Department of Spanish and Portuguese 

COMBINED BACHELOR’S AND MASTER’S DEGREE

Goals and Description of the Combined BA-MA Program

The Combined BA-MA Degree Program provides undergraduates with the opportunity to earn a BA and an MA in Spanish in five years. This program is designed especially for advanced students who wish to take advantage of the opportunity to begin their graduate career early. After coursework is completed, students dedicate themselves to preparing for the written and oral MA exam. After this is completed successfully they will write and prepare a research tutorial (though they may opt to write an MA thesis instead).

Undergraduate Component

Once accepted into the program, students will register during the fall semester of their senior year in the seminars and other graduate courses offered by the department.  Three (3) of these courses (9 credits total) will count toward both the BA and the MA.

Fifth Year Graduate Component

In the 4th and 5th years, at least 30 semester hours of graduate courses will be completed toward the graduate degree component (eight three-credit courses or seminars plus two three-credit hours of research for the thesis). After coursework is completed, students will take a comprehensive exam that covers the areas of Peninsular literature, film and culture; Latin American literature, film and culture; and Spanish linguistics. Students are expected to write and defend a research tutorial or a thesis as well.

Application

The deadline for admission to the BA-MA program is March 15th of the junior year. Interested students should have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 and a GPA in Spanish of 3.5 by the time of application. Students should send a letter to the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, in Spanish, explaining their interest in the program and their intended goals, and provide two letters of recommendation as well as official copies of their transcripts. At least one of the support letters must be from a faculty member in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Highest priority will be given to candidates who have studied abroad for a minimum of one semester and preferably for one year. Only full time students are eligible for the Combined BA-MA Degree Program.

Spanish MA Reading List

Click here. 

Spanish MA Exam Procedure

Click here. 

Contact Person

Professor Darcy Donahue (donahud@muohio.edu)
250 Irvin Hall
Miami University
Oxford, OH
45056
513.529.1539