Spanish, M.A.
Saint Louis University's graduate program in Spanish can be finished in two years. Courses are offered year-round on accredited campuses in the dynamic urban areas of St. Louis, Missouri, or Madrid, Spain.
SLU's Spanish M.A. program focuses broadly on language, literature and culture, with courses offered in the three primary areas of Latin American studies, peninsular studies and linguistics.
Curriculum Overview
Degree requirements include 30 credits of coursework, a final written examination and a final oral examination. Students may fulfill all or part of the program requirements on either campus.
Fieldwork and Research Opportunities
Students may fulfill all or part of the program requirements at the University's main campus in St. Louis or SLU's international campus in Madrid.
Students who wish to pursue the program exclusively in Madrid may complete it in three summers (extendable to five) or through a combination of summers and regular spring and fall semesters.
Careers
A master's degree in Spanish is well suited to those planning or already engaged in professional careers such as teaching, translating, foreign service or international affairs, and provides excellent preparation for doctoral studies. Graduates of SLU’s Spanish M.A. program have gone on to careers in education, law and nonprofit institutions.
Graduates will be able to determine viable future career paths through exposure to the field, guidance on professional issues, support in professional development, and networking/connection to peers and mentors both inside and outside of Saint Louis University.
Admission Requirements
- Undergraduate Spanish major (or equivalent)
Application Requirements
All application materials must be submitted through the Office of Graduate Admission.
- Application form and fee
- Official transcripts (in English)
- Résumé or curriculum vitae (in English)
- Three letters of professional recommendation assessing the applicant's potential for graduate study
- Professional goal statement: This 1000-word statement should be in Spanish. The candidate should describe professional and intellectual goals and specific reasons for interest in graduate studies in Spanish, and demonstrate how these goals align with the curricula offered by SLU’s M.A. program.
- Writing sample: This 10-page piece may be in English or Spanish, can be an excerpt from a longer piece and should demonstrate the candidate’s capacity for graduate-level academic work.
- Interview in Spanish
Requirements for International Students
All admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students. International students must also meet the following additional requirements:
- Demonstrate English Language Proficiency
- Financial documents are required to complete an application for admission and be reviewed for admission and merit scholarships.
- Proof of financial support that must include:
- A letter of financial support from the person(s) or sponsoring agency funding the student's time at Saint Louis University
- A letter from the sponsor's bank verifying that the funds are available and will be so for the duration of the student's study at the University
- Academic records, in English translation, of students who have undertaken postsecondary studies outside the United States must include:
- Courses taken and/or lectures attended
- Practical laboratory work
- The maximum and minimum grades attainable
- The grades earned or the results of all end-of-term examinations
- Any honors or degrees received.
WES and ECE transcripts are accepted.
Application Deadlines
To be given priority consideration, complete applications must be received by
- April 1 for the fall semester (classes beginning in August)
- October 1 for the spring semester (classes beginning in January)
Review Process
Each item listed above is taken into careful consideration by the examining committee before making admission recommendations.
Tuition
| Tuition | Cost Per Credit |
|---|---|
| Graduate Tuition | $1,310 |
Additional charges may apply. Other resources are listed below:
Information on Tuition and Fees
Scholarships and Financial Aid
For priority consideration for departmental graduate scholarships, students should complete their applications by the program admission deadlines listed.
For more information, visit the student financial services office online at http://www.slu.edu/financial-aid.
- Graduates will be able to dialogue with key works and recent scholarship in Hispanic Literatures, Cultures & Linguistics.
- Graduates will be able to write and conduct research in Spanish, evidencing analysis, argumentation and organization.
- Graduates will be able to speak about and present on their coursework and research in Spanish.
- Graduates will be able to teach language and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world, using current methods in Foreign Language Pedagogy, with a deep understanding of historical development as well as current relevance.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Latin American Studies | ||
| Select at least two courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Short Stories: History, Histories | ||
| Latin American 'Modernismo' | ||
| Contemporary Latin American Poetry | ||
| Early Latin American Novel | ||
| Boom, Mass Media and Utopia | ||
| Themes in Latin American Literature | ||
| Narratives on the End of Utopias | ||
| Quien Es El Otro, Quien El Yo: Identities of the Other in 19th-c. Latin American Narrative | ||
| Counter Hegemony Discourses | ||
| Written by Herself: Latin American Women Writers | ||
| Latin American Film | ||
| Cultural Stereotypes: Latin America | ||
| Strangers in a Familiar Land: Displacements in Latin America | ||
| Hispanic Short-Short Stories (may count for either Latin American Studies or Peninsular Studies, but not both) | ||
| Peninsular Studies | ||
| Select at least two courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Hispanic Short-Short Stories (may count for either Latin American Studies or Peninsular Studies, but not both) | ||
| Don Quixote by Cervantes | ||
| Contemporary Spanish Short Story | ||
| Twentieth-Century Poetry | ||
| Twentieth-Century Novel | ||
| Twentieth-Century Drama | ||
| From the Poetry of Knowledge to the Poetry of the Turn of the Century | ||
| Spanish Novel After 1970 | ||
| Spanish Literature and Film | ||
| Verbum: the Journey of Women Poets in Contemporary Spain | ||
| Contemporary Spanish Women Writers | ||
| Medieval Short Stories: Power, Wisdom and Fantasy in Tales | ||
| Linguistics | ||
| Select at least two courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Spanish in the World | ||
| Spanish Linguistics | ||
| Spanish Phonology and Its Place in the Classroom | ||
| Spanish Electives | ||
| Select at least four courses from the above categories (Latin American Studies, Peninsular Studies, Linguistics) or from the following: | 12 | |
| Methods and Technology for the Teaching of Spanish | ||
| Methods of Teaching Spanish I: Best Practices and Cultural Diversity in the Classroom | ||
| Methods of Teaching Spanish II: Assessment and Language Learner Contexts | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Non-Course Requirements
A final written examination over a reading list, as well as a final oral degree examination over coursework.
Continuation Standards
Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 in all graduate/professional courses.
Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.
Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.
This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester. Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| SPAN 5040 | Methods of Teaching Spanish | 3 |
| SPAN 5XXX | Course in Peninsular or Latin American Spanish Studies | 3 |
| SPAN 5XXX | Course in Peninsular or Latin American Studies | 3 |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| SPAN 5XXX: Course in Peninsular or Latin American Spanish Studies | 3 | |
| SPAN 5XXX: Course in Peninsular or Latin American Spanish Studies | 3 | |
| SPAN 5XXX: Course in Linguistics | 3 | |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| SPAN 5XXX | Elective | 3 |
| SPAN 5XXX | Elective | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| SPAN 5XXX | Course in Linguistics | 3 |
| SPAN 5XXX | Elective | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Program Notes
The sequence of courses will vary according to the student’s previous experience with the language and individual preferences.
Students may also take courses at SLU's campus in Madrid.
A maximum of six credits of coursework may be approved for transfer toward fulfillment of degree requirements.
Additional requirements include a final written examination and a final oral examination.
Students can complete all or part of their M.A. in Spanish at SLU’s campus in Madrid. SLU-Madrid offers students immersive events at the Real Academia Española (Spanish Royal Academy) and at Spain's Ministry of Education's Instituto Cervantes.
For additional information about our program, please contact:
Amy Wright, Ph.D. Spanish Graduate Program Coordinator amy.wright@slu.edu