Spanish Doctor of Philosophy Degree Program

The programs are designed mainly to prepare students for a career in scholarly research and teaching Hispanic Literature, Spanish Linguistics and Latin American Studies in colleges and universities, and to provide training in critical and theoretical bases for cultural, literary or linguistic scholarship. Depending on the field chosen students are expected to attain a thorough knowledge of the Spanish language in addition to Peninsular and Latin American literature, Latin American studies, Spanish linguistics and knowledge of pertinent theoretical foundations in addition to critical analytical skills, and research techniques.

Requirements for Admission for the Ph.D.

Students will be admitted into the Ph.D. program after completing the course requirements for the MA in Spanish or LACS and passing the MA/Ph.D. qualifying exam. Admission is not automatic and will be based on course work, the results of the MA/Ph.D. qualifying exam, and the evaluation of scholarly potential by the faculty. Applicants with the MA in Spanish or related areas from other institutions may apply for advanced standing in the Program.

Concentration in Hispanic Literature for the Ph.D.

The concentration in Hispanic Literature is planned with the Director of Graduate Studies, who takes into account the student's preparation, areas of special interest, and professional objectives. The program requires a minimum of 30 credits beyond the MA, which may be taken from any Spn, or Llc (maximum 9 Llc credits) courses at the 500 level or above.

The following areas of study are available:

1. Modern/Contemporary Spanish (Peninsular) Literature
2. Modern/Contemporary Latin American Literature
3. Cultural Studies
4. Literary Theory

Students must demonstrate reading knowledge of one foreign language other than Spanish and English by means of course work or a translation exam.

Concentration in Spanish Linguistics for the Ph.D.

The concentration in Spanish Linguistics is planned with the Director of Graduate Studies, and/or a linguist in the Program who takes into account the student's preparation, areas of special interest, and professional objectives. The program requires a minimum of 30 credits beyond the MA.

1. 18 credits taken from any Spn, Lin, or Llc (maximum 9 Llc credits) courses at the 500 level or above.
2. 12 credits of relevant extra-programmatic courses in linguistics (Lin) or language teaching (ETap) as advised.
3. Reading knowledge of two languages in addition to Spanish and English demonstrated by course work or by a translation exam.

Concentration in Latin American, Caribbean, and Latina/o Studies for the Ph.D.

Please click here for the degree requirements for the concentration in Latin American, Caribbean, and  Latina/o Studies.

Ph.D. Candidacy Examinations
A Ph.D. candidacy exam must be taken, preferably in the semester following, but certainly within a year after completion of coursework. Ph.D. exams are administered during the first two weeks of classes every semester.  Students must communicate their intention to take the Ph.D. exam to the Director of Graduate Studies by March 15th for the following Fall, or October 15th for the following Spring semester.  At that time the student must choose his/her prospective Dissertation Committee consisting of three professors, one of whom will be the student's dissertation director and two of whom will be the readers.  The Dissertation Committee will guide the student in the preparation of the reading list for the exam. For additional information, please see the Dissertation Guidelines of the Hispanic and Italian program.

Admission to Candidacy
A student is admitted to candidacy for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and may undertake work on the dissertation upon the following:

1. Satisfactory completion of the research tool requirements by fulfilling the foreign language requirement for the specific concentration

2. Satisfactory completion of 60 credits of graduate course work and the specific requirements of any of the concentrations offered

3. Satisfactory completion of the candidacy examinations

4. Completion of departmental residence requirements

Dissertation
By the end of the semester that follows the successful completion of all the exams and requirements, each candidate for the Ph.D. degree must submit a dissertation proposal, a project description whose feasibility will be judged by the candidate's Dissertation Committee (a director and two readers).  Members of the Dissertation Committee should be selected by the candidate, according to the guidelines of the Program, prior to taking the Ph.D. exam (see above). The dissertation abstract must be at least 7 pages long (no more than 10) and contain the following:

1. a title
2. a general description of the project, including a clear critical/theoretical approach to the topic
3. description of each chapter
4. a bibliography of primary and secondary sources

Upon the Dissertation Committee's approval of the dissertation proposal, the candidate may start writing the dissertation during which time each semester s/he must enroll in the SPN 899 (dissertation guidance) course.  The dissertation itself is expected to manifest thorough knowledge of literary, cultural or linguistic theory, depending on the candidate's field, and the candidate must demonstrate the ability to perform mature scholarly research elaborating on previous critical judgements.  The dissertation may be written in English or Spanish. For additional information, please see the Dissertation Guidelines of the Hispanic and Italian Program.

Full Time Study in Residence
The full-time study in residency requirement for doctoral students in Spanish has been eliminated.