MA in Hispanic Literature:
Master of Arts Degree in Hispanic Literatures
The Master of Arts degree program in Hispanic Literatures is designed primarily for students who plan to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy degree, and to join the faculties of colleges or universities as scholars and teachers. The program prepares students in the language, literatures, and cultures of the Hispanic world, with an emphasis on literary and cultural studies and scholarly investigation.
In addition to meeting the requirements of the University and of the College of Arts and Letters, students must meet the requirements specified below.
Requirements for Admission in M.A. in Hispanic Literatures:
To be admitted to the Master of Arts degree program in Hispanic Literatures on regular status, an applicant must have:
A bachelor's degree (B.A.) in Spanish or Hispanic Studies, or have completed the courses in Spanish that are required for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish at Michigan State University or their equivalents.
A grade point average of at least 3.00 in undergraduate Spanish language, literature, and culture courses.
Requirements for completion of Program:
The program is available only under plan B (without thesis). A minimum of 30 credit hours of course work is required for the degree. The Graduate Advisor must approve the student's program of study. The student must meet these specified requirements within a certain time frame:
Complete at least 21 credits of SPP courses at the 800 level.
Complete at least one course in each of the following fields of Spanish and Latin-American Literatures:
- Medieval Literature and Old Spanish language
- 16th and 17th-century Spanish literature
- 18th and 19th-century Spanish literature
- 20th-century Spanish literature
- Colonial Spanish American literature
- 19th-century Latin-American literature
- 20th-century Latin-American literature
Advanced GS who are working towards their M.A. degree may take courses at the PhD level with written approval of the Graduate Advisor and the Ph.D. course professor. See the following note on Independent Studies Policy at the MA Level.
Policy on Independent Studies at the M.A. level: Independent study is an opportunity for students to pursue topics that go beyond the regular curriculum. The official catalog description of SPN 890 says, "Special projects arranged by an individual student and supervised by a faculty member in areas supplementing but not replacing regular course offerings." This means that in order for you to do an independent study project you have to:
- know what topic you want to study
- have taken coursework that prepares you to study that topic
- find a faculty member with expertise in that topic who is willing to collaborate with you.
Please be aware that independent study is NOT an opportunity for students to take regularly scheduled classes on a one-on-one basis with the faculty, nor a mechanism for generating credits. You should not request an independent study class to replace anything in the curriculum; independent study classes are for enrichment, not replacement. Neither should you request an independent study class simply because you need credits to graduate; if you want credits--as opposed to specialized knowledge--you must take a regularly-scheduled class. For the reasons mentioned above, GS at the M.A. level are not approved to take independent studies. This alternative is offered only to PhD students who are working on their dissertation prospectus for example.
Pass a written and oral exam based on course work and the M.A. reading list for students enrolled in the Master of Arts degree program. The exam is administered once early in the Spring Semester. M.A. students are encouraged to take the M.A. in the Spring semester of their second year at MSU.
M.A. Minor Field:
With the approval of the graduate advisor, a minor field of study may be included in the requirements for the degree. Ordinarily such a minor consists of at least three graduate courses for which the student has had suitable preparation. Courses at the 400-level or above in a language other than Spanish may constitute a minor field.
Time Frame
Graduate assistants enrolled full-time in the M.A. program (9 credits per semester) have two years of financial support to enable them to complete their degree.
The maximum time limit for completion of Master's degree is 5 calendar years from the date of enrollment in the first course required for the degree. However, financial assistance is not guaranteed beyond the second year.
M.A. students, especially if they are continuing for their doctoral work, are urged to take the course in Research Methods and Bibliography in their second year.
M.A. students will normally take the M.A./Ph.D. qualifying examination in the semester in which they complete the required 30 credits.ram is available at: http://www.msu.edu/user/gradschl/prospect.htm