Spanish — MA, MHS
Degree Programs
Graduate studies in Spanish lead to the Master of Arts (MA) in Spanish or the Master of Hispanic Studies (MHS). The Spanish graduate program is designed to prepare students for careers in teaching, business, government, world affairs, diplomacy, social service, and law enforcement and for doctoral studies in Spanish, with emphases such as literature, linguistics, or world language education. Students may begin their graduate studies at the beginning of any semester during the academic year.
Information about the MA and the MHS can be found at https://www.cla.auburn.edu/world-languages/future-students/graduate/graduate-degrees/.
Admission Requirements
Candidates wishing to pursue the MA or the MHS must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, with at least 38 semester hours of undergraduate Spanish course work above the freshman level and satisfactory scores on the General Test of the GRE. International students must have acceptable scores on the TOEFL. Applicants lacking course requirements need to make up deficiencies before admission to the graduate program.
Applicants should ensure that the following materials are sent to the Graduate School via the Graduate Web Application and Admission Process.
- Official transcripts from every undergraduate institution attended
- Official scores from the General Test of the GRE sent from ETS (for domestic students; not required for international students)
- Official scores from the TOEFL (for international students)
- Three letters of recommendation
- Graduate teaching assistantship application
- Writing sample. A writing sample in Spanish should be submitted to the Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at the time of the application. The writing sample typically is a research paper completed for a course taken as an undergraduate, usually a paper written for a senior-level literature or civilization course. It should be a minimum of five pages, typed.
Applicants should also provide two speaking samples electronically via a OneDrive folder shared privately with each candidate once the formal application has been completed through the Apply Yourself online system:
- Speaking biographical sample: Candidates must provide a 2–3 minute extemporaneous autobiography on the candidate’s relevant background, including an explanation of the candidate’s interest in pursuing a graduate degree in Spanish, and his/her professional plans for the future.
- Reading sample: The second speaking sample should be a reading from a printed text, for example, a poem, a paragraph or two from a novel or short story, or a newspaper article. Applicants should identify the selection on the recording. This selection should be approximately 1–2 minutes in length.
- The speaking samples will be requested electronically through a OneDrive folder shared privately with each candidate once the formal application has been completed through the Apply Yourself online system.
- All materials should be received by February 15.
Courses and Other Graduation Requirements
- The MA requires at least 30 semester hours including 4 credit hours for thesis.
- Candidates for the MHS must earn a minimum of 36 semester hours in their major, but no thesis is required. A concentration consisting of 6 semester hours of graduate-level courses in a related field or fields may be earned as part of the MHS degree. These 6 hours do not have to be taken in the Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures.
- Both degrees require satisfactory performance on the comprehensive examinations.
- Reading knowledge of one other world language is required. This knowledge may be demonstrated by earning a passing score on the proficiency test for that language or by completing the first-year sequence (or equivalent) in that language with a grade of B or better.
Financial Aid
- Graduate teaching assistantships are available to qualified students. For more information, please contact the department.
- All MA-Spanish or MHS graduate students are required to take FLSP 7090 Intro College Level Span Inst. For more information, check the student handbook available from the department.