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The requirements listed below are special to this department and must be read in conjunction with the general requirements of the Graduate School.

Notes: The requirements described below for the M.A. pertain both to the free-standing Master’s degree and to the Master’s degree earned in progress toward the Ph.D.

Students who have been admitted to the free-standing Master’s program will not be considered for admission to the M.Phil/Ph.D. program unless they apply for the Ph.D. program through the application process mandated by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

For the Full-Time M.A. Degree

Residence: Two Residence Units (two semesters of continuous registration). The degree is expected to be completed in two semesters.

Languages: Reading knowledge of one foreign language that is pertinent to the student’s program (typically Latin, French, Italian, or Portuguese). Reading proficiency has to be demonstrated either by passing a proficiency exam given by a Columbia language department, by taking the “Rapid Reading and Translation” course sponsored by the relevant department, or by taking a course at or beyond the intermediate level in the language with a grade of B or better. These courses do not count toward the M.A.’s 24 points. For students specializing in Latin American Literature, Portuguese is recommended.

Courses: Eight courses (24 points). Students are expected to take a variety of courses that expose them to all periods of Hispanic culture. No R-credit courses or courses of independent study are accepted for this degree.

In addition to class presentations and participation, students write at least two papers each semester. Exams will be taken for the remaining courses. For exams, the instructor expects well-written, short scholarly essays. One of the papers written is rewritten and expanded throughout the first year of study with the help of three faculty members--one of whom serves as sponsor--and constitutes the student’s M.A. paper. At the end of the spring semester, the faculty committee considers the M.A. paper and the course work of the student and decides whether or not to grant the M.A.

For the Part-Time M.A. Degree

The free-standing M.A. degree can be earned through a program of part-time study. The requirements are the same as for the full-time M.A., with the exception that all must be fulfilled within two years.

For the M.Phil. Degree

Residence: four Residence Units beyond the two required for the M.A. degree.

Languages: Reading proficiency in two languages is required; the choice of languages is approved by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) in view of each student’s academic goals. See above procedures for language requirements under “For the Full-Time M.A. Degree.”

Courses: Nine courses (27 points) in addition to those required for the M.A. degree. Two specific courses are required: 1. a course on the methodology of language teaching (“Foreign Language Teaching Methodologies”); 2. a course on literary theory (“Graduate Seminar on Literary and Cultural Theory”). In addition to class presentations and participation, students write at least two papers each semester. Exams will be taken for the remaining courses. For exams, the instructor expects well-written, short scholarly essays.

Teaching requirement: Participation in the instructional activities of the department for three years, as a rule, the second, third, and fourth years of study. Once they have received the M.Phil, students are eligible to teach introductory Hispanic culture courses in the department or to contribute to the Core Curriculum Program. Students may only apply for such teaching duties if they have or expect to have received the M.Phil. by the May prior to being appointed and if they are not past their sixth year of registration during the first year of such teaching. No student may hold an instructional appointment after year seven in the program.

M.Phil. examination: Two written M.Phil. examinations (take-home exercises), based on two reading lists developed in consultation with the faculty. A third list, assembled by the student, corresponds to the topic of the prospective dissertation. A draft of the dissertation prospectus (some fifteen to twenty pages long) should accompany the main list. The oral M.Phil. examination consists of a defense of the dissertation prospectus draft before a three-member committee of the faculty. On the basis of the performance in the M.Phil. written and oral exams, the department may (1) award the M.Phil. degree and invite the student to begin work on the dissertation or (2) award the M.Phil. degree and not allow the student to continue, or (3) not grant the M. Phil. degree. Students are expected to complete the M.Phil. within five semesters after the M.A.

Advanced Standing

Students accepted for the M.Phil. program coming from other institutions with an M.A. (or the equivalent) in Spanish are accepted conditionally until a decision to grant them advanced standing is made by the department at the end of their first year at Columbia. The department examines the documents of candidates holding advanced degrees from Spanish or Latin American universities and, if satisfied, treats the international degrees as the equivalent of an M.A. degree from an American institution. The number of credits to be received by an incoming student for work done in another institution will be determined on an ad hoc basis, but may not exceed six courses. If advanced standing is granted, students are not eligible to receive an M.A. from Columbia. Note that students on fellowship who receive advanced standing receive four years of funding rather than five, since the M.A. from Columbia is neither required nor granted.

For the Ph.D. Degree

Graduate School policy requires that all dissertations be written in English. Students who wish to write their dissertation in Spanish must request permission from the department and the Graduate School. Such requests are typically granted.

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