The master’s degree program provides students with the opportunity to study the major movements and writers in Iberia and Latin America, acquire the critical and theoretical tools necessary to engage literary and cultural analysis with sophistication, and develop communicative competence through pedagogical and scholarly formation.

M.A. Degree Requirements

At least 50% of coursework for the master’s degree must be taken at the 700 level or above.

1. A minimum of 30 hours of graduate credit in literature, including one seminar in Peninsular literature or in Spanish-American literature.
2. A minimum of one course with a focus on each of the following:
   1. Medieval/Early Modern Peninsular
   2. Colonial Latin America (prior to 19th Century)
   3. Modern/Contemporary Peninsular (19th-21st Century)
   4. Modern/Contemporary Latin/o America
3. Students in the MA considering pursuing a Ph.D. should enroll in SPAN 795, or an alternative course with a focus in literary theory.
4. It is highly recommended that students take at least one course with a focus on film studies or/and cultural studies.
5. Two 3-credit hour courses, of the required 30 hours of coursework, may be taken outside of the department with the approval of the graduate advisor.
6. SPAN 801: Teaching Spanish in Institutions of Higher Learning- required of all GTAs during their first semester of teaching.
7. Reading knowledge of another foreign language as approved by the department.
8. A portfolio defense or general qualifying examination based on the appropriate department reading lists, partly written and partly oral.
   1. Portfolio
      1. Introduction to the Portfolio and Personal Statement
      2. CV
      3. Teaching Statement
      4. Three Sample Works in Spanish
      5. Culminating Project
      6. Oral Defense Exam
   2. ​MA Qualify Exam
      1. The examination includes a written exam over a two-day period, which evaluates your knowledge and understanding of the Master’s Reading list. Once grades are submitted, the advisor will hold a general conversation with the student on the strengths and weaknesses of the exam, and offers general guidance on students’ professional or academic plans following the MA. During this conversation, the student also has the opportunity to comment on their own answers to the written exam.
      2. ​Those who do not pass one section of the written exam may retake that section, but only if completed before the end of the current semester. Those who do not pass two or more sections will be asked to retake the entire exam. Students who fail the exam may take it a second time. If the student fails that section a second time, the Graduate Studies Committee will discuss if the student will be offered an alternative exam. At least 90 days must elapse between exams and a second attempt must be completed within six months of the failure. After a failed exam, students must meet with their faculty advisor/s and, when appropriate, with the faculty members responsible for administering those sections of the exam that must be retaken. A second failed attempt will prevent degree completion and will prompt a meeting with the Director of Graduate Studies to discuss future plans, which may include withdrawal or dismissal from the program.

For additional information and a list of SPAN & PORT elective courses, please see our Graduate Handbook.

Study Abroad

The department offers summer programs in Barcelona, Spain; Buenos Aires, Argentina, Salvador (Bahia), Brazil. KU offers semester/academic year programs in San José, Costa Rica, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Salamanca, Spain. More information is available from the Office of Study Abroad.

Graduate students have the opportunity to teach and conduct research during summer sessions in Buenos Aires, Argentina; or Barcelona, Spain. The department also has a graduate exchange agreement with the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain.