Doctor of Philosophy in Iberian and Latin American Languages and Cultures

The mission of the doctoral program of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese is to educate and train graduate students to develop new knowledge about the languages, literatures and cultures of the Latin American and Iberian regions, their related diasporas, and their Indigenous, African, and Afro-descendant cultures. Our graduates will acquire the competence to engage in critical discussions of major trends in their field of study, and to apply this knowledge in meaningful endeavors. To help our graduates achieve their goals, our program introduces students to a diverse body of theoretical approaches and methodological procedures that are instrumental to their respective disciplines.The Graduate Program of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese is one of the longest-established, largest, and most widely recognized programs in the field. Its many alumni are represented on the faculties of numerous colleges and universities throughout the world. We have recently built on those strengths and added new approaches in order to reformulate our graduate program as an innovative, flexible, and competitive research unit in the field of Iberian and Latin American studies.

A Bachelor's degree with a major in Spanish or Portuguese, or demonstration of equivalent knowledge, such as the satisfactory completion of 18 upper-division, undergraduate semester credit hours in either language, is required. The Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC) determines degree equivalency.A 3.25 GPA in upper-division undergraduate courses, and any previous graduate courses, is preferred.The Graduate Admissions and Financial Committee (GAFA) carefully reviews each application and takes into consideration other factors besides the GPA, GRE and transcripts when selecting new students. Recommendation letters and your Statement of Purpose are important indicators of such qualities as motivation, special interests, maturity, teaching ability, work ethics, and character which are not measured by numbers or transcripts. The interview provides an indication of your fluency in both English and Spanish or Portuguese and helps evaluate your qualifications for a teaching assistantship.GIAC requires official transcripts of all scholastic work undertaken, including work done in foreign countries. Since some foreign universities do not send transcripts, copies of original official records may be certified at U.S. consulates, by the university itself, or by other acceptable authorities, and sent to GIAC. A complete and official English translation must be furnished, together with certified copies of the original records. The records should include subjects taken and grades earned, as well as the grading system used