Spanish

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More than 410 million people speak Spanish as their primary language, and 31 million of them live in the United States. As these numbers continue to grow, it is becoming more and more important for business, travel and communication that students study Spanish. Students in OU's Spanish program read, write and speak the language fluently. They are prepared for a variety of careers, including translator, customs officer, diplomat and travel agent. These students not only gain important reading and writing skills, but they also get insight into and understanding of the society through literature and culture courses.

Degrees Offered

Students majoring in Spanish graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree. A student can then choose to pursue a Master of Arts, Master of Arts/Master of Business Administration or Doctor of Philosophy degree.

Master of Arts in Spanish

Deadlines

Deadlines to apply for:

Fall Admission is February 1
Spring Admission is October 1

To be considered for admission to the M.A. program in Spanish a student must:

Hold a Bachelor's degree in Spanish Literature(s), or equivalent is strongly recommended.
Have a 3.0 grade point average in the last 60 hours of undergraduate course work.
Have excellent proficiency in spoken and written Spanish.

Applicants who hold a B.A. in Spanish but do not have the requisite 3.0 grade point average may be admitted on probation for one semester, provided they have at least a 2.75 grade point average.

Course work in fields other than Spanish literature (for example, Master's or doctoral work in education) will not be applied to the graduate degree in Spanish

Admission in all cases will be determined by the Spanish faculty

Non-Thesis

Students in the non-thesis program must complete thirty-three hours of acceptable graduate-level course work (including the courses specifically required) and receive a passing grade on the final comprehensive examination.

Thesis

Requirements for the thesis program are thirty hours, which include twenty-seven hours of acceptable graduate-level course work (including the courses specifically required), 3 hours of thesis credits (maximum), and receive a passing grade on the thesis.

Requirements

At least three seminars (9 credit hours) in Spanish Peninsular Literature and three seminars (9 credit hours) in Spanish-American Literature.
The remaining SPAN hours for both the thesis (9 credit hours) and non-thesis options (15 credit hours) are chosen by the students, depending on their needs and wants.The graduate liaison approves each case, but flexibility is essential.
Note: A total not to exceed 6 graduate hours at the MLLL level, specifically for the following two courses: 1) MLLL 5063 Early Literary Criticism and 2) MLLL 5073 Contemporary Literary Criticism is allowed as part of the major.
All Graduate Teaching Assistants are required during their first year to enroll in MLLL 5813, Teaching Foreign Languages. GTAs who have already had this course or one similar to it may be exempted.
Graduate Teaching Assistants are required to maintain enrollment in a minimum of five credit hours.
A comprehensive examination is required for the non-thesis programs. The examination is administered during the twelfth and thirteenth week of each semester. It is based on courses taken by the student and on the reading list.

Resources

Program of Study (for students admitted in Fall 2017 or later)
Apply to the Spanish MA Program
Fall 2018 Spanish Graduate Courses (pdf)
Spring 2019 Spanish Graduate Courses (pdf)
Program of Study
Master's Degree Forms and Documents
Spanish MA Reading List (pdf)
Assistantships and Fellowships

Doctor of Philosophy in Spanish

Deadlines

Deadlines to apply for:

Fall Admission is February 1
Spring Admission is October 1

Prerequisites for admission to the Ph.D. program in Spanish include the following:

Master's degree in Spanish or equivalent. 3.50 (on the 4.00 scale) on all graduate course work.
Students entering the program are encouraged to show evidence of residence in a Spanish-speaking country.
The total number of hours required for the Ph.D. is ninety hours beyond the Bachelor's degree, including credit earned for the M.A., if applicable to the Ph.D. program.
Only graduate-level courses (4000/5000 level) preceded by a "G" in the General Course Catalog are applicable toward the Ph.D. major and concentration.

Requirements

A concentration consisting of nine hours as approved by the student's committee.

The following courses were strongly recommended for students who started the program before the spring of 2014, are now required for students who will start the program in the fall of 2014 or later:

SPAN 5713 (History of the Spanish Language)
MLLL 5063 (Early Literary Criticism)
MLLL 5073 (Contemporary Literary Criticism)

All Graduate Teaching Assistants are required during their first year to enroll in MLLL 5813, Teaching Foreign Languages. GTAs who have already had this course or one similar to it may be exempted.

Before completion of the degree, students must demonstrate reading competency in a second language. In order to do so, they may take the departmental Graduate Reading Exam (pdf) or complete two semesters or ten hours in another language.

A general examination based on coursework and a reading list established in consultation with the student's committee members is required for the Ph.D.

Graduate Teaching Assistants are required to maintain enrollment in a minimum of five credit hours of graduate-level courses per semester.

Resources

Spanish at OU

Why Study Spanish at OU?

Many students in the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Linguistics choose to study abroad, and OU has one of the best study-abroad programs in the country.
Faculty members in the Spanish program have won such prestigious awards as the Fulbright Fellowship. They have also been recognized for their accomplishments in publications and have produced a number of books and journal articles.
OU is also home to the literary magazine World Literature Today (WLT), and students have the opportunity to meet with writers from countries around the world. In addition, OU graduate students referee and publish the literary journal PEGASO in affiliation with WLT.

Career Opportunities

Public and private schools
Hospitals
Local/state government agencies
Non-profit (501-c3) organizations
FBI, DEA, U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security
Child welfare organizations and social service departments

Courses Offered

SPAN 1115 Beginning Spanish
- An elementary course in understanding, speaking, reading and writing Spanish. Laboratory. This course does not count for major credit in the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Linguistics.
SPAN 1225 Beginning Spanish Continued
- An elementary course in understanding, speaking, reading and writing Spanish. Laboratory. This course does not count for major credit in the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Linguistics. Prerequisite: 1115
SPAN 2113 Intermediate Spanish
- Develops reading skills and control of grammar while cultivating depth of oral and writing ability. Emphasis on expansion of vocabulary and strong re-enforcement of grammatical structures. Reading and discussion of texts of literary and cultural interest. Oral and written assignments. Prerequisite: 1225
SPAN 2223 Intermediate Spanish Continued
- Refines reading skill and mastery of grammar. Emphasis on sophisticated vocabulary and understanding of grammatical structures. Literary and cultural texts discussed in oral and essay form. Prerequisite: 2113.
SPAN 3073 Grammar in Conversational Communication
- Aim is to improve students' conversational skills through an active use of the Spanish language. By using a contextualized content-based approach, focuses on seven core communicative functions and engages in meaningful communicative practices through listening and speaking activities related to cinema and other forms of cultural production. Prerequisite: SPAN 2223.
SPAN 3423 Grammar in Written Communication
- Further develops communicative abilities as well as increasing students' knowledge and ability to produce a variety of forms of cultural production in the Spanish language. Writing as a process that includes brainstorming, organization, outline, drafts and revisions will be learned. Familiarity with authentic texts written in different styles will be developed. Prerequisite: SPAN 2223.
SPAN 3853 Introducation to Hispanic Literature and Culture
- Initiates students into the literatures and cultures of the Hispanic world, both in Spain and Latin America. Teaches how to analyze literature by literary genres and movements. Emphasis on all four language skills (hearing, speaking, reading, and writing) and culture. Prerequisite: SPAN 2223.