Mar 29, 2024  
2022-2023 Graduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Spanish Major, MA


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The Spanish MA degree is a two-year program that offers two concentrations. One is a concentration in Literary and Cultural Studies that focuses on the literatures and cultures of Spain, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Students receive training in cultural studies, literary analysis, and basic techniques of criticism, and are exposed to a wide variety of works and authors from different cultural areas, periods, and genres. The second is a concentration in Applied Linguistics & Second Language Studies, which provides students with foundational coursework in Spanish and Applied Linguistics, especially Second Language Studies, as well as offering options for cultural studies relevant to the Hispanic world and other linguistics coursework.

Options Available

Applied Linguistics & Second Language Studies - Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam Option

Applied Linguistics & Second Language Studies - Thesis Option

Literary and Cultural Studies - Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam Option

Literary and Cultural Studies - Thesis Option

Campus Code

Knoxville Campus

Admissions Standards/Procedures

  • Submit an online application to the Office of Graduate Admissions.
  • A student should have already completed a major or the equivalent of a major (usually 30 hours) in their main discipline (French, German, or Spanish).
  • Although the Graduate Council requires a minimum grade point average of 2.70 (on a scale of 4.00) for admission to the UT Graduate School, prospective students should note that the grade point average of 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) in all coursework of their major (French, German, Spanish, or a related field) in order to be admitted to the MA programs in French, German, or Spanish.
  • In making its decision, the Admissions Committee considers grades, recommendations, a statement of goals (in English and in the target language), and 2 writing samples (ideally, one in English and one in the target language).
  • When evaluating a student’s application dossier, the Graduate Admissions Committee looks for high-quality, committed students who could complete the program successfully, and who will add diversity, and intellectual liveliness and energy to the program.

Academic Standards

  • After entering the graduate program, students in any of the MA Programs offered by the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures (MFLL) are expected to maintain a graduate GPA of at least 3.00 in order to remain in good standing. Note, students in the Ph.D. Program in Modern Foreign Languages are expected to maintain a graduate GPA of at least 3.50 in order to remain in good standing.
  • The Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures specifies that a student will not be allowed to continue in any of its graduate program if any of the following occurs:
    • The student cheats or engages in any other act of dishonesty with respect to the university community. Such acts include but are not limited to getting or giving help that is considered inappropriate in an academic setting as well as any form of plagiarism. (for details on Academic Honesty, please see the respective passages in Hilltopics and in the Graduate Catalog).
    • The student earns two or more grades of C or below in courses taken for graduate credit.
    • The student receives a grade of D or F in a graduate course that is identified as a core or mandatory course in the student’s graduate program.
    • The student’s cumulative graduate GPA falls below 3.00 for two consecutive semesters, excluding the summer semester if no courses are taken. (UT Graduate Policy).

Applied Linguistics & Second Language Studies, Thesis Option

The thesis option provides more focus on in-depth research.

Credit Hours Required

Minimum of 30 graduate credit hours

Required Courses

  • SPAN 500 , 6 credit hours
  • A minimum of 24 credit hours in graduate coursework
    • A maximum of 9 credit hours may be taken at the 400-level (only those 400-level courses that appear in the Graduate Catalog may be applied)
    • The remaining 15 credit hours at the 500-level
    • Under certain conditions, the student may take 600-level seminars
    • At least 12 graduate credit hours must be in courses taught in Spanish
    • At least 18 graduate credit hours must be Linguistics-related courses
  • Required courses:
    • MFLL 512  
    • SPAN 529  
    • SPAN 530  
    • Statistics course - one of the following, or other approved course
    • Remaining hours (beyond required courses) may be selected from the Elective courses list, or other courses approved in consultation with the Graduate Advisor and Linguistics Faculty

Non-Course Requirements

  • A thesis with a minimum of 6 credit hours of SPAN 500  
  • A written examination covering the coursework and selected items from a master reading list.
  • A final oral examination covering the thesis.

Thesis:

  • The thesis committee should consist of a faculty mentor (from MFLL) with two additional committee members (from MFLL or outside of the department).
  • Students will take 6 hours of thesis preparation, preferably 3 hours in the fall and 3 hours in the spring of the final year.
  • Thesis topics may include areas such as linguistics, applied linguistics, second language acquisition or teaching of language and/or culture.
  • The thesis may be an experimental research proposal with pilot data or a state-of-the-art literature review.
  • The thesis should be approximately 50 pages in length (excluding bibliography) written in APA style.

Thesis defense:

  • Consists of a presentation to committee members and an oral defense of the thesis.
  • The thesis will be sent to committee members at least 2 weeks in advance of the defense.

Applied Linguistics & Second Language Studies Concentration, Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam

The Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam option requires more coursework than the Thesis option.

Credit Hours Required 

Minimum of 30 graduate credit hours

Required Courses

  • Completion of at least 30 credit hours of graduate course work with
    • A maximum of 9 credit hours at the 400-level (taken for graduate credit)
    • The remaining 21 credit hours at the 500-level
    • Under certain conditions, the student may take 600-level seminars.
    • At least 12 credit hours must be in courses taught in Spanish.
    • At least 18 credit hours must be Linguistics-related courses.
  • Required courses:
  • ESM 577  
  • PSYC 521  
  • Remaining hours (beyond required courses) may be selected from the Elective courses list, or other courses approved in consultation with the Graduate Advisor and Linguistics Faculty.

Non-Course Requirements

A written examination covering the coursework and selected items from a reading list.

Comprehensive exams

Students in the non-thesis option will be required to take comprehensive exams during their final semester based on the core courses below (i.e., course materials, articles, etc. from each course).

Applied Linguistics & Second Language Studies Elective Courses

Linguistics courses:

Psychology and Educational Psychology Courses:
Cultural course taught in Spanish:
Language courses:

If the student decides to complete a minor in another language, they can take a sequence of two courses in another language at an appropriate level.

Literary and Cultural Studies Concentration, Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam

The Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam option requires more coursework than the Thesis option.

Credit Hours Required

Minimum of 30 graduate credit hours

Required Courses

  • Completion of at least 30 credit hours of graduate coursework with
    • A maximum of 6 credit hours may be taken at the 400-level (only those 400-level courses that appear in the Graduate Catalog may be applied)
    • The remaining 24 credit hours at the 500-level
    • Under certain conditions, the student may take 600-level seminars
    • MFLL 512  is required for all students and may be taken only once

Non-Course Requirements

  • A written examination covering the coursework and selected items from a master reading list.

Literary and Cultural Studies Concentration, Thesis Option

The thesis option provides more focus on in-depth research.

Credit Hours Required

Minimum of 30 graduate credit hours

Required Courses

  • SPAN 500 , minimum 6 credit hours
  • A minimum of 24 credit hours in graduate coursework
    • A maximum of 6 credit hours may be taken at the 400-level (only those 400-level courses that appear in the Graduate Catalog may be applied)
    • The remaining 18 credit hours at the 500-level
    • Under certain conditions, the student may take 600-level seminars
    • MFLL 512  is required for all students and may be taken only once

Non-Course Requirements

  • A thesis with a minimum of 6 credit hours of SPAN 500 
  • A written examination covering the coursework and selected items from a master reading list
  • A final oral examination covering the thesis

 

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