The Ph.D. program in literature offers a choice of two degrees, in Spanish and combined Spanish-Portuguese. In preparation for doctoral studies, students may work toward the M.A. in Spanish, Portuguese, or Spanish-Portuguese. However, the Spanish and Portuguese Department only accepts applications to the Doctoral Program.
Graduate students admitted with assistantships are granted tuition remission and a stipend. The teaching load is one course per semester, and students accepted with fewer than 18 credits of graduate work are exempted from teaching duties in their first year of study. In addition, the College of Arts and Science may offer topping-up awards to highly qualified students.
Graduate students are eligible to apply for a range of summer research fellowships, travel grants, and dissertation enhancement grants.
The Department of Spanish and Portuguese sponsors guest speakers, conferences, colloquia, film series, and an e-journal. The faculty takes pride in their effort to create a rigorous and nurturing educational experience for their graduate students.
The program is small, focused, and dynamic, featuring
A near 1:1 student-faculty ratio with a superb research faculty.
A full, five-year funding package for every Ph.D. student. Graduate students admitted with assistantships are granted tuition remission and a stipend. Fellowships range from a base of $16,500 to $25,500 and include health benefits and additional funding for research and conference travel. The College of Arts and Science offers topping-up awards to the most highly qualified students.
Exemption from teaching duties in the first year of study (for students accepted with less than 18 credits of graduate work)..
A standard teaching load of one course per semester..
A flexible curriculum tailored to each student’s interests and background.
Opportunities for interdisciplinary work, including graduate Certificates in Latin American and Iberian Studies and Philosophy and Literature, as well as minor program in Gender Studies.
CFA Awards: Summer Field Research Award: $5,000 one time award.; CFA Dissertation Fellowship: $20,000 for one year plus Health Insurance fees.; CFA-CLAIS Latin American Summer Travel Award: $ 2,000.
Annual competitive Summer Research Awards: $4,500.
Dissertation Enhancement Grants: The Graduate Schoolconducts an bi-annual competition for Dissertation Enhancement Grants of up to $2,000 each. These grants are designed to support research and travel for the dissertation.
Robert Penn WarrenCenter for the Humanities. Graduate Student Fellows Program $ 18,000
Generous conference-travel funding ($500 for domestic travel and $1,000 for foreign travel).
A comprehensive system of mentoring and advising from the first day through the search for academic employment.
Guest speakers, conferences, colloquia, film series, an e-journal Vanderbilt e-Journal of Luso-Hispanic Studies), and two professional refereed journals: Bulletin of the Comediantes and Afro-Hispanic Review.
For additional information, send inquiries to:
Director of Graduate Studies Department of Spanish and Portuguese Vanderbilt University VU Station B 351617 Nashville, TN 37235-1617 Phone (615) 322-6930 Fax (615) 343-7260
The Ph.D. program in Spanish requires 63 hours of course work, which includes the 30 hours of the M.A. in Spanish and 9 hours for a minor, which may be Portuguese, a certificate program in Latin American Studies, an interdisciplinary minor in Philosophy and Literature, or another approved program of courses from one or more departments. Candidates must demonstrate either a reading knowledge of an additional foreign language beyond the one required for the M.A. (which will normally have been Portuguese) or they may continue in the study of Portuguese (or another approved language) to an advanced level.
The combined Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese requires 66 hours of course work, which includes the 45 hours of the double M.A. described above and at least 9 additional hours in each of the two areas. No minor is necessary. Near native proficiency in both Spanish and Portuguese is required of all students enrolled in the combined program. There is no additional language requirement.
The Ph. D. in Spanish and Portuguese with a specialization in Comparative Literature requires 72 hours of course work, with at least 30 credits coming from Spanish and/or Spanish American Literature, at least 21 from our Portuguese, Lusophone African, and Brazilian literature courses, and another 21 from a related language field, such as English, French, German, or Classics, or form a related area of humanistic endeavor such a History, Religion, Latin American Studies, Art, the History of Art, Philosophy, Literary Theory, or Music. Candidates must demonstrate near-native fluency in either Spanish or Portuguese (proficiency in the other language must be acquired or demonstrated at Vanderbilt) and English and demonstrate, by means of a detailed plan of study, a commitment to developing an interdisciplinary doctoral program that focuses on a core, or unifying, theme and that emphasizes a rigorously comparative methodology.
The Ph. D in Spanish and Portuguese with a specialization on Inter-American Literature requires 72 hours of course work, with at least 30 credits coming from Spanish and Spanish American literature, at least 21 from our Portuguese and Brazilian literature courses, and another 21 from a related field, such as English and American literature. Applicants to this doctoral program must demonstrate native or near native fluency in either Spanish or Portuguese and in English and show a commitment to developing a comparative doctoral program that emphasizes a pan-American or hemispheric methodology.
* Students may receive a Master Degree as part of their pursuit of a doctorate, we only accept applications to the Doctoral Program.
The M.A. program in Spanish and in Portuguese each requires 30 hours of course work. A reading knowledge of another foreign language is also required. (Credit for basic language courses taken do not count toward the degree. For Portuguese M.A. students, the required language is Spanish. For Spanish M.A. students, the recommended language is Portuguese. Students with a special academic interest in another language should request in writing approval from the Director of Graduate Studies before enrolling in any language other than Portuguese.) A 45-hour double M.A. program is also available, in which a 30-hour M.A. in either Spanish or Portuguese is complemented with 15 additional hours of course work in the other field for the conferment of the second M.A. (No additional foreign language is required).
APPLICATION
Prospective applicants can find general information at the Graduate School homepage. Application forms can be filled out online. More information, including the current Graduate School catalog, deadlines, and special requirements for international applicants can be found at the Graduate School application and information page.
