MA in Spanish

MA in Spanish Program Overview

Our online Master of Arts in Spanish is designed to provide students with a broad background in Spanish language, literature, culture, linguistics, and teaching language methodology. Through a combination of core courses taught exclusively in Spanish and electives taken either in Spanish or in contiguous programs of study, students develop mastery in these fields, preparing themselves for increased cultural competence in the global workplace and greater competitiveness in doctoral programs in Hispanic studies, literature, or Spanish linguistics.

 

Our program's structure enables students to learn research methods, enhance language skills, and acquire a scholarly view of the Spanish-speaking world’s culture, literature, and linguistics. Designed with working people and parents in mind, our program is delivered in an asynchronous online format that allows you to complete coursework anywhere—even outside the United States—at any time of day. This is a non-thesis option program.

 

Bilingualism is a valuable skill in the daily interactions of modern life, but it can also be a tremendous professional asset. The Spanish-speaking population in the United States has surpassed 60 million. As Spanish language skills become increasingly applicable to nearly every profession, mastering Spanish can potentially double your job opportunities. These increased employment prospects are just one of the professional rewards our online MA in Spanish can help you reap. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that master’s degree graduates earn almost 20% more and have higher employment rates than those with an undergraduate degree alone.

Alumni Pathways 

As a graduate of our online MA in Spanish program, you’ll possess an in-depth understanding of a language spoken by hundreds of millions of people around the world. Often thriving as teachers and interpreters, professionals with a background in Spanish language, literature, and culture are highly sought-after in a diverse array of businesses, especially those that engage with Spanish speakers.  

Below are just a few of the organizations our MA in Spanish alumni work for:  

  • The UT System
  • Ector County ISD
  • City of Midland
  • Midland Police Department
  • LJA Engineering
  • El Saber Enterprises
  • EMD Electronics
  • Center for Discovery

Careers for MA in Spanish Graduates 

 

While Spanish proficiency can be advantageous in any career, many students with an MA in Spanish pursue careers as: 

Literary Criticism

3 Credits

Courses
Duration
Credits
SPAN 6300 - Literary Criticism and Research Methods
8 weeks
3
Introduction to modern literary criticism and graduate research methods. Application of literary theory to textual analysis. Review and practice of proper citation processes.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Spring A 2025 Spring A 2026 Spring A 2027
Spanish Linguistics

Select 6 credits from the list of courses.

Courses
Duration
Credits
SPAN 6301 - Spanish in the United States
8 weeks
3
This course explores, from a linguistic and sociolinguistic perspective, the different dialectal variations of Spanish in the United States. We will examine linguistic phenomena such as phonetics, morphology, syntax, and lexical variations, as well as language interactions with English and other varieties of Spanish. We will analyze texts as testimonies to the linguistic vitality and legitimacy of Spanish in the United States. By the end of the course, we will review theories and methods of teaching Spanish to heritage speakers and dual-language learners.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Spring A 2026
SPAN 6314 - Advanced Phonetics
8 weeks
3
The purpose of this course is to analyze the sound system and grammatical contrast between the English and Standard Spanish Language. This graduate course will include pronunciation drills, an introduction to elementary applied linguistics and an analytical approach to the general sound system. Extensive research related to oral linguistic corpus.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Fall A 2024 Summer A 2026 Summer B 2026
SPAN 6321 - History of the Spanish Language
8 weeks
3
This course deals with the major features of the evolution of the Spanish language. The course objective will be to seek a general understanding of Spanish linguistic changes from its origins to its contemporary repertoire. Special interest will be focused on historical phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Spring A 2025 Fall A 2026
SPAN 6331 - New World, Peninsular Spanish Dialectology
8 weeks
3
This course deals with the semantic content of Spanish language lexicons. We will deal with the contrast between Spanish vocabulary from Spain (Peninsular) and the dialectical variation among speech communities throughout the New World. Special attention will be given to synchronic changes due to linguistic borrowing and close relationships with neighboring languages.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Summer A 2025 Summer B 2025 Spring A 2027
SPAN 6362 - Hispanic Sociolinguistics
8 weeks
3
Introduction to sociolinguistics with emphasis on bilingualism and language contact in the Spanish-speaking world, including the United States. Diverse aspects of Spanish regional varieties will be explored, especially in Texas. Students will analyze phonological, morphological, grammatical, and lexical features of Spanish dialects in order to implement these main concepts in classroom instruction.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Fall A 2025
Spanish American Literature

Select 6 credits from the list of courses.

Courses
Duration
Credits
SPAN 6322 - Contemporary Mexican Literature
8 weeks
3
This course is a comprehensive study of the principal literary trends, authors, and works of contemporary Mexico and will include works by Juan Rulfo, Carlos Fuentes, Elena Garro, Rosario Castellanos, Elena Poniatowska, and Laura Esquivel.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Fall A 2025
SPAN 6342 - 20th Century Spanish American Prose
8 weeks
3
The development of prose fiction in Spanish America during the twentieth century, covering the major trends. The course will begin with Regionalism and cover the works of Magic Realism, the Post-Boom, and Post-Modernism.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Spring B 2025 Fall B 2026
SPAN 6343 - 20th Century Spanish American Poetry
8 weeks
3
The development of poetry in Spanish America during the twentieth century, covering the major trends. The course will begin with Modernism and end with contemporary poetry.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Summer A 2026 Summer B 2026
SPAN 6352 - Mexican American Literature
8 weeks
3
Mexican American literature focusing on native authors, to investigate the realities and experiences of the Mexican American community. This course will cover works on narrative, drama & poetry genres, from 1848 to present.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Fall A 2024 Spring B 2027
SPAN 6355 - Hispanic Horror Fiction
8 weeks
3
This course introduces the Hispanic tradition of horror and fantasy in literature and film and will help students to develop skills in reading and analyzing fiction. We will read writers from different periods and analyze a variety of horror texts, written and filmed, from Spain, Latin America, and the Caribbean. We will also discuss and analyze these texts from aesthetic perspectives: the uncanny, the supernatural, the divine, the sublime, abjection, and fantasy. This course also addresses the philosophical issues of out attraction to this genre and its sociological and spiritual implications.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Fall A 2026
Spanish Literature

Select 6 credits from the list of courses.

Courses
Duration
Credits
SPAN 6333 - Spanish Romanticism and Realism
8 weeks
3
Examines the principal literary movements of nineteenth-century Spain—romanticismo and realismo—as well as related lesser movements—costumbrismo and naturalismo—through study of individual works, genre, and history. Authors such as Emilia Pardo Bazán, Leopoldo Alas “Clarín”, Benito Pérez Galdós, José de Espronceda, and Gustavo Adolfo Becquer will be revised.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Fall B 2025
SPAN 6353 - Novelists of Post-War Spain
8 weeks
3
Historical and political background, social and literary development in Spain after the Civil War (1936-39), emphasizing novelists who appear from the 1940’s onward: Cela, Laforet, Quiroga, Delibes, Matute, Juan Goytisolo, Sánchez Ferlosio, Martín-Santos, and many others.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Fall B 2024 Fall B 2026
SPAN 6361 - Spanish Literature of the Golden Age
8 weeks
3
Selected masterpieces of the Spanish Golden Age. Reading will include varieties of poetry, dramatic genres, and narrative prose, particularly through the works of Garcilaso de la Vega, San Juan de la Cruz, Fray Luis de León, Santa Teresa de Jesús, Miguel de Cervantes, Lazarillo de Tormes, Lope de Vega, Francisco de Quevedo, Luis de Góngora, Tirso de Molina, and Calderón de la Barca.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Spring B 2026
Support Courses

9 Elective Credits. NOTE: SPAN 6389 Selected Topics* can be taken as a core course or a support course as needed, depending on the content area (Spanish American literature, Peninsular literature, or Linguistics.) Courses on this list can be taken as electives if they do not count toward core courses. One of these 3 courses from the English graduate program can be taken as an elective course: ENGL 6352 Topics in Poetry, ENGL 6353 Topics in Drama, ENGL 6377 History of Poetics.

Courses
Duration
Credits
SPAN 6311 - Spanish Translation
8 weeks
3
Spanish Literary translation with practical approach to improving Spanish Morpho-Syntax rules for writing into English. This course focuses on the cultural contexts of the translation process.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Summer A 2025 Summer B 2025
SPAN 6310 - Methods of Teaching Spanish
8 weeks
3
In this course we will examine second language acquisition theories and approaches to the teaching of Spanish as a second language. We will use linguistics (nature, structure, and variation of language) and applied linguistics initiatives (bilingualism, conversation and discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, language assessment and language teaching) in the design of classroom practice and curriculum. Criteria to assess classroom learning will be reviewed and discussed. The class is conducted in Spanish, reading material in English and Spanish.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Spring B 2025 Spring B 2026
SPAN 6389 - Selected Topics
8 weeks
3
Graduate courses which will be offered only once, will be offered infrequently, or are being developed before a regular listing appears in the catalog.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Fall B 2024 Fall B 2025 Spring B 2027

Admission Requirements

Regular Admission Requirements 

  • A bachelor’s degree in Spanish from an accredited institution.
  • GPA of at least 3.0 in the last 60 credits hours leading toward a bachelor’s degree.
  • Official transcripts.

Conditional Admission Requirements

If you do not meet the GPA requirements for this program, you may qualify for conditional admission with the following requirements:

 

  • A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
  • GPA of at least 2.5 in the last 60 credits hours leading toward a bachelor’s degree.
  • At least one of the following:
    • Minimum GRE score of 150 (or higher in Verbal and Quantitative section).
    • A minor in Spanish.
    • An essay in Spanish (see details in Essay section below).
  • Official transcripts.

Official Transcripts

Official copies of transcripts must come directly from the school in a sealed envelope and can be mailed to: 

 

UT Permian Basin
Graduate Studies Office
4901 E. University Blvd.
Odessa, TX 79762

Official transcripts in electronic format can be sent to gradstudies@utpb.edu

Essay

Candidates who do not have a BA or a minor in Spanish or 12 hours of upper-level Spanish undergraduate coursework from an accredited university must write a six-page essay in MLA format. This writing sample must be written in Spanish on a topic of literature or linguistics of the Spanish-speaking world, including Hispanics in the USA.

 

Note for candidates submitting an essay: A candidate may be recommended to enroll in additional undergraduate courses to complete preparation for graduate work.

 

Supporting Documents
All supporting documents related the graduate program should be sent to the Graduate Studies Office: 

 

UT Permian Basin
Graduate Studies
4901 E. University Blvd.
Odessa, TX 79762-0001

 

Electronic versions of supporting documents may be emailed to gradstudies@utpb.edu

Application Fee

The application fee is $40.
Veterans and Active Duty Military: Your application fee is waived for this program. Get details now.

 

If you have any questions regarding the admission requirements, please email gradstudies@utpb.edu.

 

 

Associate Professor and Head of the Graduate Program
abrego_p@utpb.edu

Dr. Ábrego joined UT Permian Basin in August 2013. Dr. Ábrego earned her PhD in Hispanic literature from Vanderbilt University. Her academic areas of specialization include border literature and theory; migration and cultural exchange as expressed in literary, historical, filmic, and theoretical texts. She has collaborated in different academic publications in Mexico and the United States.

Associate Professor
moreno_j@utpb.edu

Dr. Moreno is an essayist, narrator, travel author, and contributor to cultural supplements, journals, and newspapers in Mexico City, Colombia, Spain, the United States, Denmark, and France. He is an associate professor and researcher at The University of Texas Permian Basin. He has written Querida Margot (short stories, 2018); Desires of Community: The Interstitial Character in the Novel and the Cinema of the Nineties in Mexico (essays, 2016); and a compilation of chronicles: Road to Ciudad Juárez: Chronicles and Border Stories (2014). Two more compilations will be published in 2021. In addition, he prepares Chronicles of Campus Visit.

We’re pleased to offer program admission on a rolling basis.

Rolling admission refers to our process of accepting and evaluating applications as we receive them and moving any applications that miss the deadline to the next semester. However, if you want to enroll in courses for a specific semester, you will need to make note of the application deadlines found below. If you don’t complete your application and submit the required materials by the deadline, your application will be rolled over to the next semester. 

LengthApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlinePayment DeadlineCourses BeginCourses End
Whole Fall8/12/248/19/248/23/24 8/26/2412/13/24
Fall A8/12/248/19/248/23/248/26/2410/18/24
Fall B10/7/2410/14/2410/18/2410/21/2412/13/24
LengthApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlinePayment DeadlineCourses BeginCourses End
Whole Spring12/30/241/6/251/10/251/13/255/9/25
Spring A12/30/241/6/251/10/251/13/253/7/25
Spring B3/3/253/10/253/14/253/17/255/9/25
SemesterApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlinePayment DeadlineCourses BeginCourses End
Whole Summer5/19/255/26/255/30/256/2/258/8/25
Summer A4/28/255/5/255/9/255/12/256/27/25
Summer B6/16/256/23/256/30/256/30/258/15/25
LengthApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlinePayment DeadlineCourses BeginCourses End
Whole Fall8/11/258/18/258/22/258/25/2512/12/25
Fall A8/11/258/18/258/22/258/25/2510/17/25
Fall B10/6/2510/13/2510/17/2510/20/2512/12/25

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