M.A. in Spanish

Master of Arts degree programs in Spanish are offered in these two areas of concentration:

• Literature is designed primarily for students who anticipate continuing their graduate studies beyond the M.A. level, who plan to teach language at the college or post-secondary level, and who wish to pursue scholarly research in modern language and literature studies.
• Pedagogy is designed primarily for students who wish to teach in elementary and secondary schools, and for those who wish to increase their language proficiency and effectiveness as teachers.

View the program requirements for the M.A. in Spanish

Literature Option

Students must successfully complete 33 credit hours of coursework and a comprehensive examination. Students who anticipate enrolling in a Ph.D. program elsewhere after completing the M.A. are urged to write a thesis. Students who write a thesis must successfully complete 27 hours of coursework and pass a modified comprehensive examination.

Specific course requirements amount to 12 semester hours and include MCLS 60000 for all candidates; and SPAN 68215  for candidates in the modern languages; students must enroll in the latter of these in their first fall semester. Candidates in Spanish must successfully complete at least three additional courses, one in each of the three major literary genres (poetry, drama and prose).

A maximum of 6 semester hours of individual investigation research may be applied toward the degree.

Pedagogy Option

Students must successfully complete 36 semester hours of coursework and a final project, a portfolio, or a comprehensive examination. Additionally, students will complete an exit oral interview and an exit essay examination in the language in which they are earning their degree. Specific requirements include courses in the student’s second language (12 hours): SPAN 68215, SPAN 58216, and 6 hours of literature and culture/civilization courses.

In addition, students must successfully complete MCLS 50660,* 60601, 60661, and 60698 (12 hours), 9 hours of graduate courses in second language pedagogy, and 3 hours of graduate electives.
Students are encouraged to enroll in study-abroad programs (limit 6 hours) and in specialized workshops in advanced language or pedagogy (limit 4 hours). Departmental permission must be obtained before enrolling in such programs.

*Students who are already licensed to teach language in Ohio may, with departmental approval, substitute a graduate second-language pedagogy elective for MCLS 50660.

Admission

Online admissions applications are required. Domestic applicants apply through Graduate Studies and international students apply through International Admissions. In addition to submitting the standard application, official transcripts, and application fee required by university, departmental requirements include:

• A 3.0 or higher grade point average in all undergraduate work or graduate work
• If the candidate is an international student, TOEFL scores of at least 550 (Written test) or 80 (internet based) or another certification of English proficiency acceptable to the university such as a Band of 6. 5 on the IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
• Two  5 minute oral statements of purpose (CD or MP3/wav audio-file) in the student’s first and second language (conversational, not read from a script). International students should submit two oral statements: one in English and one in the language for which they are applying if it is not their native language (B and C languages). The oral statement should describe the student's experience in their second language.
• Writing samples: 1. a goal statement, as known as statement of purpose, in English; and 2. a statement or essay of at least 300 words in the second language chosen by the applicant. The essay/sample can be a paper written for a class.  The writing  samples should be accompanied by a signed declaration that they are the student's original work and that the student has received no help in their preparation. (The use of dictionaries and other reference work is permitted.)
• Three letters of recommendation