Welcome

The Division of Spanish and Portuguese offers the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Spanish. The graduate program provides students with a wide range of unique opportunities for future success, including intensive preparation in Hispanic cultural and literary studies, and Second Language Acquisition. The Division is dedicated to preparing graduate students for careers in a number of fields that require advanced degrees, including academia, translation, publishing, K-12 teaching. Current seminars and courses represent a variety of faculty interests, such as Caribbean Studies, U.S. Latino studies, early Hispanic studies, Second Language Acquisition and linguistics.

To prepare students fully for their critical engagement with Hispanic literatures and cultures, and linguistics, seminars and courses expose them to a variety of theoretical approaches. Through the Division's lecture and speaker series, students encounter some of the most prominent and exciting scholars in Hispanic studies.

As part of their graduate training, teaching assistants gain experience as instructors in selected Spanish language and culture courses during their tenure at FSU. New graduate teaching assistants are required to participate in a 1-2 week orientation session on language instruction and take a graduate course in communicative language teaching during the Fall semester of their first year of graduate studies. FSU further offers outstanding graduate students competitive fellowships that relieve them from teaching responsibilities for a full academic year. Advanced graduate students may have the opportunity to do research and teach at FSU's study abroad programs.
(Effective for students beginning a graduate program fall 2006 and thereafter.)

Courses

Admission

1. Completed Graduate Application - refer to  http://www.fsu.edu/~modlang/grad/gradappcheck.html

2. Requirements: B.A. in Spanish for the Master's Program; M.A. in Spanish for the Ph.D. Program. Other candidates must petition the Spanish and Portuguese Division in writing explaining why they feel prepared to undertake this study. The Spanish faculty will vote on each such case. Complete and acceptable academic transcripts ("good standing"). GPA (of last two baccalaureate years) of at least 3.00 on a 4-point system or Graduate Record Exam Aptitude score (verbal and quantitative) of 1000 or higher. Departmental approval, consisting of the collective decision of members of the Spanish faculty, submitted for appropriate action to the Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics. All applications should be accompanied by 1) a statement of purpose and 2) a writing sample in Spanish; both should be the original work of the applicant.

3.The GRE Examination is required of applicants for admission to graduate school. To register for the GRE examination, call 1-800-GRE-CALL, or write: Educational Testing Service, 20 Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 (FSU students contact Evaluation Services, 106 Johnston Building, 644-3017) (www.gre.org). A ten percent exemption to the minimum GPA or GRE score of 1000 may be granted by the University to the Departments.

4. Foreign students who receive or expect to receive financial aid from FSU (fellowship or assistantship) must apply for a U.S. Visa as student (J-1 visa), certified by the "host" Department. All foreign nationals must apply through the FSU International Admissions Office, 2249 University Center. Foreign students whose native language is not English must achieve a score of 550 on the TOEFL.

5. If a student has not registered during two consecutive semesters (including the summer term), and wishes to resume studies or candidacy or undertake a subsequent graduate program at FSU, he/she must apply to the Registrar, 2315 University Center, for readmission and must secure the formal approval of the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics. The same is true for those who have received one degree from FSU and wish to pursue another, and for those who have registered "for examination only," but failed to complete a given degree.

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Financial Assistance

Graduate teaching assistantships are available. Graduate assistants pursue their studies on a basis that will normally require about two years to complete the M.A. program (thesis type, 30 hours; course work type, 32 hours), an additional two years to complete the Ph.D. course work (30 hours), and an additional year for completion of the dissertation (24 hours).

In 2008-2009, TA's will receive a minimum of $12,800 for teaching 12 hours (four courses) per year. In addition, opportunities for summer teaching are good. Florida has no state income tax, and living costs are relatively low.

Graduate fellowships for M.A. and Ph.D. candidates are available on a competitive basis to a limited number of students. Other forms of financial aid are available through the Financial Aid Office.

Registration fees must be paid by all except fellows. Out-of-state tuition is waived for both fellows and assistants, contingent upon continued appropriations to the University from the legislature. At present 9 hours of tuition are waived per term. Eligibility for consideration for any grant-in-aid for a given academic year depends first on admission to graduate student status at FSU, and second on the qualifications documented in the application for assistantships submitted to the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, Florida State University. Deadline for applications for fellowships and for teaching assistantships is January 31st for the following fall term. Application before these deadlines is recommended. Later applications for teaching assistantships may be considered if assistantships are still available.

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General

Graduate credits are normally taken in 5000-level courses or above. Full-time enrollment is required. The combined teaching and study load is generally limited to a maximum of 15 semester hours.Graduate students must maintain a grade average of "B" (3.0) or better.

Entering M.A. students will be advised by the Graduate Advisor of the division. Ph.D. students will initially be advised by the Graduate Advisor until they select their Major Professor. Students writing an M.A. thesis and all Ph.D. students must have a Major Professor and a Supervisory Committee.

Progressive steps toward the completion of M.A. or Ph.D. requirements are reported by signed Warrants ("Certification of Graduate Exams and Degrees") to the Associate Chairperson for Graduate Studies, for departmental recording and transmittal to appropriate university officials.

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Teaching Assistantships

All teaching assistants must register for a minimum of nine (9) semester hours of course work in the Spanish and Portuguese Division each fall and spring semester, and six (6) semester hours of course work in the Division of Spanish and Portuguese in the summer if they are teaching. All new Teaching Assistants must take FOL 5934 Research Foundations and Practice in Communicative Language Teaching. Students entering the program in January must take the course during the following semester. Students accepted provisionally who subsequently achieve regular status and are eligible for teaching assistantships will not begin teaching until they have taken FOL 5934.

Teaching Assistants must register each semester in the section of SPN 5940r, Teaching Practicum, that corresponds to their supervisor. Students must maintain a grade of S in SPN 5940. In cases where a teaching assistant receives a U in SPN 5940, the divisional faculty will meet to decide whether to retain or terminate that person's services as a Teaching Assistant and, if retained, the Teaching Assistant would be on probation as a Teaching Assistant the semester after receiving the "U."

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Minor in Spanish or Portuguese

For a minor in Spanish or Portuguese at the graduate level, 9 hours of courses are required at the M.A. level, 9 hours at the Ph.D. level. The student must locate a member of the graduate faculty willing to advise the student, and prepare and grade the student's comprehensive or preliminary exam questions.

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