Masters Program
General RequirementsThe prerequisite for admission to the M.A. program in Spanish as a regular degree student is completion of a B.A. in Spanish, or its equivalent, at an accredited college or university The degree requires a minimum of 55 graduate credit hours, at least 36 of which must be completed at The Ohio State University, plus the passing of written and oral examinations to be taken at the conclusion of study. All students must take at least one 800 level course in each of their two areas of concentration. Spanish 801 (Teaching Spanish at the College Level) is required of all new appointees as Graduate Teaching Associate. This course does not count toward the degree.
Specializations Offered
Two possible specializations are offered, one in Spanish and/or Latin American
Literatures and Cultures, the other in Hispanic Linguistics. Both of these specializations
require of the student two fields of concentration. The specific requirements
of each are somewhat different, however, as described below.
There are four possible fields of concentration, which are as follows:
- Spanish literatures and cultures: Middle Ages to the Baroque
- Spanish literatures and cultures: Enlightenment to Postmodernity
- Latin American literatures and cultures: Indigenous, Colonial, and National
- Latin American literatures and cultures: Modernity and Postmodernity (Approximately 1880 to the Present )
Students are subject to the following course requirements:
- One course in theory or methodology (normally Span 702);
- Three five-credit courses in the first field of concentration, chosen from one of the areas listed above;
- Three five-credit courses in the second field of concentration, chosen from another of the areas listed above;
- One five-credit diversification course, chosen from one of the two remaining areas listed above;
- A second five-credit diversification course, chosen from the other of the two remaining areas listed above;
- Two five-credit elective courses, which may be drawn from any of the areas listed above, or taken in Linguistics, or Luso-Brazilian Literatures and Cultures, or in other departments.
There are four possible fields of concentration, which are as follows:
- Phonetics, Phonology, and Morphology (Synchronic)
- Syntax, Semantics, and Pragmatics (Synchronic)
- Historical Spanish and Comparative Hispanic and Romance
- Sociolinguistics
- Psycholinguistics
Students are subject to the following course requirements:
- One required basic course (Spanish 610 or 730 or Linguistics 601 unless previously taken);
- Three five-credit courses in the first field of concentration, chosen from one of the areas listed above;
- Three five-credit courses in the second field of concentration, chosen from another of the areas listed above;
- Two five-credit courses of diversification, chosen from one of the two remaining areas listed above;
- Two additional five-credit courses of diversification, chosen from the other of the two remaining areas listed above;
- One five-credit elective course, chosen from any of the areas above or from Spanish, or Latin American, or Luso-Brazilian Literatures and Cultures.
Note: Up to 15 hours of the minimum M.A. course work may be taken in courses offered outside of those labeled Spanish, Portuguese, or Romance Linguistics in the Ohio State University Course Offerings Bulletin. Relevant offerings can be found under the headings of, for example, French, Latin, Philosophy, English, and above all, Linguistics. It is understood that such coursework will represent an integral aspect of the course objectives for an M.A. in Spanish with specialization in Hispanic Linguistics. As such, it will deal primarily with the theoretical foundations of linguistics, logic, or social issues, and/or constitute a coherent extension of the Spanish subject matter to other Romance languages and beyond.
Entry Requirements for the Specialization in Hispanic Linguistics
Students specializing in Hispanic Linguistics are expected to have taken undergraduate
course work in Spanish phonetics and phonology (narrowly equivalent to Spanish
604), and also in Spanish syntax (narrowly equivalent to Spanish 601). Students
without this background need to take Spanish 610 or Linguistics 601 or Spanish
730 (if available) as early as possible in the M.A. curriculum (normally in the
Autumn quarter of entry). Spanish 610 serves to cover the areas of both 604 and
601; if only one of the two areas needs to be addressed, Spanish 601 or 604 can
also be chosen, but these two courses do not count towards fulfillment of the
minimum M.A. credit requirements.
Time Frame for the M.A. Program
A full-time student is expected to complete all requirements for the degree of
M.A., including the Master's Examination, within 6 quarters of study. If the
course load undertaken is increased, or if summer study is included, the program
can be completed earlier.
For students who have been awarded financial support as a Graduate Teaching Associate (GTA), a maximum of six quarters of assistance are given. A summer appointment as a GTA is additional and does not count as one of the six quarters. The normal course load each quarter is two courses, or approximately ten graduate credits. New Graduate Teaching Associates are required during their first quarter of residence to take Spanish 801 (Teaching Spanish at the College Level) in addition to two other courses.
Master's Examination
In addition to the course work outlined above, all M.A. students must pass the
Master's Examination as a requirement of their degree. The examination, which
covers the student's two areas of concentration, consists of two parts, written
and oral. It is based on the courses that the student has taken and on the M.A.
reading list. Beginning in the 2001-02 academic year, the written exams, of which
there are two, are in take-home format. The brief oral examination, which is
taken upon completion of the written exams, has as its purpose to expand upon
the written examinations, as well as to explore areas of the student's concentrations
not covered on them.
Further Information
Further information on the M.A. program, including reading lists for the different
fields of concentration, will be found in the departmental Graduate
Handbook.
