This program is for those individuals interested in earning a Master of Arts in Spanish within a span of three summers. An attractive feature of the program is the fact that all of the graduate courses will be taken during three summer sessions; the academic year course load will be relatively light. Thus, students will be able to finish the courses within a 26-month time span while maintaining full-time employment. Students from out of the area also may take elective courses during the academic year at other institutions, with the approval of the graduate advisor. Program faculty will include both SSU Spanish faculty and visiting faculty from other institutions teaching in their area of specialization.

Program Overview

The program takes a generalist approach. Whereas most programs only allow students to specialize in one area or another, ours requires students to study at least three courses in literature, two in linguistics, one in pedagogy, and furthermore provides a mentored teaching practicum experience or internship. Students will pursue their curricular interests in greater depth by taking additional elective senior or graduate level courses (of which at least 12 units must be taken). Upon completion of the program, it is anticipated that all students will be able to:

• Be prepared (both in curricular and pedagogical terms) to teach any course in Spanish language, literature, or culture in secondary schools, community colleges, or among lower-division university courses.
• Submit a competitive application to regionally or nationally recognized Ph.D. programs in such areas as Hispanic literatures, linguistics, or pedagogy.
• Be able to conduct original research on topics of applied or theoretical linguistic interest in Spanish.
• Be able to conduct original research on topics related to Hispanic literature with a solid grounding in the literary canon.