Spanish Literature and Culture, PHD
Program Description
Degree Awarded: PHD Spanish Literature and Culture
The PhD program in Spanish literature and culture is intended to be as flexible as possible, establish broad areas of competence through an individualized program of study set with the supportive guidance of the student's advisor.
Graduate courses in literature and cultural studies focus on the production, distribution and reception of texts and their linguistics, either written or visual (e.g., photographs, films, visual narratives), and their linguistic, rhetorical and literary structure and functions, with an emphasis on literary theories and aesthetics. Many literature courses explore issues relating to gender, class, race, ethnicity, globalization, environmental humanities, disability theories, posthuman theories and digital humanities.
Program Overview
Outstanding PhD program
The PhD in Spanish literature and culture specializes in Caribbean, Brazilian, Portuguese and Southern Cone studies; Mexican, Mexican American, Latinx and Borderlands cultural production; the Colonial, Golden Age and Baroque periods; and the 19th and 20th centuries.
Student success
Access an abundance of materials, archives and special collections from ASU Library, which frequently partners with students on research projects. ASU's Hayden Library houses 150,000 Latin American print books, 14,000 Spanish ebooks, colonial imprints, cordels, reproductions of codices and more.
World-class faculty
Learn from prestigious faculty recognized in their fields and from affiliate faculty throughout the university. With faculty expertise across an array of regions, topics, periods and disciplines, students receive guidance from a mentor with a background that matches their interests.
Coursework, Electives and Mentorship
Students choose to focus on either literature or cultural studies with relevant courses on various geographical areas and historical periods, as approved by the student’s supervisory committee.
The coursework for each student is individualized and based upon the student's previous training, research goals and mentor and committee consensus. With a 1:2 faculty ratio, PhD candidates receive individualized attention guidance from a mentor with a background that matches their interests, allowing students to research what matters to them.
Students are required to complete a written comprehensive exam, prospectus and dissertation.
Curriculum
84 credit hours, a foreign language exam, a written comprehensive exam, an oral comprehensive exam, a prospectus and a dissertation
| Degree requirements | Credit hours |
| Core courses | 3 |
| Literature and culture electives | 51 |
| Electives | 6 |
| Research | 12 |
| Culminating experience/dissertation | 12 |
| Total credit hours | 84 |
"The School of International Letters and Cultures has been very supportive. My advisor's guidance has been crucial in the development of my research. In addition, I have learned a lot from my peers. SILC has fostered a very inclusive and friendly working and learning environment."
—Edurne Beltran de Heredia Carmona
Degree Requirements
Curriculum Plan Options
- 84 credit hours, a foreign language exam, a written comprehensive exam, an oral comprehensive exam, a prospectus and a dissertation
Required Core (3 credit hours)
SPA 545 Concepts of Literary Criticism (3)
Literature and Culture Electives (51 credit hours)
Electives (6 credit hours)
Research (12 credit hours)
SPA 792 Research (12)
Culminating Experience (12 credit hours)
SPA 799 Dissertation (12)
Additional Curriculum Information
Coursework for the literature and culture electives must be SPA literature or culture content courses and approved by the student's supervisory committee. Students may not put SPA 596 Second Language Methodologies toward this requirement.
Each candidate is expected to demonstrate a reading knowledge of one language other than English and Spanish. This language requirement must be satisfied before the candidate is eligible to take the comprehensive examination.
The written and oral comprehensive examination, designed to ascertain the candidate's knowledge and orientation in the field of study and competency to proceed with the dissertation, is required at or near the end of coursework.
When approved by the student's supervisory committee and the Graduate College, this program allows 30 credit hours from a previously awarded master's degree to be used for this degree.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in Spanish or equivalent from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants from other academic backgrounds with relevant coursework in Spanish language and cultural studies also may be evaluated by the admissions committee.
Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.75 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program, or applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.75 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.
All applicants must submit:
- graduate admission application and application fee
- official transcripts
- writing sample
- personal statement
- resume
- three letters of recommendation
- proof of English proficiency
Additional Application Information
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.
It is recommended but not required that students applying for admission to the program submit GRE scores; this is especially advisable for applicants for the Spanish Graduate Fellowship Award. ASU does not accept the GRE® General Test at home edition.
Candidates for the program are required to demonstrate a near-native oral proficiency in Spanish and to show that they have developed a high order of expository prose in English and Spanish by presenting a term paper or a chapter of their master's degree thesis as their writing sample.
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Application Deadlines
Fall
Career Opportunities
Professionals with this degree can confidently move into the academic profession, careers in education, including in museums and libraries, and professions outside academia, such as in the publishing industry, media, nonprofits and international relations. Skills developed through this program are valued for teaching positions, translation work or career opportunities in larger sectors, such as government, diplomacy and international business.
Career examples include positions as:
- area, ethnic and cultural studies teachers and professors
- editors
- foreign language and literature teachers and professors
- instructional design coordinators
- interpreters and translators
- lawyers
- reporters and correspondents
- social and community service managers
Program Contact Information
If you have questions related to admission, please click here to request information and an admission specialist will reach out to you directly. For questions regarding faculty or courses, please use the contact information below.
- silc@asu.edu
- 480/965-6281