Romance languages, M.A.Spanish

The Literary and Cultural Studies track focuses on the production, distribution, and reception of written and visual cultural texts with an emphasis on critical theory and pedagogy. The M.A. program encompasses a range of theoretical frameworks and perspectives that reflect the research expertise of our professionally active faculty. As a community of engaged scholars, we are committed to providing our graduate students with opportunities for intellectual growth, critical and analytical skill-building, a solid theoretical foundation, and the professional preparation needed for careers in and outside of academia.

Applicants for the M.A. in Romance Languages, Spanish may complete 30 hours of graduate courses and a thesis, or 36 hours of coursework.

M.A. candidates must possess reading knowledge of a third language other than English or Spanish. This requirement can be met by passing with a grade of C or better the second course of the sophomore sequence of the required language, or by passing a standardized examination.

All M.A. candidates complete a qualifying exam to be conducted during the last semester of a student’s M.A. degree plan.

For further details about our graduate programs in Literary and Cultural Studies, prospective students may contact the Graduate Admissions Officers:

Dr. Pavel Andrade - Latin American Studies, pavel.andrade@ttu.edu

Dr. Susan Larson - Iberian Studies, susan.larson@ttu.edu

Dr. Carmen Pereira, Director of Spanish Graduate Studies (carmen.pereira@ttu.edu), coordinates the graduate program, advising students on degree requirements and deadlines.

Advance your expertise in language, culture, and communication through Texas Tech University's M.A. in Romance Languages, Spanish - Linguistics. This 36-credit program prepares students for careers in education, research, industry, and language-focused professions through advanced study of language acquisition, bilingualism, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, phonetics, and pedagogy.

Students gain research, teaching, and professional development experience while building skills in data analysis, curriculum design, and language instruction. The program offers faculty mentorship, collaborative research opportunities, and flexible completion options through comprehensive exams or a thesis.

Graduate assistantships and teaching opportunities provide funding and hands-on experience, while research labs, guest speakers, and workshops connect students with emerging trends and diverse career paths.

• Linguistic knowledge (Second Language Acquisition, Psycholinguistics, Sociolinguistics, Phonetics/Phonology, Bilingualism/Multilingualism)

• Pedagogical knowledge (teaching practice and theory; curriculum design; multiliteracies)

• Translation and/or interpretation skills

• Research & Pedagogical Technology skills (Eye tracking, Praat, R, Eprime, PsychoPy, Qualtrics, Nvivo, Social tools, Social interaction tools)
• Professional skills (conference style presentations, tailoring skills to jobs outside of academia, L2 advocacy work)
• Advanced Spanish level (minimum) in all four skills for non-native Spanish speakers on the ACTFL proficiency scale

• Classroom-based action research

• Quantitative analysis (e.g., psycholinguistic, phonetic, statistics, sociolinguistic coding, data visualization)

• Qualitative analysis (e.g., discourse analysis, grounded theory, case study research, open coding, mixed methods research, ethnography, conversation analysis, narrative inquiry)

The M.A. requires 36 credits within the Spanish Program

•  Required courses:

1. LING 5322: Foundations of Language Teaching (i.e. Teaching Methods)
2. SPAN 5343: Introduction to SLA 
3. SPAN 5340: Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics OR LING 5312: Introduction to Linguistics

Other requirements:

• One SPAN Literature or Cultural Studies course
• 3rd language other than English and Spanish (or reading proficiency exam)
• Attend two professionalization workshops offered by either the Graduate School or the TLPDC per semester.
• In the fourth semester, either (1) three comprehensive exams or (2) an M.A. thesis 

Students take the comprehensive exams in their 4th semester 

For the comprehensive exams, students have two options:

1. Take three comprehensive exams, or:
2. Write a M.A. thesis with the supervision of a faculty mentor.

Note: Students will also have an oral exam no later than ten business days after the written exams.

Students should speak with faculty about which option would better serve their professional goals. 

Additionally, in the semester before taking the exams (a student's 3rd semester), students should speak directly with the professors who administer each exam so that students know exactly how to best study for each exam.

Linguistic students are required to take a Second Language Acquisition exam and all other exam areas are selected by students based on their own interests.

Once students have consulted with their linguistics faculty member, they should fill out the comprehensive exam committee form.

• Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics
• Foundations of Language Teaching (Methods)
• Introduction to SLA
• Understanding the Heritage Speaker: Theoretical and Pedagogical Implications
• Raciolinguistics
• Instructed SLA
• Multiliteracies: Digital Writing
• Multimedia & SLA
• Spanish Phonetics & Phonology
• Spanish Quantitative Sociolinguistics
• Language Ideologies
• Linguistic Approaches to Translation 
• Statistics for linguistics 
• Bilingualism & Language Contact
• Eye tracking I
• Eye tracking II

Depending upon their level of teaching experience, new students either become a Teaching Assistant, or a Graduate Part Time Instructor.     
 -A Teaching Assistant (TA) position is supportive in nature, both on the employment and professional development levels. Teaching Assistants typically provide support to a faculty member’s instruction (completing a variety of duties) or may act as the leaders of discussion sections (which run in concert with large enrollment courses). Graduate students receive training, guidance, and mentoring on how to teach effectively in their discipline, manage a classroom, devise materials, and other important related tasks. A TA is not eligible to be the instructor of record for a course and commonly has less than 18 graduate credit hours in the subject area being taught.    

 -A Graduate Part-Time Instructor (GPTI) is usually an instructor of record, meaning that the individual is generally responsible for the teaching and care of his or her own class(es). GPTIs also receive training, guidance and further professional development. As opportunities allow, advanced Graduate students (i.e. Ph.D. students and ABDs) may have the opportunity to teach upper-level courses (beyond the lower-level two-year” language sequence).    

-The main difference is that the GPTI position requires that students have prior teaching experience, allows students to be the sole instructor of courses, and pays a bit more. In terms of specific funding amounts, please contact  Stephanie Santos, the CMLL Advisor.

Many of our students receive substantial additional funding in the form of competitive university-wide scholarships, so these numbers above are the base level. Students may also teach online language courses in the summer provided they have satisfactory student evaluations of teaching and have completed online teacher training. Summer teaching supplements graduate student income significantly. The Spanish graduate program has been fortunate to be able to award international students an additional scholarship to help pay for $1,500 of health insurance costs.  

Can I pursue the M.A. in Hispanic Linguistics as an online degree?
At the current moment we do not offer an online degree. Thus, all students need to be present in Lubbock, TX during the fall and spring semesters. 

When should I apply? When does the program begin?
For Fall 2026 admission, the priority deadline for applications is Monday January 5, 2026. While applications submitted after this date will be reviewed, priority is given to applications submitted prior to the deadline. The suggestion is to begin in the Fall semester (late August) as there are specific first-year courses offered in the fall semester. Additionally, there are several orientation programs prior to the first week of Fall courses that familiarizes new students with the Spanish & Portuguese program, the CMLL department, and the university.

What transcripts are required with the application?
Students must submit undergraduate degree transcripts, and when possible graduate degree transcripts. If these transcripts are in a language other than English, they will require an official translation.

What do I need to do to be considered for a fellowship or scholarship?
To receive a fellowship or an extra scholarship, all students have to do is apply to the program with all the required materials by the January deadline. The admissions committee will review these materials and decide which students to accept full time (which comes with a teaching fellowship) as well as decide which students with the most competitive applications receive additional scholarships.

Can I transfer any credits from another M.A. degree?
Graduate transfer credits are conferred upon the discretion of the faculty. For credit transfer consideration, upon receiving admission into the program, students must send course syllabi of previous graduate classes to the admissions committee. At this time the faculty will review the syllabi and decide which previous courses get credit.

Is it possible to teach in The Texas Tech University Center in Sevilla?
Students are encouraged to apply for the possibility to teach in a long-semester (Fall or Spring) or a summer session in Sevilla, Spain. For more information please click here and contact the Sevilla program director Dr. Idoia Elola with any questions.

While GRE scores are optional, how much does this matter for acceptance into the program?
In terms of admission into the program, the most important documents are the statement of purpose, a CV, strong letters of recommendation, and a writing sample. GRE scores are optional for our program and are given very little weight. Applicants should not feel pressure to take a GRE in order to apply.

How do I get assigned a Teaching Assistant (TA) position versus a Graduate Part-Time Instructor (GPTI) position?
In the application, students must fill out the CMLL Teaching Assistantship Application document. This allows the admissions committee to evaluate a student's prior teaching experience and determine which fellowship to award to each student. Students with prior teaching experience at the university-level are assigned to a GPTI position, while those with minimal teaching experience a TA2 position, and those with no previous teaching experience a TA1 position. Not only is there mobility from TA1 to TA2 to GPTI positions, but it is the goal of our program for students to move up as soon as possible for professional development. For example, if a student doesn't have prior teaching experience, they are normally assigned to the role of TA1 where they shadow faculty members and help with educational materials. The goal is that by their second semester this student would then move up to TA2 and be able to teach one Spanish course at the 1000 or 2000-level (intro or intermediate levels) while still having some shadowing experience. Then in year two (semesters 3 &4), the goal is that the student would then be a GPTI and teach two 3-credit courses per semester.

• FL and SHL Classroom-Based Research Lab (Dr. Idoia Elola)
• Psycholinguistics Eye Tracking Lab (Dr. Jim Lee)
• Sociolinguistics & Bilingualism Research Lab (Dr. Brendan Regan)