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The degrees offered are the master of arts and doctor of philosophy in Spanish. In addition, the department offers a doctoral minor in Spanish or Portuguese.

An integrated curriculum in Spanish language, literatures, cultures, and linguistics provides training at the master's and PhD levels and assures that graduates are prepared to contribute as professionals in the fields of teaching and research. An active program of research contributes to new knowledge in Spanish. A comprehensive group of courses is offered in rotation during the academic year so that candidates may take courses in all fields. Classes are conducted in Spanish.

The department's graduate program in Spanish is consistently among the finest in the country. Teaching assistantships are offered each year to graduate candidates in Spanish and Portuguese. A full complement of courses in Spanish and Spanish American, literatures, cultures, and linguistics is offered on a regular basis.

Fellowships, scholarships, teaching assistantships, and project assistantships are available to qualified graduate degree candidates.

Students pursuing advanced degrees in this department are advised to include in their training work in other languages and literatures, art, social sciences, linguistics, film studies, and philosophy. Knowledge of other languages is required for advanced work in Hispanic fields.

Admissions

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online.

Fall Deadline January 5
Spring Deadline The program does not admit in the spring.
Summer Deadline The program does not admit in the summer.
GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) Not required.
English Proficiency Test Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Requirements for Admission policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1241.
Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT) n/a
Letters of Recommendation Required 3

MA students in Spanish at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are admitted to doctoral studies in this department on the recommendation of the MA examining committee upon successful completion of the PhD qualifying examination. 

Applicants with a master's from another institution are admitted to the doctoral program by virtue of their acceptance by the department. A minimum graduate GPA of 3.4 (on a 4.0 scale) is required.

During the registration period, the student will be asked to supply supplementary information regarding courses taken previously, experience abroad, scope of readings in Spanish and Spanish American literatures, and preparation in linguistics.

Required Documentation for PhD Applications

  • Three letters of recommendation are required for all graduate student applicants, using the Graduate School's online application.
  • Unofficial transcripts from all universities attended need to be uploaded to the application. Certified English translations should accompany all non-English transcripts.
  • International degree-seeking applicants must prove English proficiency using the Graduate School's requirements.
  • Reason for Graduate Study/Statement of Purpose: What are your reasons for graduate study? Describe your current degree goals and your reasons for selecting your program(s). Your statement can be either in English or Spanish. It should not exceed three single-spaced pages, or the equivalent when double-spaced.
  • A writing sample in Spanish (e.g., term-paper length). It should be eight to ten pages. The topic should be as close as possible to the field you wish to specialize in for the PhD thesis.

All materials must be received electronically to the Department of Spanish and Portuguese by the fall deadline.

Funding

Graduate School Resources

The Bursar’s Office provides information about tuition and fees associated with being a graduate student. Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Program Resources

Prospective students should see the program website for funding information.

On This Page

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Review the Graduate School minimum degree requirements and policies, in addition to the program requirements listed below.

Major Requirements

Mode of Instruction

Face to Face Evening/Weekend Online Hybrid Accelerated
Yes No No No No

Mode of Instruction Definitions

Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.

Evening/Weekend: ​Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules.  Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.

Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.

Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.  Contact the program for more specific information.

Online: These programs are offered 100% online.  Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.

Curricular Requirements

Minimum Credit Requirement 51 credits
Minimum Residence Credit Requirement 32 credits
Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement 33 credits must be graduate-level coursework. Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1244.

In practice all doctoral coursework (with the exception of some language requirements or some doctoral minors) is designed exclusively for graduate students.
Overall Graduate GPA Requirement 3.00 GPA required.
Refer to the Graduate School: Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1203.
Other Grade Requirements No other grade requirements.
Assessments and Examinations Preliminary Examinations:
The Preliminary Examination must be taken after course requirements have been met. The prelim has two parts: a written part and an oral part. The written part of the exam has two components: 1) a series of take-home exams and 2) a 5 to 10-page dissertation prospectus plus bibliography. An oral examination defense follows the written portions of the Preliminary Examination. The oral exam defense is approximately two hours long, at the discretion of the examining committee. It should cover both the take-home examinations and the dissertation prospectus. The candidate will receive a grade of pass or fail in the preliminary examination. In the case of failing the exam, it could be retaken once within a month (after consultation with the adviser). Should the dissertation prospectus be approved, the candidate will have a maximum of three months to officially defend a dissertation proposal.

The Doctoral Dissertation:
The final oral examination for the PhD (the dissertation defense) will concentrate solely on the dissertation and generally does not exceed two hours in length. The examining committee is composed of a minimum of four members, at least one of whom must be from outside the student’s program in Spanish, and at least three of whom, including the dissertation director, should be designated as readers. This examination is held at least two weeks after the dissertation is submitted.
Language Requirements Knowledge of other languages is essential for doctoral research. Candidates must demonstrate proficiency in either one or two languages appropriate for their area of research, to be decided in consultation with their advisor. Students are urged to fulfill the language requirements as early as possible in their doctoral studies. In any event, these must be fulfilled prior to the Preliminary Examination.

While any language may be used to fulfill the language requirement, the most common ones are those with regular course offerings or reading knowledge exams like Spanish (for candidates in Portuguese) or Portuguese (for candidates in Spanish), French, Italian, Latin, German, Arabic, Hebrew, Quechua and Yucatec Maya. Proficiency is defined as the level reached in any of the courses or pairs of courses listed below (or their equivalent), with the grades indicated, or a score of “Advanced High Pass/High Pass” on the UW Extension Reading Knowledge Exam if it is offered.
Graduate School Breadth Requirement All doctoral students are required to complete a doctoral minor or graduate/professional certificate. Refer to the Graduate School: Breadth Requirement in Doctoral Training policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1200.

If choosing a minor, the doctoral candidate must present a minor in work done outside of Spanish. The minor should be in an area related to the major field of interest. Portuguese, French, Comparative Literature, and Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies are among the most common minors. Distributed minors (for a minimum of 9 credits) must be approved by the advisor. Requirements for the minor are established by the respective department. Since the minor should complement the student’s major area of concentration, the student should arrange their program with the minor department as early as possible in the doctoral career. For a minor in Portuguese, the student should have a minimum of 9 credits beyond PORTUG 301/PORTUG 302. Also, courses taken to fulfill the language requirement cannot count toward the minor in Portuguese. Similarly, courses taken for a minor in Educational Psychology, Curriculum & Instruction, or Second Language Acquisition cannot also be counted as Research Design courses.

Required Courses

Students select a major area and two supporting fields: literature or linguistics. The major is the area of specialization; the student is expected to have a thorough knowledge of the currents, primary works and critical bibliography pertaining to it.

The program provides multiple opportunities for the development of analytical skills, and integrated with those skills an extensive knowledge of theoretical issues. The selection of the major and supporting fields is made by the beginning of the second semester of doctoral studies.

Independent Study

With prior department approval and when courses are not available, up to 3 credits of SPANISH 899 Independent Reading may be applied towards degree requirements.

In the semester before taking the Preliminary Examination, a student may apply SPANISH 899 Independent Reading designed to work toward the dissertation proposal as one of the two courses, as long as another course is taken in the department. This exception may only apply once, even in the case that the Preliminary Examination is postponed.

Spanish PhD with a Concentration in Literature1

Students are expected to know the most significant writers and works and the most important currents and developments. Student must also have a good knowledge of critical bibliography.

This pathway is based on six literary areas:

  1. Medieval Literature
  2. Golden Age Literature
  3. Modern Peninsular Literature
  4. Spanish American I Literature (Colonial to 1900)
  5. Spanish American II Literature (20th and 21st Century)
  6. Latinx Studies

With advisor approval, linguistics field may be used as a supporting field only.

Core
Students must complete the following course.
SPANISH 770 Introduction to the Profession3
Major Area12
Advanced Courses (minimum of 6 courses)18
In consultation with advisor, students must complete at least six courses numbered 600 or above. At least two of these courses must be in the major. With advisor approval, students may complete one advanced course outside of the department.
Breadth9
Electives/Research
Coursework can be completed from the following courses: 29
SPANISH 801
 Seminar-Spanish American Literature
SPANISH 802
 Seminar-Spanish American Literature
SPANISH 851
 Seminar in Golden Age Prose: Cervantes Don Quijote
SPANISH 852
 Seminar in Golden Age Prose
SPANISH 861
 Seminar-Modern Spanish Literature
SPANISH/​A A E/​ANTHRO/​C&E SOC/​GEOG/​HISTORY/​LACIS/​POLI SCI/​PORTUG/​SOC  982
 Interdepartmental Seminar in the Latin-American Area
Total Credits51
1

These pathways are internal to the program and represent different curricular paths a student can follow to earn this degree. Pathway names do not appear in the Graduate School admissions application, and they will not appear on the transcript.

2

Other courses may be used to satisfy these requirements with advisor approval.

Spanish PhD with a Concentration in Linguistics1

Students are expected to know the most significant linguistic schools and approaches and the most important currents and developments. Students must also have a good knowledge of critical bibliography.

Students select a pathway from the three areas; the other two automatically become supporting fields.  The three linguistics areas are:

  1. Theoretical/Formal Spanish Linguistics
  2. Language Variation and Change
  3. Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition
Core
Students must complete the following course.
SPANISH 770 Introduction to the Profession3
Major Area12
Students in the Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition Area are required to take two graduate-level Research Design courses chosen in consultation with the student's advisor. (See"Language Requirements" above)6
Advanced Courses (Minimum of 6 courses)18
In consultation with advisor, students must complete at least six courses numbered 600 or above. At least two of these courses must be in the major. With advisor approval, students may complete one advanced course outside of the department.
Breadth9
Electives/Research
Coursework can be completed from the following courses: 23
SPANISH 446
 Topics in Spanish Linguistics
SPANISH 630
 Topics in Hispanic Linguistics
SPANISH 899
 Independent Reading
Total Credits51
1

These pathways are internal to the program and represent different curricular paths a student can follow to earn this degree. Pathway names do not appear in the Graduate School admissions application, and they will not appear on the transcript.

2

Other courses may be used to satisfy these requirements with advisor approval.

Graduate School Policies

The Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures serve as the official document of record for Graduate School academic and administrative policies and procedures and are updated continuously. Note some policies redirect to entries in the official UW-Madison Policy Library. Programs may set more stringent policies than the Graduate School. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.

Major-Specific Policies

Prior Coursework

Graduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions

After one semester in residence, students from other institutions may petition the Graduate Studies Committee to transfer. Students may transfer up to 9 credits (three courses) to satisfy degree requirements, except in the major field, and no more than three credits may be granted in one but not both of the student's supporting fields. Each petition must be approved by the advisor, validated by a faculty member specializing in that field, and assessed by the Graduate Studies Committee with regard to its level and appropriateness. Only in rare circumstances will exceptions be considered. Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

Undergraduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions or UW-Madison

No credits from undergraduate courses from an undergraduate degree are allowed to fulfill degree requirements. Students who have taken graduate level courses are allowed to petition with their advisor's consent up to a maximum of 7 credits.

Credits Earned as a Professional Student at UW-Madison (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary careers)

Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.

Credits Earned as a University Special Student at UW–Madison

With program approval, students are allowed to transfer no more than 6 credits of coursework numbered 300 or above taken as a UW–Madison University Special student. However, these credits are not allowed to count toward the 50% graduate coursework minimum unless numbered 700 or above or are taken to meet the requirements of a capstone certificate and has the “Grad 50%” attribute. Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

Probation

Students must take a minimum of two graduate-level courses in Spanish and/or Portuguese for credit each semester, exclusive of Independent Reading (SPANISH 899 Independent Reading) courses, with the following exceptions:

  • Students may count up to three courses taken toward their PhD minor. Students must submit the appropriate form with the advisor's signature to the Graduate Coordinator each time an exception is requested.
  • Audited course do not count toward the two-course minimum requirement.
  • If the two-course rule impedes the student’s progress toward completion of the degree, students may petition an exception, with the written support of their advisor. This regulation does not apply to students who have passed the PhD Preliminary Examination.

Satisfactory progress depends on:

  • maintaining a GPA of at least 3.0, adhering to the rule whereby students must take two courses within the department (or have the rule waived by petition), and
  • fulfilling all academic requirements.

Students who are not in good standing will not be given sections to teach as teaching assistants, and those whose GPA goes below 3.0 are put on academic probation. If a semester of 3.0 is not attained during the subsequent semester, the student may be dismissed from the program.

Advisor / Committee

The doctoral candidates arrange their program with an assigned graduate advisor, representing one of the areas of concentration, at the beginning of their studies in this department. The advisor represents a field in which the student has expressed primary interest. The candidate may, of course, seek advice and suggestions from individual professors, but it is important to maintain frequent and ongoing contact with the regular advisor. At the beginning of the second semester in residence the academic advisor and the candidate make a detailed review of the first semester's progress.

All students must have a substantial meeting with their advisor every semester to review their progress and work out the best strategies for future coursework and degree progress.

Credits Per Term Allowed

15 credit maximum. Refer to the Graduate School: Maximum Credit Loads and Overload Requests policy.

Time Limits

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese enforces the Graduate School policy that establishes a five-year deadline for completion and defense of the doctoral dissertation, unless they receive an extension. If the candidate does not complete the dissertation within five years of the preliminary examination, the candidate must retake this examination.

Refer to the Graduate School: Time Limits policy.

Grievances and Appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

L&S Policy for Graduate Student Academic Appeals

Graduate students have the right to appeal an academic decision related to an L&S graduate program if the student believes that the decision is inconsistent with published policy.

Academic decisions that may be appealed include: 

  • Dismissal from the graduate program
  • Failure to pass a qualifying or preliminary examination
  • Failure to achieve satisfactory academic progress
  • Academic disciplinary action related to failure to meet professional conduct standards

Issues such as the following cannot be appealed using this process:

  • A faculty member declining to serve as a graduate student’s advisor.
  • Decisions regarding the student’s disciplinary knowledge, evaluation of the quality of work, or similar judgements. These are the domain of the department faculty.
  • Course grades. These can be appealed instead using the L&S Policy for Grade Appeal.
  • Incidents of bias or hate, hostile and intimidating behavior, or discrimination (Title IX, Office of Compliance). Direct these to the linked campus offices appropriate for the incident(s).

Appeal Process for Graduate Students

A graduate student wishing to appeal an academic decision must follow the process in the order listed below. Note time limits within each step.

  1. The student should first seek informal resolution, if possible, by discussing the concern with their academic advisor, the department’s Director of Graduate Studies, and/or the department chair.
  2. If the program has an appeal policy listed in their graduate program handbook, the student should follow the policy as written, including adhering to any indicated deadlines. In the absence of a specific departmental process, the chair or designee will be the reviewer and decision maker, and the student should submit a written appeal to the chair within 15 business days of the academic decision. The chair or designee will notify the student in writing of their decision.
  3. If the departmental process upholds the original decision, the graduate student may next initiate an appeal to L&S. To do so, the student must submit a written appeal to the L&S Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Academic Affairs within 15 business days of notification of the department’s decision.
    1. To the fullest extent possible, the written appeal should include, in a single document: a clear and concise statement of the academic decision being appealed, any relevant background on what led to the decision, the specific policies involved, the relief sought, any relevant documentation related to the departmental appeal, and the names and titles of any individuals contributing to or involved in the decision.
    2. The Assistant Dean will work with the Academic Associate Dean of the appropriate division to consider the appeal. They may seek additional information and/or meetings related to the case. 
    3. The Assistant Dean and Academic Associate Dean will provide a written decision within 20 business days.
  4. If L&S upholds the original decision, the graduate student may appeal to the Graduate School. More information can be found on their website: Grievances and Appeals (see: Graduate School Appeal Process).

Other

Credits earned in the master's program (with the exception of SPANISH 770 Introduction to the Profession) and any transfer credits used to satisfy master's requirements, satisfy the PhD course requirements.

Guaranteed funding through teaching assistantships. Many additional sources of funding are available on a competitive basis, including the Advanced Opportunity Fellowship, summer research Mellon fellowships, one-semester dissertation fellowships, Title VI FLAS fellowships for summer and year-long foreign language study, Nave summer research travel grants, and numerous others.

Professional Development

Graduate School Resources

Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

Learning Outcomes

  1. (Literature / Linguistics) Articulates research problems, potentials, and limits with respect to theory, knowledge and practice within the field of study and with a view to interdisciplinarity.
  2. (Literature / Linguistics) Formulates ideas, concepts, and theoretical approaches beyond the current boundaries of knowledge and practice within the field of study, and thus makes a substantial contributions to those fields.
  3. (Literature / Linguistics) Develops archival and/or bibliographic research skills or other evidence-gathering techniques with the aim of furthering historical and cultural knowledge of the specific field of inquiry.
  4. (Literature / Linguistics) Demonstrates breadth within learning experiences.
  5. (Literature / Linguistics) Advances contributions of the field of study to society.
  6. (Literature / Linguistics) Communicates complex ideas and original arguments clearly and understandably in both Spanish and English and demonstrates reading knowledge of two other languages pertinent to the field of inquiry.
  7. (Literature / Linguistics) Develops academic professionalization through scholarly exchange and/or participation in conferences and other extracurricular activities in preparation for a career path related to the field.
  8. (Literature / Linguistics) Develops and demonstrates effective teaching skills (for intermediate and advanced classes).