Columbia SPPO

Graduate Admissions

To the M.A. Program in Hispanic Cultural Studies (see below for the Ph.D. program)

Candidates for admission to the Master's program should have an excellent undergraduate record, strong letters of recommendation, and excellent fluency in Spanish. The required components of the application, which must be received by the Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences no later than April 1, 2015, are:

  • Copies of all undergraduate transcripts
  • Three letters of reference from recommenders
  • A personal statement about intellectual interests
  • A writing sample, preferably in Spanish, 10-15 double-spaced pages in length (see the Frequently Asked Questions page for more information about the writing sample)
  • Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (see the Frequently Asked Questions page for more information about the weight of GRE scores on admissions decisions)
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores from all international students who are not native speakers of English—unless they have received a post-secondary degree at a U.S. college or university

Applicants should arrange to take the GRE test by a date that guarantees that scores will be forwarded to Columbia University by the June 1 deadline or soon thereafter. For testing dates and locations, please refer to the GRE web site. Visit the TOEFL site for questions about the test.

International students should consult the GSAS page on admissions, as well as the comprehensive site maintained by the Columbia Office for International Students and Scholars.

See also the department's page on Frequently Asked Questions about graduate admissions. All students are encouraged to apply online to the graduate program.

To the Ph.D. Program in Latin American and Iberian Cultures

Candidates for admission to the Ph.D. program should have a superior undergraduate and postgraduate record (if applicable), strong letters of recommendation, competitive GRE scores, superlative writing skills, and exceptional fluency in Spanish. The required components of the application, which must be received by the Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences no later than December 18, 2015, are:

  • Copies of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts
  • Three letters of recommendation from academic recommenders
  • A personal statement about intellectual interests
  • A writing sample, preferably in Spanish (10-15 double-spaced pages in length; see the Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]) page for more information about the writing sample)
  • Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (see the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about the weight of GRE scores on admissions decisions)
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores from all international students who are not native speakers of English (unless they have received a post-secondary degree at a U.S. college or university)

Applicants should arrange to take the GRE test by a date that guarantees that scores will be forwarded to Columbia University by the December 18 deadline or soon thereafter. For testing dates and locations, please refer to the GRE web site. Visit the TOEFL site for questions about the test.

International students should consult the GSAS page on admissions, as well as the comprehensive site maintained by the Columbia Office for International Students and Scholars.

See also the department's page on Frequently Asked Questions about graduate admissions. All students are encouraged to apply online to the graduate program.

For more information, contact the department's Director of Graduate Studies.