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MA in Spanish

PhD in Spanish

UI Graduate College

UI Graduate Admissions

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Ph.D. in Spanish

The Ph.D. degree is a research-oriented degree with two different tracks: Literature and Linguistics. Both tracks require a minimum of 57 semester hours of coursework (19 courses), of which 30 credits (10 courses) may be counted from the M.A. in Spanish here or elsewhere (as approved by the Director of Graduate Studies). The Ph.D. also requires from 3 to 15 semester hours of thesis credits (035:299), for a total of 72 semester hours. Beyond the course work requirements, the Ph.D. requires successful completion and defense of a dissertation representing original research in Hispanic literatures or linguistics. All courses taken toward fulfilling the semester hour requirement for the degree must be taken on a graded basis; no graduate credit is awarded for a grade lower than C-. To remain in good standing in the Graduate College, Ph.D. students must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.00.

Course Work

LITERATURE TRACK

A minimum of 27 s.h. (9 courses) beyond the M.A., for a total of 19 courses beyond the B.A. combining the M.A. and the Ph.D. The following distribution must be completed:

● 2 courses in literary theory

● 3 courses in Spanish literature, at least one of which
     must be in pre-1700 literature

● 3 courses in Spanish American literature

● 1 cinema course

● 2 300-level seminars in literary or cultural studies

● 1 literature course in another Romance language (see below)

● 035:299 Thesis (3-15 s.h.)

The specific plan of study for each student, tailored to his/her area of emphasis, must be approved by the student’s advisory committee. Ph.D. coursework (post M.A.) in Spanish must be at the 200 and 300 level, with the exception of the Romance literature course for the language tool requirement. No more than 3 semester hours earned for post-M.A. independent study (“Special Work”) may be applied toward the 72 semester hours required for the Ph.D. Exceptions may be made under extraordinary circumstances, but must be pre-approved by the DGS. The request for such approval must be in writing from the student and must be endorsed by the student’s academic advisor.

Language and Literature Tool Requirements

The study of one other Romance literature in the original language and in limited areas of specialization is required, with at least the equivalent of third-year college language proficiency. The study of Luso-Brazilian literature is highly recommended. This requirement can be satisfied only through coursework at the University of Iowa or another accredited university.

The equivalent of one year of college-level study of another approved foreign language is also required. If Portuguese is not the language chosen to fulfill the Romance literature requirement above, it must be used here. Students who will write dissertations on topics in Spanish or Portuguese literature before 1700 must have the equivalent of one year of college-level Latin. This requirement may be satisfied either by examination or via courses at the University of Iowa or at another accredited university.

If it is a Romance language, the language used to satisfy the M.A. language tool requirement may be used in satisfying the Ph.D. Romance literature requirement. The language used to satisfy the M.A. language tool requirement, however, may not be used to satisfy the Ph.D. language tool requirement for the equivalent of one year of college-level study of an additional foreign language. A second foreign language must be chosen.

The language tool course work does not count towards the 72 hours. Courses taken to fulfill the language tool requirements may be taken on a Pass/Nonpass basis. If the language tool requirements are satisfied by examination, documentation of the examination results must appear in the student's file. The course(s) taken to fulfill the requirement of the study of another Romance literature must be taken on a graded basis and can be counted toward the 72 hours.

LINGUISTICS TRACK

A minimum of 27 s.h. (9 courses) beyond the M.A., for a total of 19 courses beyond the B.A. The following distribution must be completed, some of which can be met by courses from the M.A.:

In the Department of Linguistics:
103:110 Articulatory and Acoustic Phonetics [offered in fall semesters]
103:201 Introduction to Syntax [4 s.h., offered in fall semesters]
103:202 Syntactic Theory [offered in spring semesters; prereq 103:201]
103:203 Introduction to Phonology [offered in spring semesters, prereq 103:110]

In the Department of Spanish and Portuguese:
35:207 Topics in Comparative Romance Linguistics
35:209 Advanced Spanish Phonology
35:210 Advanced Spanish Syntax
2 300-level seminars in Hispanic linguistics

In either Department:
2 courses from one or more of the following areas: historical linguistics, language
variation, sociolinguistics, language acquistion/psycholinguistics
1 additional course in the intended area of dissertation research (phonology, syntax, language acquisition, language variation)

The specific plan of study for each student, tailored to his/her area of emphasis, much be approved by the student's advisory committee. Ph.D. coursework (post M.A.) in Spanish must be at the 200 and 300 level, with the exception of some courses in the Department of Linguistics and the required third-year level course in Portuguese (see below). No more than 3 semester hours earned for post-M.A. independent study ("Special Work") may be applied toward the 72 semester hours required for the Ph.D. Exceptions may be made under extraordinary circumstances, but must be pre-approved by the DGS. The request for such approval must be in writing from the student, and must be endorsed by the student's academic advisor.

Language Tool Requirements

Candidates in the linguistics track must complete the equivalent of three years of college-level study of Portuguese and the equivalent of one year of college-level study for each of two other languages, one of which must be Latin for students specializing in historical linguistics. These requirements may be satisfied either by examination or through coursework at The University of Iowa or another accredited university. The language tool course work at the first- and second-year level does not count towards the 72 hours. Courses taken to fulfill the language tool requirements may be taken on a satisfactory/ unsatisfactory basis, except for third-year level study of Portuguese language and/or linguistics. This course must be taken on a graded basis and can be counted toward the 72 hours. If the first- and/or second-year level language tool requirements are satisfied by examination, documentation of the examination results must appear in the student's file.

Transfer Credit (both tracks): The department accepts up to, but not more than, 30 s.h. for a M.A. in Spanish done at another institution. No credit is awarded for coursework done after the M.A. but prior to entrance into the Ph.D. program. If, in the course of doctoral study, the advisory committee recommends the student take coursework at another institution, the student may petition the DGS--well in advance of undertaking the coursework--for approval of up to 9 s.h. of transfer credit.

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