Ph.D. Degree in Hispanic Literature

 

 

Eligible students entering the Ph.D. program with a B.A. will generally receive five (occasionally six) years of financial support. Eligible students entering the program with an M.A. generally receive four (occasionally five) years of support.

 

Admission Requirements:

 

Basic requirement: Candidates to the Ph.D. programs should: 1) have earned an M.A. at Vanderbilt University or from another nationally recognized program in an appropriate field; 2) demonstrate oral and written proficiency in Spanish and English. If the incoming student has not studied Portuguese, this requirement should be completed by the end of the first year of residence.

 

General requirements: 1) official transcripts of all undergraduate and, if appropriate, graduate study, 2) three faculty letters of recommendation, preferably from graduate school, if applying to the Ph.D. program from the outside, 3) a statement of purpose elaborating the applicant’s professional objectives, 4) a writing sample in Spanish (preferably a graduate-level academic paper, if applying to the Ph.D. program from the outside), 5) GRE scores, 6) TOEFL score for international students who have not studied in an English-speaking country.

 

Degree Requirements:

 

1. Student Standing: Students must maintain a B+ average or better in all graduate courses to remain in good standing. Students may request up to a maximum of two Incompletes (I) during their entire stay at Vanderbilt and cannot keep an Incomplete (I) for more than one semester. Students must show competency in classroom instruction and advance toward their degrees in a timely fashion. Students should actively participate in the departmental academic life and attend lectures, presentations, and other activities sponsored by the department. Only students in good standing may present a dissertation proposal and take the doctoral exams. Good standing is a prerequisite for financial assistance, including summer support and teaching assistantships.

 

2. Languages: Candidates, after consultation with their advisors and with the approval of the DGS, will select one language beyond the one required for the M.A. (Portuguese) or continue with the language selected for the M.A. The second language requirement may be fulfilled by completing the beginning level of Catalan, French, or another Romance language with an A- or better, by taking a reading-for-graduate-students class with the same minimum grade, or by taking a graduate class in the chosen language. Students with a special academic interest in another language should request in writing approval from the Director of Graduate Studies before enrolling.

 

NOTES:

a. If a student wants to continue to study the language that was taken for the M.A. instead of choosing an additional foreign language, approval by the DGS is required. This decision will based on the appropriateness of the initial language studied.

b. Native or near-native proficiency in both Spanish and Portuguese are required of all students enrolled in the combined Spanish and Portuguese Ph.D. program.

 

3. Coursework: The Ph.D. requires 63 credits (i.e., 21 courses).

 

A. Required courses:

1. 310 (Foreign Language Learning and Teaching), if a teaching assistantship is granted.

2. 301 (Literary Analysis and Theory)

3. 302 (Ibero-Romance Philology)

4. 303 (The Art of Research and Grant Proposal Writing)

 

B. Core: A minimum of 21 credits should be in graduate seminars in Spanish.

 

C. Electives: The other 9 credits (elective) correspond to the minor and may be taken outside the department.

 

4. Required minor: There is a mandatory minor in the Ph.D. in Spanish, which consists of a minimum of 9 credits. After the M.A. exam and within the next academic year, students send their academic advisor in writing their plan to complete the minor. The academic advisor will assess the coherence and relevance of the minor and send the plan for the minor to the DGS. Some minors are pre-established and do not require prior approval. They must simply be declared. These minors are: 1) the certificate program in Second Language Acquisition, 2) the certificate program in Latin American and Iberian Studies, and 3) the interdisciplinary minor in Philosophy and Literature (see descriptions below).

 

NOTE: There is no mandatory minor in the combined Spanish /Portuguese Ph.D. though the student is advised to consider seeking a certificate in LAS or SLA.

 

Restrictions:

1. Transfer credit may not exceed 18 hours. In special cases, with a recommendation by the DGS, the Faculty could approve the transfer of up to 6 additional credits.

2. Transfer students will take a partial or total M.A. exam depending on their academic preparation and on the type of exam taken previously.

3. No undergraduate courses in Spanish will be counted towards the Ph.D.

IMPORTANT NOTE: All 200-level Portuguese literature courses in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese may be counted for the combined Spanish and Portuguese Ph.D.

4. Time limitations:

a) The Graduate School requires that the qualifying examination be taken within four years of admission to the Ph.D. program.

b) The Graduate School also requires that the dissertation be completed within four years after a student has been admitted to candidacy for the degree (completion of qualifying exams).

c) The Department considers these time limits to be reasonable and will not grant extensions except for compelling reasons related to issues of health.

 

5. Reading Lists and Ph.D. Exam Preparation:

 

1. The Period List consists of primary and secondary works in all genres from a particular period that is directly related to the dissertation topic.

2. The Specialized Research List consists of works based on the dissertation topic. The dissertation and resulting list can be organized around a genre, an issue, a theme, or any combination of these elements as well as around a particular theoretical problem. The list should include primary works as well as theoretical, historical, and critical works. It may, as deemed necessary by the doctoral committee, include works from different periods, from both sides of the Atlantic, and from Africa, the Orient or any other part of the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world. A two-page statement of the thesis of the dissertation should accompany the Specialized Research List.

3. Each list normally consists of approximately 30 to 50 books (as well as complementary chapters of books, articles, and specific works of literature, theory, and criticism). Each list should be compiled by the student in consultation with his / her advisor and committee. An approved first draft of the lists and the statement should be received by the DGS and distributed to the members of the dissertation committee at least four months before the expected date for the Ph.D. exam.

4. The final proposal for the dissertation and the bibliography, approved by the advisor, should be presented to the dissertation committee one month before the exam.

5. For the creation of Ph.D. committees, schedule of reading lists and dissertation projects, and Ph.D. exams, see the Ph.D. timetable below.

6. The Ph.D. Committee will consist of three faculty members from the department and one outside member chosen by the student in consultation with his or her advisor. The composition of the dissertation committee is the responsibility of the student (who, after securing the agreement and permission of all parties involved, must provide the DGS with a list of the faculty members who will serve on the committee and indicate who will serve as committee chair) and should be established the semester prior to the Ph.D. exam.

 

6. Ph.D. Exam format:

 

1. The written exam will be organized by the student’s academic advisor / director of the dissertation and will be divided into two parts, one based on the Period List and the other on the Specialized Research list and the Proposal. The student should answer 3 out of 4 questions from each part. The essay answers should be from 10 to 15 pages long (double-spaced, New Times Roman, 11-12 point), and should demonstrate dedicated work, sophisticated thinking, and reflect the student’s readiness to start work on the dissertation. Twelve days will be allotted to this exam.

 

2. Oral Exam: the director of the dissertation will distribute copies of the exam to each member of the committee and the DGS. Five to fifteen days after a satisfactory completion of the written exam the student will take an oral exam during which the student will present the dissertation proposal, discuss it with the committee and answer questions regarding the written exam. The main purpose of the oral exam is 1) to strengthen the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of the proposal, 2) to discuss the material and content of the proposed dissertation, and 3) to define both a plan and a timetable for the completion of the dissertation.

 

3. Possible outcomes:

a) Pass with distinction and Candidacy for the Ph.D.

b) Pass and Candidacy for the Ph.D.

c) Fail
 

Timetable for Graduate Studies

 

 

A. Students entering the program with a B.A.

 

1st year

• Fall: 3 or 4 classes (9 or 12 credits) including 310 and 301 (if offered).100-level classes taken to fulfill language requirement do not count.

• Spring: 3 or 4 classes (9 or 12 credits) including 212 (if needed), and 302 (if offered). 100-level classes taken to fulfill language requirement do not count.

• Fulfill first language requirement by the end of the year.

 

2nd year

• Fall: 3 classes (9 credits). Select an academic advisor (future director of the dissertation).

• Spring: 2 classes (6 credits) and a Reading Course (3 non-counting credits). Take M.A. exams at end of the semester.

 

3rd year

• Fall: 3 classes (9 credits).

• Spring 3 Classes (9 credits). Create Ph.D. committee: a chair, 2 members from the department and 1 outside member.  Present to the Dissertation chair the first draft of the reading lists and the two-page statement of the thesis of the dissertation by week 8. An approved first draft of the lists and the statement should be received by the DGS and distributed to the members of the dissertation committee at least four months before the expected date for the Ph.D. exam.

• Fulfill second language requirement.

 

4th year

• Fall: 2 classes (6 credits) and register for Dissertation research (SPAN 399). Present to chair of the Dissertation Committee an elaborated first draft of dissertation project and final draft of reading lists by week 4 of Fall semester. Submit final Ph.D. Dissertation project by week 8 of Fall semester. Schedule Ph.D. Exam during weeks 12 and 13.

• Spring: Register for Dissertation research (SPAN 399). Apply for Dissertation Enhancement Grant and other dissertation scholarships or research grants.

 

5th and 6th year: Dissertation.

 

• Apply for Dissertation Enhancement Grant and other dissertation scholarships.

• Dissertation Defense and granting of Ph.D.

 

Note: Students entering the Portuguese M.A. will follow this timetable (unless pursuing the double M.A.).

 

B. Students entering the program with M.A. or a “Licenciatura” (or equivalent degree) in a field that may allow transfer credits for the Spanish Ph.D. (up to 18 transferred credits).

 

1st year.

• Fall: 3 or 4 classes (9 or 12 credits) including 310 and 301 (if offered).100-level classes taken to fulfill language requirement do not count.

• Spring: 3 or 4 classes (9 or 12 credits) including 212 (if needed), and 302 (if offered). 100-level classes taken to fulfill language requirement do not count.

• M.A. language requirement by the end of the year, if not fulfilled at previous institution.

• A decision about transfer credits (up to 18) will be made at the end of the year.

 

2nd year.

 

• Fall: 3 classes (9 credits). Week 3: Take partial or total M.A. exam if similar test was not taken at previous institution. Select an academic advisor (future director of the dissertation).

• Spring: 3 classes (9 credits). Second required language.

• Create Ph.D. committee: a chair, 2 members from the department and 1 outside member.  Present to the Dissertation chair the first draft of the reading lists and the two-page statement of the thesis of the dissertation by week 8. An approved first draft of the lists and the statement should be received by the DGS and distributed to the members of the dissertation committee at least four months before the expected date for the Ph.D. exam.

 

3rd year

• Fall: Complete remaining class work and register for Dissertation research (SPAN 399). Present to chair of the Dissertation Committee an elaborated first draft of dissertation project and final draft of reading lists by week 4 of Fall semester. Submit final Ph.D. Dissertation project by week 8 . Schedule Ph.D. Exam during weeks 12 and 13.

• Spring: Register for Dissertation research (SPAN 399). Apply for Dissertation Enhancement Grant and other dissertation scholarships and research grants.

 

 

4th and 5th year: Dissertation.

• Apply for Dissertation Enhancement Grant and other dissertation scholarships.

• Dissertation; defense and granting of Ph.D.