GRADUATE STUDIES IN SPANISH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON

Program description

The Spanish Department at the University of Akron offers a unique Master’s of Arts degree in Spanish that combines courses in Hispanic cultural studies and Spanish and Spanish American literatures and linguistics, while providing students with an opportunity to develop their language proficiency through a curriculum designed to integrate national standards of oral proficiency set by the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). The Department also works in collaboration with the Department of Education in preparing students for future teaching careers through the teaching licensure program.

The Spanish M. A. curriculum is well-suited for students desiring to pursue or already engaged in careers in teaching as well as for students planning future doctoral work. Individual attention, small classes that meet once weekly in the late afternoon, and a dynamic award-winning faculty in teaching and research with an expertise in a wide range of areas and who are also officially certified ACTFL Oral Proficiency testers, have provided promising futures for their students. Regardless of the option the students decides to pursue, a full-time faculty member will serve as advisor throughout their program to make sure that the students stays on track until graduation and to direct them towards career opportunities. As Spanish has become a language increasingly spoken in the USA, the faculty is proud to have supported students who are now successful in teaching careers or have been accepted into well-ranked doctoral programs.

General requirements for the M.A. in Spanish

The M.A. degree consists of a two year program during which students are required to fulfill 32 graduate hours of graduate coursework and complete a final Master’s graduate essay. Students may opt to take courses part-time.

Students with a speaking proficiency of Advanced Low may receive financial aid in the form of a Teaching Assistantship. Teaching Assistants have the opportunity to teach several language courses before the completion of the master’s and to gain knowledge in the most current teaching theories and methodologies by taking the required Methods Practicum course for three consecutive semesters. In addition, students awarded Assistantships receive tuition remission and a stipend of $8,800 a year.

The University also makes available a number of minority fellowships that include both a tuition waver and a stipend.

For further information about Graduate Studies in Spanish, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies: Professor Parizad Dejbord (parizad@uakron.edu).