Program Statistics
Visit PhD Program Statistics for statistics such as program admissions, enrollment, student demographics and more.
Spanish and Portuguese
Degree Types: PhD
The Graduate Program in Spanish and Portuguese focuses on the diverse Latin American, Iberian, and U.S. Latino literary and cultural traditions.
The faculty’s research and teaching interests span diverse time periods, regions, and forms of Latin American, Iberian, and U.S. Latino culture. Students can also connect with faculty in other departments and programs including Anthropology, History, Performance Studies, Comparative Literary Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Latino Studies, and African Studies.
In addition to the offerings on campus, students can also engage in Evanston and Chicago's large, diverse, and vibrant Spanish and Portuguese-speaking communities. Chicago boasts prominent institutions such as the Newberry Library, the National Museum of Mexican Art, the Instituto Cervantes and the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago.
Additional resources:
Program Contact
Contact Tori McCausland
Graduate Program Assistant
847.491.8249
Degree Requirements
The following requirements are in addition to, or further elaborate upon, those requirements outlined in The Graduate School Policy Guide.
Master's
The department does not admit students for the MA degree, but will award the MA to a PhD candidate if deemed in the student’s best interest.
Terminal MA
In some cases, students may be advised by the end of winter quarter of their second year that they should complete a terminal MA rather than continue on to the PhD degree. The requirements must be completed by the end of the second year. They are:
- Language proficiency in Portuguese and Spanish
- Minimum of 12 credits including at least 3 courses at the 400-level or above
- A 20 to 30-page paper to be evaluated by the Graduate Studies Committee
- Funding ends immediately upon recommendation for the terminal MA. The master’s thesis must be completed by the end of the spring quarter with a minimum of 3.0 GPA
PhD
Total Units Required: 19
Course Work and Academics
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summer Language Training Advised | ||
| Fall | ||
| Two SPANPORT courses | ||
| One elective | ||
| Second language diagnostic exam | ||
| Winter | ||
| Two SPANPORT courses | ||
| One elective | ||
| Second language training, if applicable | ||
| Spring | ||
| Two SPANPORT courses | ||
| One elective | ||
| Second language training, if applicable | ||
| English language exam, if applicable | ||
| Summer | ||
| Study/research abroad | ||
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Two SPANPORT courses | ||
| One elective | ||
| Coursework or independent study | ||
| Winter | ||
| Two SPANPORT courses | ||
| One elective | ||
| Course work or independent study | ||
| Spring | ||
| Two SPANPORT courses | ||
| Proposal and PhD reading lists due by June 15 | ||
| Third Year | ||
| October 15th: QUALIFYING EXAM | ||
| December 1st: Prospectus due to committee, including rationale for reading list | ||
| Research | ||
| Fourth Year | ||
| Writing | ||
| Fifth Year | ||
| Dissertation defense | ||
Teaching
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | ||
| Fellowship | ||
| Winter | ||
| Fellowship | ||
| Spring | ||
| Fellowship | ||
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Apprentice year | ||
| Mini-lesson plan or Teaching assistantship | ||
| Winter | ||
| Apprentice year | ||
| Mini-lesson plan or Teaching assistantship | ||
| Spring | ||
| Apprentice year | ||
| Mini-lesson plan or Teaching assistantship | ||
| Third Year | ||
| Research or Teaching assistantship | ||
| Fourth Year | ||
| Teach Language Course Sequence | ||
| Fifth Year | ||
| Fellowship year | ||