Admission Requirements
We require that applicants have completed at least a B.A. in Hispanic Studies or a related area before beginning the program and can demonstrate advanced written and oral proficiency in Spanish and English. Strong letters of reference are expected as well as a compelling academic essay. Application materials should indicate a high probability for success in a rigorous, research-based program of study at the doctoral level. Applicants for whom English is not their native or primary language must submit official scores on the following assessments and achieve the minimum scores indicated: TOEFL = 79 (internet-based), 213 (computer-based), or 550 (paper-based); IELTS = 6.5; Duolingo = 115. The following materials must be submitted via the Graduate School portal (https://apply.gradschool.uky.edu/apply/) by the January 25th deadline for applicants to be considered:
- Statement of purpose in English or Spanish (500-750 words)
- Transcripts of all university academic coursework – unofficial copies acceptable (official will be requested upon admission)
- Academic writing sample in Spanish (e.g., a formal paper submitted as part of a course)
- Three letters of recommendation from university professors
International applicants who have previously completed a BA or MA degree in the United States do not need to submit English language exam scores unless the admissions committee has concerns about proficiency.
In most cases, those being considered for acceptance will be asked to participate in a video-conference call as a means to measure English and Spanish oral proficiency.
A Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score is NOT required to apply for and be accepted into the graduate program in Hispanic Studies; however, those students who wish to apply for certain non-departmental scholarships, grants, and fellowships that do require the GRE, may want to take it.
Degree Requirements
The Ph.D. in Hispanic Studies requires a minimum of 58 credit hours, which includes at least 4 dissertation residency credits, i.e., SPA 767 . Students declare one of two broad areas of specialization: Hispanic Literary and Cultural Studies OR Hispanic Linguistics and Applied Linguistics. Each specialization requires a foundation course: SPA 770 (Introduction to Hispanic Studies) for Hispanic Literary and Cultural Studies students and SPA 600 (Introduction to Spanish Linguistics) for Hispanic Linguistics and Applied Linguistics students. Students will declare a primary area of interest within their specialization and a secondary area of interest from either specialization.
The primary area of interest must include at least 5 courses (15 cr. hrs.) while the secondary area must include at least 3 courses (9 cr. hrs.). These courses are selected in consultation with the DGS, doctoral advisory committee chair, or both and must be approved by the DGS and the doctoral advisory committee chair. At least 9 credit hours of the 54 pre-dissertation residency hours must be taken outside the department, i.e., non-SPA prefixed courses, and must be approved by the DGS and doctoral advisory committee chair. At least 2/3 of all pre-dissertation residency credit hours, or 36 cr. hrs., applied to the doctoral degree must be at the 600 and 700 level. Of the 18 courses (54 cr. hrs.) completed prior to the dissertation residency hours, 12 courses (36 cr. hrs.), must be SPA-prefixed courses. The eight free electives (24 cr. hrs.), which must be selected in consultation with and approved by the DGS and advisor, should complement the student’s areas of study.
Qualifying Exams: Students will still complete a take-home, open-book exam based on the dissertation topic and a four-hour, closed-book written exam of 2-3 questions based on coursework from the primary area of emphasis. A single, three-hour closed-book written exam based on coursework completed for the secondary area of emphasis will also be completed.
Students who choose Hispanic Linguistics and Applied Linguistics as their specialization are required to take SPA 600 (Introduction to Spanish Linguistics) and identify a primary area of study from within the following 2 areas: Spanish Linguistics, Spanish Applied Linguistics. In the following bullet list, potential areas of emphasis appear after each option as well as faculty research foci within the area of emphasis:
- Spanish Linguistics: Spanish sociolinguistics, Critical Discourse Analysis, Language and Power, Spanish-Guaraní Bilingualism, Sephardic Spanish (Judeoespañol), Spanish Dialectology, Comparative-Historical Spanish Linguistics (faculty research foci:)
- Spanish Applied Linguistics: Spanish Second Language Acquisition, Spanish as a Heritage Language, L2 Spanish Assessment, L2 Spanish Post-secondary Curriculum Development & Design.
Students who choose Hispanic Literary and Cultural Studies as their specialization are required to take SPA 770 (Introduction to Hispanic Studies) and identify a primary area of study from within the following 2 broad areas: Spanish Studies, Latin American/Latinx Studies. In the following bullet list, potential areas of emphasis appear after each option as well as faculty research foci within the area of emphasis:
- Spanish Studies: Golden Age, Early Modern and Colonial, the Enlightenment, Modern and Contemporary Literature, Neocolonialism (faculty research foci: short fiction, travel writing, war writing, writings of the self and autofiction, film, visual studies, myth theory, trauma studies, memory, migration, Moroccan literature in Spanish, women’s writing and feminisms)
- Latin American/Latinx Studies: Colonial Studies, Modern and Contemporary Latin America, Latinx and US culture, Latinos/as in the US [faculty research foci: indigenous peoples and religion, race, coloniality, visual studies, women’s writing, gender and ethnic identity, film studies (silent film, experimental film), film & literature, film and media studies, industry studies, border studies, media activism and advocacy.]
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