Program Overview

Hispanic Studies

The Department of Hispanic Studies offers a range of programs for undergraduate and graduate students.

Graduate Programs

• Ph.D. in Spanish with a Concentration in Linguistics or Literature
• Ph.D. in Spanish with a Concentration in Creative Writing
• Ph.D. in Spanish with a Concentration in US Latino Literature, Language, and Culture
• M.A. with a concentration in Spanish Linguistics and/or Literature
• Online M.A. in U.S. Hispanic Studies
• Online Graduate Certificate in Spanish as a Heritage Language

Online Graduate Certificate: Spanish as a Heritage Language

The online Graduate Certificate in Spanish as a Heritage Language is a twelve-credit post-baccalaureate program that offers training in U.S. Spanish and Heritage Language Education. The certificate includes courses from a variety of perspectives that prepare teaching professionals to work with Hispanic heritage language learners at secondary and post-secondary levels.

Program Details

• The certificate allows direct entry to those who seek some graduate-level work to enhance their knowledge and skills in particular areas but are not interested in earning a graduate degree.
• Upon completion of the certificate, participants interested in continuing their graduate studies can apply to the M.A. program in Spanish and, if accepted, petition for the credits to be counted toward the master's course load.
• Students currently enrolled in the Spanish M.A. or Ph.D. programs will be granted the SHL Certificate after completing the program's four courses.

Why Certificate?

• The University of Houston has offered the nation's first graduate certificate in Spanish as a Heritage Language since 2015.
• The online Graduate Certificate in Spanish as a Heritage Language draws from linguistic, literary, pedagogical, political, psychological, and other disciplines, with one of its main objectives being Spanish-language maintenance among heritage learners and speakers.
• The certificate adds an entry point to the research of Spanish as a heritage language to a student's course of study, increasing the depth and coherence of a student's work on the growth and increasing importance of the Spanish culture.
• The certificate is a valuable credential in both academic and non-academic job markets, given the growing importance of Spanish language in education and social policy.
• Students who have earned or are pursuing the online Graduate Certificate can use their credits toward the M.A. or Ph.D. in Spanish degrees offered by the Department of Hispanic Studies.