The graduate program in Spanish at Miami University offers students the opportunity to earn the Master's Degree through advanced study of Spanish and Spanish American culture and Spanish linguistics. Faculty's interests and areas of research comprise Spain, Spanish-America, and a Trans-Atlantic perspective from a variety of literary, cinematic, and cultural studies standpoints. Graduate students are therefore able to concentrate on specific areas of study according to their interests.

Goals and Description of the Combined BA-MA Program

The goal of the Combined BA-MA Degree Program is to provide undergraduates with the opportunity to earn a MA at the same time they earn a BA. This program combines a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese with a Master of Arts degree in Spanish, condensing what would normally be five or six years of study into four or five years. This program is designed especially for advanced students who wish to take advantage of the opportunity to begin their graduate career early.

Credit Distribution

Once accepted into the program, students will register during their junior and senior years in the seminars and other graduate courses offered by the department. (Exceptionally, sophomore could also become part of this program.) Up to three SPN courses (9 credits) will count toward both the BA and the MA.

Besides that, five more SPN graduate courses (15 credits) will be completed toward the graduate degree component.

Furthermore, students will get time to work on a thesis (6 credits).

This distribution makes the 30 graduate credit hours needed to fulfill the course requirements.

Thesis

Students are expected to write and defend a thesis (usually 60-80 pages long) by the completion of all course requirements.  The thesis could be based on one or two of the research papers written to fulfill the requirements of Graduate Courses. Students will write under the guidance of an appropriate faculty member of their choosing. The committee’s responsibilities include ensuring the quality of the written work in all respects and advising students when the thesis is ready for the oral defense. All theses will be written in Spanish. Students are also advised to select a thesis topic and a director as early as possible. Ideally, this should be done by the end of the first year.

Time Limit

Normally the M.A. Degree is obtained after four semesters of study.  Work for a Master's Degree must be completed within a maximum of five calendar years.  Partial credit may be given for work five to ten years old, but such credit must be gained by way of petition to the Graduate School.

Application

Admission to the BA-MA runs all year long. Interested students should have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 and a GPA in Spanish of 3.50 by the time of application. Students should send a letter to the Department of Spanish and Portuguese stating their interest in the program and provide two letters of recommendation as well as an official copy of their transcripts. At least one of the support letters must be from a faculty member in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Highest priority will be given to candidates who have studied abroad for a minimum of one semester and preferably for one year. Only full time students are eligible for the Combined BA-MA Degree Program.

Faculty Teaching and Research Interests

Professor María Auxiliadora Álvarez, Ph.D., University of Illinois
Contemporary Latin American and Peninsular Poetry; Creative Writing, Colonial Studies

Professor Marisol del Teso Craviotto, Ph.D., Cornell University
Sociolinguistics, Discourse Analysis, Language and Gender

Professor José Domínguez Búrdalo, Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University
Contemporary Peninsular Literature, Spanish Cinema, Transatlantic Studies

Professor Paula Gândara, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts
Lusophone African Narrative

Professor Luis Iñaki Prádanos, Ph.D., Texas Tech University
21st-Century Spain, Environmental Humanities, Ecocritical Theory

Professor Russell Simonsen, Ph.D., University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Hispanic Linguistics

Professor Ken Wireback, Ph.D., Penn State University
Hispano-Romance Linguistics, Phonetics and Phonology

Graduate Advisor

Dr. José Domínguez Búrdalo
248 Irvin Hall
(513) 529-4520
domingj1@MiamiOH.edu