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Graduate Degrees in Spanish

General Description

The Master of Arts in Teaching Spanish has been designed specifically for teachers or future teachers of Spanish.  It offers graduate-level course work in the Spanish language, Hispanic cultures, teaching methodology, applied linguistics and Hispanic art and literature. It provides for the professional development of Spanish teachers through the improvement of their language and teaching skills, and it aims toward career advancement.  Graduates of the program will in turn contribute to better teaching of Spanish in schools, improving the language skills and the cultural awareness of students who study Spanish.

The Graduate Certificate in Spanish

IU Online’s Graduate Certificate in Spanish offers advanced-level instruction in the Spanish language, as well as Hispanic culture, literature, and linguistics. This program may be of special interest to K–12 Spanish teachers, or anyone looking to improve their mastery of the language.

Enhance your language proficiency and teaching techniques. Study current research on effective pedagogical strategies and foreign language instruction. Enhance your intercultural competence in order to promote student engagement with the Hispanic world.

Your IU Online Graduate Certificate in Spanish prepares you for such careers as:

  • Spanish teacher or instructor
  • Linguist, bilingual consultant, or translator
  • Foreign correspondent
  • Technical writer
  • Proofreader/editor

This 100 percent online program is taught by IU Bloomington, IU East, IU Indianapolis, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, IU South Bend, and IU Southeast. This consortial model allows you to take coursework from several campuses and learn from a wide range of faculty.

Of Special Interest for Dual-Credit and Community College Instructors Needing to Meet HLC Standards

The Graduate Certificate in Spanish is ideal for those who want to teach dual-credit courses and who need to meet Higher Learning Commission dual-credit qualification standards. These standards require teachers wanting to teach dual-credit courses to hold either a master's degree in their area of instruction or a master's degree in another discipline (such as education), plus at least 18 credit hours of discipline-specific graduate coursework.

If you hold a master's degree in another discipline, you can meet HLC standards by completing the 18-credit hour Graduate Certificate in Spanish.

The Graduate Certificate in Intercultural Health-Spanish represents a collaboration between the School of Liberal Arts, the IU School of Nursing, and the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health. Its purpose is to enhance the knowledge and clinical skills of nurses, public healthcare providers, and other health professionals by promoting an awareness of intercultural relationships. The four-semester program will provide a curriculum that incorporates language proficiency levels in tracks in Spanish at the 300 and 400 levels for undergraduates, combined with a focus on core nursing, public health, and other health science skills in a bilingual setting.

The following Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) apply to the three graduate degrees in Spanish listed above.

Students completing these degrees will:

  • Know a variety of theories on the process of second language acquisition.
  • Know effective methods and techniques of Teaching Spanish.
  • Know main cultural manifestations of the language in literature.
  • Know social practices and perspectives in Spain and Latin America and among U.S Hispanics.
  • Know structural and cultural differences between Spanish and English and between the communities that use these languages.
  • Understand second language (Spanish) grammars.
  • Understand second language production and comprehension, input processing, and the acquisition of pragmatic and sociolinguistic competence.
  • Understand the formal properties of The Spanish language.
  • Understand the relationship between language and society in the Spanish-speaking world.
  • Understand the value of different methods to teach languages and cultures.
  • Understand the importance of critical thinking in examining other cultures and comparing them with one's own.
  • Understand their place within multilingual international communities.
  • Understand the connections between language studies (language, literature, culture and translation/interpreting) with other disciplines.
  • Be able to identify and implement effective pedagogical practices.
  • Be able to identify appropriate teaching objectives, techniques, materials and outcomes.
  • Be able to contribute to the improved teaching of Spanish in schools by fostering strong language skills and deep cultural awareness among their students.
  • Be able to apply the knowledge of the language system and culture to function effectively as teaching professionals, and in intercultural settings at home and abroad.
  • Be able to interact within multilingual international communities here and abroad in ethically and culturally sensitive ways.
  • Be able to reflect on their teaching practice and seek professional development opportunities.

The following information applies to the MAT in Spanish only:

Admission Requirements

  1. A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in the student’s undergraduate major. Undergraduate degree in Spanish is expected, but related degrees are also considered (additional undergraduate courses may be required).
  2. Official transcript.
  3. Proficiency in the Spanish language. There are two options:
    1. Nivel Intermedio (B2) in the Diploma in Spanish (DELE) issued by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport.
    2. OR applicant’s oral sample of 10-15 minutes of spontaneous speech in Spanish AND an essay in Spanish on some aspect of Spanish culture, literature, linguistics, or pedagogy.
  4. Three letters of recommendation. At least two of these should be from professors.
  5. For international students, the university requires a minimum TOEFL iBT score of 79. Send scores to Institution Code 1325, Department Code 2608. Per university policy, students who are admitted with TOEFL iBT of 79-99 or IELTS of 6.5-7.0 will take the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) placement test. Depending on your EAP test results, you may need to take EAP courses. While taking these courses students will be allowed to register for a maximum of six credit hours in the Master of Arts for Teachers of Spanish. International graduate students who are being considered for a teaching role are also required by university policy to take the SPEAK test and complete any required supplemental EAP courses recommended based on that test.
  • Please note: While the GRE is not necessary for admission to the Master of Arts for Teachers Program in Spanish, it is required for application to certain financial aid programs. (See “Financial Assistance” below.)

      6. Online application. Please access the online portion of the application.

  • Please note: Under Educational Objectives you must choose "Master's" as your type of admission, "Spanish (IU Graduate School)" as your academic program, and "Spanish M.A.T." as your major.  Please also note that if you have already submitted an online application for Graduate Non-Degree status or for another graduate program, you must still complete a new online application for this program using a new personal identification number (PIN) and password and submit an additional application fee.

Main Objectives

The course of study for the program is intended to equip students with knowledge of theories of second language acquisition and effective methods of teaching, as well as the main cultural manifestations of the language in literature.  Students will understand the relationship between language and society in the Spanish-speaking world and the connections between language studies (language, literature, culture and translation/interpreting) with other disciplines, and they will be able to apply the knowledge of the language system and culture to function effectively as teaching professionals.  

Design

The degree program consists of 36 credit hours of which 30 must be completed in residence at IU Indianapolis. The Master of Arts in the Teaching of Spanish may be completed in four semesters at IU Indianapolis or three semesters and two summer sessions. M.A. students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B). Only students taking advantage of the summer program in Salamanca (Summer Institute for Teachers of Spanish) can complete and transfer up to 12 credit hours (6 credits per summer) towards the degree. Any other students interested in transferring credits (6 maximum) from other institutions should keep in mind that this is acceptable as long as the contents of those courses are equivalent to any of the courses offered in the MAT, and prior approval by the Graduate Studies Committee.

Core Required Courses (9 cr.)

  • SPAN-S 515: Acquisition of Spanish as a Second Language (3 cr.)
  • SPAN-S 517: Methods of Teaching College Spanish (3 cr.)
  • SPAN-S 519: Practicum in the Teaching of Spanish (3 cr.)

Elective Coursework (27 cr.)

Choose at least 27 credits in consultation with a faculty advisor. See list of courses here.

Students may select from the following options for the course of study:

Thesis Option: Includes 30 hours of coursework plus a Master's Thesis (6 credit hours).

Coursework Option: Requires 36 credit hours of coursework.

Study Abroad Option: Students may complete one or two summers at the University of Salamanca, Spain.  Students who complete a summer study in Salamanca receive a Certificate from the University of Salamanca attesting to their completion of the summer program(s) in residence there.  The University of Salamanca has a well-developed curriculum for foreign students who aspire to teach Spanish, and its Cursos para Profesores receives a high level of academic prestige internationally.  Other study abroad credit must be approved by the graduate director.

Courses

  • SPAN-S 507 Foreign Language Institute (3 cr.)P: Graduate standing in Spanish or consent of instructor. Intended primarily for teachers. Intensive interdepartmental course involving language laboratory and audiovisual equipment and techniques, lecture, assignments in contemporary civilization (in the foreign language), and discussion of classroom use of applied linguistics. Taught only in the summer. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
  • SPAN-S 508 Varieties of Spanish (3 cr.)This course is an advanced descriptive analysis of the varieties of Spanish spoken around the globe. A detailed analysis of the phonetic, lexical and morphosyntactic aspects of such varieties is provided with an aim to define its different macrodialectal areas, including Spanish in the US and Creole languages.  
  • SPAN-S 511 Spanish Syntactic Analysis (3 cr.)P: SPAN-S 326 or consent of instructor. Introduction to the analysis of syntactic data. Focus on developing theoretical apparatus required to account for a range of syntactic phenomena in Spanish.
  • SPAN-S 513 Introduction to Hispanic Sociolinguistics (3 cr.)P: SPAN-S 326, or consent of instructor. Examination of the relationship between language and society in the Spanish-speaking world. Survey of a wide range of topics relevant to Spanish: language as communication, the sociology of language, and linguistic variation. The course is conducted in Spanish.
  • SPAN-S 515 The Acquisition of Spanish as a Second Language (3 cr.)P: SPAN-S 326 and SPAN-S 428, or consent of instructor. Surveys the empirical research conducted on Spanish in order to address the question: How does a nonnative linguistic system develop? The course is organized around four topics: morpheme acquisition studies, interlanguage development, input processing, and Universal Grammar.
  • SPAN-S 517 Methods of Teaching College Spanish (3 cr.)P: SPAN-S 428 or consent of instructor. Trains graduate students to teach the freshman and intermediate college courses in Spanish.
  • SPAN-S 518 Studies in Latino and Spanish American Culture (3 cr.)P: SPAN-S 412 or consent of instructor. Introduction to themes and topics in the study of the cultural phenomena produced in Latin America and among Hispanics in the United States: popular culture, colonialism, the Other, etc.
  • SPAN-S 519 Practicum in the Teaching of Spanish (3 cr.)P: SPAN-S 517 or consent of instructor. Practical application of the teaching methodology explored in SPAN-S 517. Students will undertake teaching projects supervised by a graduate faculty member in Spanish and meet with their mentors to assess their teaching objectives, techniques, materials and outcomes.
  • SPAN-S 521 Spanish Grammar and Linguistics for Teachers I (3 cr.)P: Graduate standing in Spanish or consent of graduate director. Themes and issues in Spanish grammar and Hispanic linguistics selected for their relevance to teaching Spanish to nonnative speakers. Pedagogical implications and teaching strategies will be discussed. Content is distinct from that of SPAN-S 524.
  • SPAN-S 523 Spanish Literature, Art, and Culture for Teachers I (3 cr.)P: Graduate standing in Spanish or consent of graduate director. Authors, artists, themes, and issues in Spanish literature, visual art, and cultural life selected to enrich the teaching of Spanish to nonnative speakers. Pedagogical implications and teaching strategies will be discussed. Content is distinct from that of SPAN-S 525.
  • SPAN-S 524 Spanish Grammar and Linguistics for Teachers II (3 cr.)P: Graduate standing in Spanish or consent of graduate director. Themes and issues in Spanish grammar and Hispanic linguistics selected for their relevance to teaching Spanish to nonnative speakers. Pedagogical implications and teaching strategies will be discussed. Content is distinct from that of SPAN-S 521.
  • SPAN-S 525 Spanish Literature, Art, and Culture for Teachers II (3 cr.)P: Graduate standing in Spanish or consent of graduate director. Authors, artists, themes, and issues in Spanish literature, visual art, and cultural life selected to enrich the teaching of Spanish to nonnative speakers. Pedagogical implications and teaching strategies will be discussed. Content is distinct from that of SPAN-S 523.
  • SPAN-S 527 Graduate Internship in Spanish (3-6 cr.)P: SPAN-S 517 and consent of instructor. A supervised internship on the application of Spanish studies in educational work settings. Each intern will be assigned a project supervised by a graduate faculty member in Spanish. Interns will complete a portfolio of workplace learning and self-evaluation; they will also be visited by a faculty coordinator and evaluated in writing by their on-site supervisors.
  • SPAN-S 529 Specialized Translation I (Business/Legal/Governmental) (3 cr.) P: SPAN-S 528 or Equivalent or Consent of Program. This class provides an overview of the methods and terminology resources for the translation of commercial, economic, financial, legal, and governmental documents as well as intensive practice in these areas of translation.
  • SPAN-S 528 Translation Practice and Evaluation (3 cr.)P: Graduate standing or consent of instructor. This is an introductory course to the practice and evaluation of translation. Students will get hands-on experience with many different text types from a variety of areas and professions and develop skills to translate them into both English and Spanish. At the same time, students will have the opportunity to discuss some of the theoretical and professional issues involved in translation as a profession.
  • SPAN-S 627 Individual Readings in Spanish (3-6 cr.)Enables students to work on a reading project that they initiate, plan, and complete under the direction of a department faculty member in Spanish. Credit hours depend on scope of project.
  • SPAN-S 650 Topics in the Teaching of Spanish (3 cr.)P: Graduate Standing or consent of instructor. Seminar in selected topics related to the teaching of Spanish, such as assessment, teaching materials development, the teaching of specific linguistic skills. May be repeated for credit when topic varies.
  • SPAN-S 680 Topics in Contemporary Spanish American Literature (3 cr.) P: Graduate standing in Spanish or consent of instructor. Topics include poetry, drama, short story, novel, and essay.
  • SPAN-S 686 M.A.T. Thesis (2-4 cr.)P: Authorization of graduate director. Students identify a research theme and develop it under the guidance of a director (IU Indianapolis professor) and a co-director (University of Salamanca professor). The topic will be related to the teaching of Spanish language or to the teaching of an aspect of Hispanic literature or culture. Repeatable for up to 6 hours.