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Division of Spanish And Poruguese in Modern Langauges and Lingusitsics Graduate Section Florida State
University

Ph.D. Degree

A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate credit in Spanish and/or approved related fields beyond the M.A. degree at or above the 5000 level is normally required in the doctoral program.

The two tracks for specialization are:

A. Iberian and Latin American Literatures and Cultures

  1. Early
  2. Modern
  3. Contemporary

B. Language & Linguistics

  1. Formal Linguistics
  2. Applied Linguistics
  3. Second Language Acquisition
 

Minimum area requirements for students in the Iberian and Latin American Literatures and Cultures track are:

  • 12 hours in the major area,
  • 6 in the secondary area,
  • 3 in the remaining area, and
  • 6 for electives.

Minimum area requirements for students in the Language and Linguistics track are:

  • 6 hours in Linguistic Theory
  • 6 in Applied Linguistics (sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, etc.)
  • 6 in Second Language Acquisition
  • 3-6 in Research Methods and Statistics, and
  • 6-9 for electives.

All course work should be arranged with the Graduate Advisor or, after the first year at the latest, with the Major Professor. Courses taken for the M.A. degree may be used to satisfy this distribution requirement. Permission from the Division of Spanish and Portuguese is required to use courses taken for the B.A. to satisfy this requirement.

All Ph.D. candidates are also required to take:

  • SPW 6806 Research Methods and Bibliography in Literary and Cultural Studies (3 hours) (Only for literature specialists)
  • FOL 5932 Quantitative Research Methods in SLA (Only for linguistics specialists)
  • FOL 5934 Research Foundations and Practice in Communicative Language Teaching (3 hours)
  • SPN 5845 History of the Spanish Language (3 hours)
  • FOW 5025 Critical Theory and Its Applications to Non-English Literatures (3 hours) (Only for literature specialists)

These courses should be taken as early in the student's program as possible and must be taken before the Preliminary Examination.

After students have earned the M.A. degree in Spanish or 30 semester hours of graduate credit in Spanish, they must spend on the Florida State University campus a period of continuous enrollment of at least 24 graduate semester hours of credit in any period of twelve consecutive months.

Ph.D. students may choose to have a minor or a certificate, usually another foreign language or literature, linguistics, Latin American Studies, education, history, etc. If students choose to have a minor or certificate, approximately one-fourth of the courses will be in the minor field. This area will be an additional exam in the Preliminary Examination.

The language requirement for the doctoral degree consists of reading knowledge in two languages other than Spanish and English which are germane to research in the student's proposed specialty area. The student's Supervisory Committee determines which languages are germane. The requirement can be satisfied by 1) passing the reading knowledge examination offered by the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics (FRE 5069, GER 5069, etc.) or 2) completing a 2200-level course with a grade of B or better. Courses taken in high school do not satisfy the requirement. The language requirement must be satisfied before taking the Preliminary Examination.

 

 

 

Doctoral Supervisory Committee


The Doctoral Supervisory Committee, which guides students through the various steps toward the Ph.D. degree, should be appointed as soon as possible after students have begun Ph.D. studies, that is, no later than in the second semester on campus. A prerequisite to setting up the committee is that students have a general idea of their area of specialization, since the Major Professor must necessarily be a person with special competence in that area.

The Supervisory Committee will consist of the Major Professor and at least two members of the Spanish graduate faculty who have doctoral directive status, plus a representative-at-large of the graduate faculty with doctoral directive status drawn from outside the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, and the Minor Professor (if any). The at-large representative may also be the Minor Professor. Any other members of the Committee will be chosen from the Spanish faculty and must have at least Master's Directive Status. The committee must include a representative from each area in which the student is to be examined on the Preliminary Examination.

Since the University Bulletin states that the appointment of the Major Professor must be mutually acceptable to the Department Chair (who approves the Major Professor), the student, and the professor, the student may, in effect, choose the professor he/she wishes as Major Professor, subject to the approval of the professor chosen. The Major Professor, in consultation with the student, recommends to the department Chair the remaining members of the Supervisory Committee. The department Chair, upon receipt of the form signed by the Major Professor and the committee members, formally appoints the committee.

The student will prepare with the Major Professor a proposed Program of Studies. This Program of Studies is placed in the student’s file. Additionally, the student will meet with the Major Professor each spring to review his/her progress toward the degree.

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Doctoral Preliminary Examination 
 


Before taking the preliminary examination, the student must have a Major Professor and Supervisory Committee, an approved Program of Studies, have completed the language requirements, and have taken SPW 6806.

The written Doctoral Preliminary Examination, based on the individually prepared Ph.D. reading lists, course work, and the doctoral dissertation topic, in consultation with the committee members, is designed to ascertain the candidate's scholarly competence and the breadth and depth of his/her literary or linguistic knowledge. It is the student's responsibility to register for the Preliminary Examination (SPW 8964r) during the regular registration period.

The Ph.D. examination in Iberian and Latin American Literatures and Cultures will consist of three sections. Two parts will be from the following areas of specialization:

  • Early
  • Modern
  • Contemporary

The third part of the examination will be on the student's dissertation topic. In consultation with the major professor, the student will create a substantive reading list for the dissertation area. The examination questions, based on this reading list, will relate generally to the dissertation topic.

If the student has a minor or certificate area and wishes an examination in that area, it is the student's responsibility to find a professor from that area who will prepare and grade the questions. The minor area or certificate examination will be in addition to the three examinations required in Spanish.

The exam format is to be determined by the examining professors and will either be an in-class proctored exam or a take-home written exam. Questions will be specific in nature and may include identifications, essays, problem-solving questions. If the student does not pass one area on the Ph.D. examination, the student will be reexamined in that area upon request. If the student does not pass two or more areas, the entire examination must be retaken at least four months after the original examination. In the event all areas are not passed after the second examination, the student is no longer eligible to be in the program. An oral examination by the committee will be held after having read the written examination.

The Ph.D. examination in the Language and Linguistics track will consist of three sections to be determined in consultation with the major professor. Possible areas include:

  • Formal Linguistics
  • Applied Linguistics
  • Second Language Acquisition
  • Dissertation Topic

The examination questions will be based on reading lists and course work. The exam format is to be determined by the examining professors and will either be an in-class proctored exam or a take-home written exam.

If the student has a minor and wishes an examination in a minor area, it is the student's responsibility to find a professor from the minor area who will prepare and grade the questions in that area. The minor area examination will be in addition to the three examinations required in Spanish.

If the student does not pass one area on the Ph.D. examination, the student will be reexamined in that area upon request. If the student does not pass two or more areas, the entire examination must be retaken during a subsequent regular examination period. In the event all areas are not passed after the second examination, the student is no longer eligible to be in the program. An oral examination by the committee will be held after having read the written examination.

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Dissertation


 

The student is officially a "Candidate for the Doctoral Degree" upon passing the written and oral portions of the Preliminary Examination. This candidacy must be achieved at least six months before the granting of the Ph.D. degree.

The Dissertation must be on a Hispanic topic and must constitute a significant research contribution to knowledge. After completing the Preliminary Examination but before beginning work, the candidate must submit an acceptable Prospectus of Dissertation to the Supervisory Committee. The Supervisory Committee must approve a Prospectus of the Dissertation before the student enrolls in SPN 6980r (See Appendix XV: Prospectus Guidelines for Writers of Theses and Dissertations). A copy of this Prospectus bearing the signatures of all committee members, must be submitted by the student for inclusion in the student's file. The student must register for two hours of SPN 6980r (Dissertation) every term in which he/she uses the resources of Florida State University. A minimum of 24 semester hours of SPN 6980 credit is required.

When the research and collection of data have reached the point where the student will begin writing the Dissertation, he/she should submit his/her carefully edited preliminary draft chapter by chapter to the Supervisory Committee for corrections, suggestions, and approval.

Hard copies of the final version of the Dissertation, prepared in accordance with the most recent edition of the MLA Style Manual or MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers and the Guidelines and Requirements for Thesis, Treatise, and Dissertation Writers (available from the Office of Graduate Studies, 644-3500), together with an abstract in English of a maximum of 350 words, must be submitted to the Supervisory Committee at least four weeks before the Oral Defense of the Dissertation, which must be scheduled no less than two weeks before the candidate plans to receive the degree. The student must register for Dissertation Defense, SPW 8985, in the semester the defense is to take place. The date, time, and place of the defense will be announced at least two weeks in advance by a memo from the Major Professor to the Supervisory Committee, the candidate, the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, the department Chair, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Dean of Graduate Studies, and Media Relations. The Associate Chair for Graduate Studies will in turn publicize the defense to the department.

After the Oral Defense and approval of the Dissertation, the student will submit the completed Dissertation to the Office of Graduate Studies. All students must submit their Dissertations electronically. For detailed instructions on the submission process and formatting requirements, see the Office of Graduate Studies website, particularly Thesis, Treatise and Dissertation Preparation.

In the semester the student expects to receive the degree, it is also the student's responsibility to make all necessary arrangements with the Registrar's Office, the Office of Graduate Studies, and the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies concerning his/her diploma, fees, degree clearance, etc. The student is also responsible for meeting the technical requirements of the Office of Graduate Studies and should consult with that office soon after starting work on the Dissertation.

The Ph.D. Dissertation must be completed within five years of the Doctoral Preliminary Examination, or the examination will have to be retaken.

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