The Department of Romance Languages offers graduate programs in French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish leading to Master of Arts degrees in Spanish or Romance Languages and to the Doctoral degree in Romance Languages. MA students may choose a thesis or non-thesis degree, an emphasis in literature or in linguistics, and may study one language or a combination of languages. We are a dynamic and collaborative interdisciplinary department that favors a contextualized and integrated approach to the study of language, literature, and culture. We prepare our students to enter the profession as both teachers and scholars. Our students have won competitive assistantships, awards, fellowships, and scholarships and go on to productive careers as teachers and researchers at secondary and university levels. For further information regarding programs, courses, faculty, students, requirements for the MA and PhD degrees, as well as our graduate handbook and more, please visit our website. Application deadline is January 1.
Faculty members in the Department of Romance Languages teach the language, literature, and culture of the French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish-speaking world. Students seeking the MA in Romance Languages may choose an emphasis in French, Italian (must be in combination with another language), Portuguese, Spanish, Romance Linguistics, or a combination of two or more languages. Students may choose the thesis or non-thesis degree. Students are guided through the program by the graduate coordinator during their first year and their faculty advisor during their second year. The majority of students hold departmental teaching assistantships while completing their degree. A teaching assistantship offers a full tuition waiver and a stipend. Out of state tuition waivers are also available for graduate students not holding an assistantship. Requirements for the MA degree in Romance Languages with a Master's thesis: 33 total credit hours9 courses plus 6 credit hours for the thesis requirement, MA exams, and an oral thesis defense and demonstrated knowledge of another Romance language.
