Master of Arts - Hispanic Studies

Plan Description

The M.A. program in Hispanic Studies is flexible, allowing students to concentrate on culture, language, literature, and translation. The program aims to meet the needs of students interested in teaching and other professions.

For more information about your program, including your graduate program handbook and learning outcomes, please visit the Degree Directory.

Plan Admission Requirements

Application deadlines

Applications available on the UNLV Graduate College website.

Before acceptance into the program, students will take a pre-qualifying examination administered by the department that will test their Spanish language skills. Students must pass this examination before being officially admitted to the M. A. program. The exam may be retaken once.

Candidates for admission to the graduate program in foreign languages should have the equivalent of the UNLV undergraduate major in the corresponding language with a minimum grade point average of 3.00 in the major field. In some cases, a student who has a bachelor’s degree in another discipline could be admitted to the program upon the recommendation of the department graduate advisor. Possible transfer credit will be determined by the graduate coordinator in accordance with the policies of the Graduate College. To apply for admission, submit to the Graduate College an application, official transcripts of all college-level work, and two letters of recommendation. Applicants must also take a pre-qualifying Spanish grammar administered by the Department.

All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements.

Students are accepted into a degree program as described in the Graduate Catalog. The faculty and corresponding sub-disciplines and sub-plans within the described programs are subject to change at any time.

Plan Requirements

Total Credits Required: 33

Course Requirements 

Required Linguistics Course – Credits: 3

Complete one of the following courses:

WLC 714 - Current Issues in Second Language Acquisition 

SPAN 717 - Seminar in Spanish Linguistics 

Required Courses – Credits: 6

SPAN 709 - Writing Workshop 

SPAN 720 - Textual Analysis 

Elective Courses – Credits: 18-21

A variety of courses in language, linguistics, literature, and culture will be offered to allow students to complete their degree. Students completing the Comprehensive Written Examination must complete a minimum of 21 credits of elective coursework, and students completing the Research Project must complete a minimum of 18 credits of elective coursework.

Culminating Experience – Credits: 3-6

Select one of the following:

SPAN 798 - M. A. Written Examination 

SPAN 797 - M.A. Written Project  (6 credits)

Degree Requirements 

1. Completion of a minimum of 33 credit hours with a minimum GPA of 3.00.
2. Students may apply a maximum of 9 credits at the 600-level to their graduate program.
3. Courses taken for graduate credit may not be repeated, with the exception of SPAN 730 and SPAN 740, provided that topics change. Graduate courses may not be audited without the consent of the instructor. A grade below a B- will place a student on probation. A second grade below a B- will cause a student to be separated from the program.

Plan Graduation Requirements

1. The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements for the program.
2. To qualify for graduation, each student must successfully pass a written examination or complete a final research project.
   1. a. Written Examination: Students choosing the written examination option must include SPAN 798 in their program. After completing 21 credits, students, in consultation with the graduate coordinator, will choose for their examination three of the following six areas of concentration: Peninsular culture, Latin American culture, linguistics, Peninsular literature, Latin American literature, and translation theory. Once these areas are chosen they may not be changed, nor may the option be changed. The exam will be based on the courses taken as well as on a supplementary list of readings for each area available in the department. The exam will include three 90-minute sections drafted by the examination committee. Grammatical accuracy will also be a graded component of the exam. After passing all three parts of the written exam, students will take an oral examination covering these chosen areas. Students who do not pass any part(s) of the exam will be allowed to retake the failed part(s) only once. Students who do not pass all three parts and the oral examination the second time will be separated from the program.
   2. Final Research Project: Students with at least a 3.8 GPA may (upon the approval of the Spanish graduate coordinator) substitute a final project (six credits of SPAN 797) for the written examination. Before initiating the project, students will establish a three-member faculty examination committee and secure their approval of the project proposals. If the proposal is rejected twice, the student must take the written examination option. When accepted projects are completed, students will take the Final Examination, an oral examination covering the final project. The committee shall consist of the project director, two other members of the graduate faculty, and the graduate faculty representative. Students whose projects are not acceptable for defense will be allowed to resubmit their project the following semester. Students who do not secure approval the second time will be separated from the program. More detailed guidelines will be distributed to enrolled students.