform the graduate advisor of their project title and supervisor by the second week of classes of the semester they wish to graduate.
Accelerated BA/MA in Spanish
This program allows Spanish majors to take up to 9 hours of graduate course work which will meet undergraduate degree requirements and be counted toward the hours required for the MA. Upon completion of the undergraduate degree, students will begin the graduate program and must complete the appropriate number of hours remaining and other requirements for the degree option they select before being certified for the Master of Arts degree in Spanish. The guidelines for the Accelerated BA/MA in Spanish are as follows:
1. Students must apply no later than the end of the junior year for admission to the accelerated program.2. A minimum overall grade point average and major grade point average of 3.35 will be required for admission to and for retention in the program.
3. At the time of application, students must have completed Spanish 321, 322 and 355 with grades of B or better. It is also recommended that students have completed one course at the 400 level before applying.
4. Student must complete graduate application form on-line.
5. Students must submit two letters of recommendation (preferably from individuals who can attest to the student's ability to handle graduate level work in Spanish. It is strongly recommended that at least one letter of recommendation come from a Spanish faculty member.
6. Students must submit scores from the GRE exam no later than the end of the junior year.
7. Student may take a maximum of 9 hours for graduate credit, which will also apply to the requirements for the baccalaureate degree in Spanish.
8. All of the requirements remain the same, including the directed study project.
Advising
Graduate students who have been admitted to the graduate program should contact Dr. Gregory Hutcheson for advising at gshutch@louisville.edu or (502) 852-1635. Graduate students must be advised at least once a year in order to be able to register. Please include your Student ID number in all correspondence so that your questions may be addressed more promptly.Study abroad
Teaching Assistantships
A limited number of teaching assistantships are available to support full-time graduate students working towards the Masters degree. Teaching assistants teach 12 semester hours per year and receive tuition remission in addition to the teaching stipendApplications will be received beginning January 1 for the following academic year. Preference will be given to applications received by February 28. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
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Download Graduate Teaching Assistanship Application forms:
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