Spanish (PhD)

Program Description

The Doctor of Philosophy is a research degree. It signifies that the recipient is able to conduct independent research and has both broad knowledge of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American languages and literatures and a comprehensive knowledge of one in particular. The department accepts only students of outstanding promise, as evidenced by their academic records, statement of purpose, and writing sample. Students applying to the doctoral program must have either a BA or an MA degree in literature or a related field and are admitted to the PhD program on the basis of an evaluation of their undergraduate or graduate record by the Director of Graduate Studies and a departmental faculty admissions committee. A writing sample of literary or cultural criticism is required for the PhD program. It may be a term paper, a master’s thesis, or a published article and should be written in Spanish or Portuguese. Students whose native language is not English may be required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A high level of proficiency is required in either Spanish or Portuguese or both.

Dual Degree

The Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Literatures Department offers a dual degree with the NYU School of Law: Spanish and Portuguese PhD/Law JD.

See Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Literatures for admission requirements and instructions specific to this program.

Admissions

All applicants to the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) are required to submit the general application requirements, which include:

• Academic Transcripts
• Test Scores (if required)
• Applicant Statements
• Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
• Letters of Recommendation, and
• A non-refundable application fee.

See Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Literatures for admission requirements and instructions specific to this program.

Program Requirements

The program requires the completion of 72 credits, of which 32 credits must be taken in residence at NYU.

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For students wishing to teach during the program.

Additional Program Requirements

Language Requirement

Students must have an advanced proficiency in Spanish and a reading proficiency in Portuguese, or vice versa. Reading knowledge of an additional research language is required for all doctoral students. The choice of that language (exclusive of Spanish, Portuguese, or English) should be consistent with the student’s interest and contemplated field of specialization (e.g., Quechua or Nahuatl for an Indigenous Studies Scholar, Haitian Creole for Caribbeanists, French or Latin for early modernists, etc.) and should be decided upon in consultation with the director of graduate studies. Students must satisfy this requirement by the end of the 3rd year.

Comprehensive Examination

Students must first pass a Comprehensive Evaluation consisting of a written and an oral examination on three individualized reading lists. These lists will cover the students’ Dissertation, Theory, and Teaching fields and are developed by the student in collaboration with the three advisors selected by the student. To prepare for the Comprehensive Evaluation, the student must enroll in Guided Individual Readings, SPAN-GA 2891, with the Dissertation Advisor, a workshop designed to guide the student in the preparation of the dissertation project paper.

Dissertation

Students must also defend their Dissertation Proposal, a 30- to 50-page outline of the planned dissertation. The Dissertation Proposal sets out the intellectual justification of the project, the theoretical frameworks that will be used, and the project's relation to existing work in the field. It must specify the structure of the dissertation and include a synopsis of each chapter and a bibliography. The Dissertation Proposal is defended before a committee of three members who form the core membership of the student's dissertation committee.

When the dissertation is completed and approved by the candidate’s adviser and readers, an oral examination is held at which the candidate presents and defends the results of the research before a faculty committee.

Sample Plan of Study

Following completion of the required coursework for the PhD, students are expected to maintain active status at New York University by enrolling in a research/writing course or a Maintain Matriculation (MAINT-GA 4747) course.  All non-course requirements must be fulfilled prior to degree conferral, although the specific timing of completion may vary from student-to-student.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program. graduates will:

1. Attain a high level of scholarship and research related to Hispanophone, Lusophone and/or Indigenous literatures and cultures, using critical methodologies relevant in the field.
2. Prepare to be professionals in academic careers in Iberian, Latin American, Caribbean, Indigenous, Latinx and Transatlantic literatures and cultures.
3. Attain leadership skills to foster intellectual community through collaboration and critique, and through exposure to potential careers outside the university, in arts institutions, and in public humanities.
4. Master both canonical and non-canonical literary and cultural works within Hispanophone, Lusophone and/or Indigenous literary and cultural traditions.
5. Produce scholarly work that can be accepted for peer-reviewed publication or conference.

Policies

NYU Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.

Graduate School of Arts and Science Policies

Academic Policies for the Graduate School of Arts and Science can be found on the Academic Policies page.