Develop:

• greater knowledge of the Spanish speaking cultures.
• proficiency in the Spanish language skills.
• greater knowledge of the structures of the Spanish language.
• application strategies of the acquired Spanish cultural and linguistic knowledge.
• skills to teach at the secondary school level or at the undergraduate level in institutions of higher education.
• and acquire the linguistic and theoretical bases necessary to expand your education at the Doctoral level.

Admissions Requirements:

• Undergraduate degree in Spanish or an undergraduate degree in any Humanities or Social Science field and proven preparation in and command of the Spanish language.
• Educated native speakers with an appropriate command of the Spanish language may also be admitted.
• Admissions examination which will evaluate students on all four Spanish language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking.  Conditional admission may be granted where appropriate.
• Undergraduate GPA:  3.0
• Completion of and submission of GRE scores.
• Three letters of recommendation. At least two of these letters should be from individuals familiar with the applicant’s academic abilities.
• Study Abroad: strongly encouraged before initiating the program or shortly after.

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Program Information:

• Approval and Completion of Plan of Study prepared in conjunction with the Director of Graduate Studies;
• 3.00 GPA in all coursework;
• Final Written Comprehensive Examination;
• Completion of ACTFL Oral Proficiency Examination, at student expense.  This examination is administered by the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages, and can be completed by telephone;
• A 400 level course cannot be re-taken at the 500 level. It will not count towards the completion of the degree. 

Faculty

• María Carmen Riddel, Chair
  Ph.D. The Ohio State University
• María Cristina Burgueño
  Ph.D. The Ohio State University
• Shannon Marie Butler
  Ph.D. The Ohio State University
• Christina Huhn
• Ph.D. Purdue University
• Carlos Lopez
  Ph.D. The Ohio State University
• Jose Luis Morillo
  Ph.D. Tulane University
• Maria Rosario Quintana
  Ph.D. Universidad Complutense de Madrid

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Curriculum:

The Master of Arts in Spanish is a 36 hour degree. Students should be able to complete it in two years of full time study.

In conjunction with the Director of Graduate Studies, choose from Thesis or Non-Thesis option:

• Thesis: 30 hours of coursework plus 6 thesis hours.
• Non- thesis: 36 hours of coursework.

Courses:

The 30 or 36 hours of coursework MUST be taken from the following three areas:

1. Introductory Courses (12 hours)

Offered on campus by the faculty in the Department of Modern Languages

• SPN 533 Intensive Grammar Review
• SPN 544 Bilingual Contrastive Grammar
• SPN 535 Culture and Civilization: Contemporary Latin America
• SPN 536 Culture and Civilization: Contemporary Spain
• SPN 655 Introduction to Spanish Linguistics
• SPN 656 Critical Theory for Spanish/Latin American Literature

2. Spanish Applied Linguistics (up to 12 hours)

Must first complete :

• SPN 533 or SPN 544;
• SPN 655

Four to six courses (up to 12 hours of credit) below will be taken online from the Centro de Estudios Hispánicos of the Universidad  A. de Nebrija in Madrid, Spain. 
One or two of those four courses will also be available in a one month (summer) study abroad program at the Universidad  A. de Nebrija.

Two courses selected from below must be 600 level courses.

• SPN 501 History of Foreign Language Methodologies
• SPN 502 Methodological Principles
• SPN 503 Development and Incorporation of Linguistic Skills
• SPN 601 Second Language Acquisition Theories
• SPN 602 Grammar in Spanish as a Second Language Courses
• SPN 603 Spanish Didactics
• SPN 604 Foreign Language Programming
• SPN 605 Pragmatic contribution to Teaching Spanish as a Second Language

3.Culture and Literature: Latin America (6 or 12 hours)

Offered on campus by the faculty in the Department of Modern Languages.
Must first complete:

SPN 535 or SPN 536

SPN 656;

Non-thesis option:

12 hours of Latin American or Spanish Culture and Literature (2 courses must be at 600 level)

Thesis option:

6 hours of Latin American or Spanish Culture and Literature (both courses must be at 600 level)

• SPN 514 Medieval, Renaissance and Golden Century Spanish Literature
• SPN 515 Spanish Literature: 18^th and 19^th Centuries
• SPN 516 Contemporary Spanish Literature
• SPN 614 Themes and Styles in Spanish Poetry
• SPN 616 Traditional and Innovative Forms in Spanish Prose
• SPN 618 Society and Literature: Spanish Theater
• SPN 511 Pre-Modern Latin American Literatures <
• SPN 512 Contemporary Latin American Literatures
• SPN 513 Literary Genres and Non-Canonical Issues in Latin America
• SPN 611 Latin American Poetry: Resistance through Verse
• SPN 613 Texts and Intertextualities in 20^th Century Latin America
• SPN 615 Latin American Theater: Plays, Performance and Politics

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With approval from the academic advisor, students can take one 3 credit graduate course,  taught in English, offered by another department at Marshall University.

How To Apply:

Application materials are available online below:
http://www.marshall.edu/graduate/

Financial Support

Information on financial aid is available below:
http://www.marshall.edu/sfa/

Contact Us:

For questions or additional information, please contact: 
Dr. María Carmen Riddel
Chair, Department of Modern Languages
Marshall University Smith Hall 713
304.696.2742
riddelm@marshall.edu