Program Overview

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Spanish, M.A. (Madrid)

Overview

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 or Madrid.

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-Madrid.

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.

Admission Requirements

• Undergraduate Spanish major (or equivalent)

Application Requirements

• 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

• Demonstrate English Language Proficiency
• 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.
• In order to be issued an I-20 for your F-1 visa application, students must submit financial documents. 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

Application Deadlines

• April 1 for the fall semester (classes beginning in August)
• October 1 for the spring semester (classes beginning in January)

Tuition

• Graduate Tuition: $1,400 per credit
• Additional charges may apply.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

• For priority consideration for departmental graduate scholarships, students should complete their applications by the program admission deadlines listed.

Learning Outcomes

• Graduates will be able to dialogue with key works and recent scholarship in Hispanic literatures, cultures, and 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.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Literatures & Cultures	9
Select at least 3 (9 credits) from the following:
Latin American Studies
SPAN 5240	Short Stories: History, Histories
SPAN 5260	Latin American 'Modernismo'
SPAN 5270	Contemporary Latin American Poetry
SPAN 5280	Early Latin American Novel
SPAN 5290	Boom, Mass Media, and Utopia
SPAN 5320	The African Experience in Spanish America
SPAN 5330	Narratives on the End of Utopias
SPAN 5340	Identities of the Other in 19th-c. Latin American Narrative
SPAN 5350	Counter Hegemony Discourses
SPAN 5360	Written by Herself: Latin American Women Writers
SPAN 5370	Latin American Film
SPAN 5380	Cultural Stereotypes: Latin America
SPAN 5400	Strangers in a Familiar Land: Displacements in Latin America
SPAN 5521	Hispanic Short-Short Stories (may count for either Latin American Studies or Peninsular Studies, but not both)
Peninsular Studies
SPAN 5521	Hispanic Short-Short Stories (may count for either Latin American Studies or Peninsular Studies, but not both)
SPAN 5560	Don Quixote by Cervantes
SPAN 5680	Contemporary Spanish Short Story
SPAN 5700	Twentieth-Century Poetry
SPAN 5710	Twentieth-Century Novel
SPAN 5720	Twentieth-Century Drama
SPAN 5740	From the Poetry of Knowledge to the Poetry of the Turn of the Century
SPAN 5750	Spanish Novel After 1970
SPAN 5760	Spanish Literature and Film
SPAN 5770	Verbum: the Journey of Women Poets in Contemporary Spain
SPAN 5780	Contemporary Spanish Women Writers
SPAN 5820	Medieval Short Stories: Power, Wisdom, and Fantasy in Tales
Linguistics & Pedagogy	9
Select at least 3 (9 credits) from the following:
Linguistics
SPAN 5020	Spanish in the World
SPAN 5030	Spanish Linguistics
SPAN 5050	Spanish Phonology and Its Place in the Classroom
Pedagogy
SPAN 5040	Methods of Teaching Spanish
SPAN 5041	Methods of Teaching Spanish I: Best Practices and Cultural Diversity in the Classroom
SPAN 5042	Methods of Teaching Spanish II: Assessment and Language Learner Contexts
Electives	12
Select 4 courses (minimum 12 credits) of SPAN 5000-level courses
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.

Roadmap

Plan of Study Grid Year One

Fall| Credits
SPAN 5XXX| Course in Literatures & Cultures | 3
SPAN 5XXX| Course in Linguistics & Pedagogy | 3
SPAN 5XXX| Elective | 3
| Credits| 9
Spring
SPAN 5XXX| Course in Literatures & Cultures | 3
SPAN 5XXX| Course in Linguistics & Pedagogy | 3
SPAN 5XXX| Elective | 3
| Credits| 9
Year Two
Fall
SPAN 5XXX| Course in Literatures & Cultures | 3
SPAN 5XXX| Course in Linguistics & Pedagogy | 3
Written Examination |
| Credits| 6
Spring
SPAN 5XXX| Elective | 3
SPAN 5XXX| Elective | 3
Oral Exam |
| 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-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.
• Note: SLU-Madrid and SLU-St. Louis program requirements vary slightly by campus.

SLU-Madrid M.A. in Spanish

Overview

The M.A. in Spanish is designed for students who have majored or minored in Spanish or a related field of study. The program provides a generalist foundation in Spanish Peninsular and Latin American literature, teaching, and applied linguistics.

Faculty

• The faculty at Saint Louis University-Madrid are experts in their respective fields. They are internationally recognized teachers, researchers, and mentors.

Internships and Careers

• M.A. in Spanish students may be selected to serve as teaching assistants, gaining hands-on experience in the language classroom alongside SLU-Madrid's expert faculty.
• Students in our program may also gain valuable international work experience — and support themselves financially while in Spain — serving as an English-language teaching assistant at local primary or secondary schools.

Admission Requirements

• Applicants should hold a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish or equivalent with an excellent academic record.
• Undergraduate academic transcripts. At least 18 credits in advanced Culture, Literature, or Language are required.
• Three letters of recommendation from people familiar with your academic and professional experience, such as a former employer, university professor, or advisor.
• Statement of purpose of 500 words that addresses your intellectual and professional goals.
• A résumé/CV.
• Writing sample of five to eight pages in Spanish that should include citations and references. You may use a good paper from an undergraduate course.

Application Deadlines

• Fall semester: rolling admissions until May 1; deadline for assistantship and scholarship applications: April 15.
• Spring semester: rolling admissions until Sept. 1; deadline for assistantship and scholarship applications: Sept. 1.
• Summer session: April 1 (Summer Session II).

Tuition and Fees

• SLU-Madrid is committed to providing a quality Jesuit education at an affordable price. Tuition rates at the Madrid campus are approximately 40% lower than at comparable private universities in the U.S.