PhD Program

Spanish

PhD in Hispanic Studies Program

The Ph.D. in World Languages and Cultures, Hispanic Studies, requires advanced training in Spanish and either a second language or applied linguistics.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have completed a BA in French, German or Spanish to be accepted into this program, but usually students who do not have an MA will be advised to apply to the MA Program in their language area first. Both graduates of institutions in the United States and those with undergraduate degrees from institutions outside the United States must have a grade point average of at least 3.0. Consideration will also be given to applicants who do not have an undergraduate degree in one of the three foreign languages but do have the equivalent of an undergraduate major in one of them.

Basic Structure of the Ph.D.

The requirements for a Ph.D. in World Languages and Cultures include both course work and a series of exams and other requirements, culminating in the dissertation defense. The course work requirements, are the same for all three programs: a minimum of 63 credit hours of graduate coursework beyond the bachelor’s degree (including the hours approved for transfer from the student’s MA program) and an additional 24 credit hours of doctoral research and dissertation writing (FREN, GERM, or SPAN 600). The non-course-work requirements vary by language program.

The course work for the Ph.D. in WLC also requires completing two areas of concentration:

a First Concentration in French, German, or Spanish (your “home” language program, through which you are funded) and a Second Concentration in Applied linguistics, French, German, Italian, Latin American Studies, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish. You may also choose—or not—to do a 6-hour Cognate Field outside of WLC but in an area related to your primary research interests. Please note: Your choice of Second Concentration and of whether or not to do a Cognate Field, and if so, which field, should be made in close consultation with your advisor(s). Extra work in these areas add to the breadth of your scholarly expertise but must be carefully chosen to complement your planned area of specialization.

The First Concentration: At least 45 credit hours in French, German, or Spanish courses approved for graduate credit (listed in the Graduate Catalog) OR 39 hours plus a maximum of 6 hours in a cognate field. Please note the following restrictions:
The Second Concentration: At least 18 credit hours taken in the field of Latin American Studies, applied linguistics, or a second language (French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish). At least 12 of these credit hours must be at the 500-level or above.
The Second Concentration in applied linguistics if your First Concentration is:
- French: students must take French FREN 421; FREN 425; WLC 512; and 9 credit hours of appropriate electives in English or French. The student’s graduate advisor must approve the electives chosen.
- German: students must take GERM 425, GERM 435 or GERM 510, WLC 512, 3 credit hours of German linguistics, such as GERM 426, GERM 631, or GERM 632, and 6 credit hours of linguistics electives in English or German. The student’s graduate advisor must approve the electives chosen.
- Spanish: students must take SPAN 410, SPAN 425; WLC 512; and 9 credit hours of appropriate electives in English or Spanish. The student’s graduate advisor must approve the electives chosen.

The Second Concentration in Latin American Studies is open to all Ph.D. students in French, German, or Spanish. The 18 credit hours consist of:
- Two courses (6 credit hours) at the 400- or 500-level in French, Portuguese, or Spanish, but outside of the student’s first concentration language. Both classes must be taken in the same language area and need to be conducted in the target language.
- A graduate course (3 credit hours) with Latin American content offered by a unit outside of WLC (preferably History). This course must be approved by the student’s graduate advisor.
- Three additional graduate courses in at least 2 disciplines outside of the student’s primary concentration. (e.g., Anthropology, Cinema Studies, French, History, Political Science, Portuguese, Sociology, Spanish). These courses must be approved by the student’s graduate advisor, and at least one of these three courses (a minimum of three graduate credit hours) must be taken at the 500-level.
- Again, students choosing Latin American Studies do not have the option of taking courses in a cognate field.