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Goals and Description of the Combined BA-MA Program

The goal of the Combined BA-MA Degree Program is to provide undergraduates with the opportunity to earn a MA at the same time they earn a BA. This program combines a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese with a Master of Arts degree in Spanish, condensing what would normally be five or six years of study into four or five years. This program is designed especially for outstanding ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs who wish to take advantage of the opportunity to begin their graduate career early.

Credit Distribution

Once accepted into the program, ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs will register during their junior and senior years in the seminars and other graduate courses offered by the department. (Exceptionally, sophomores could also become part of this program.) Up to three SPN courses (9 credits) will count toward both the BA and the MA. 

Besides that, five more SPN graduate courses (15 credits) will be completed toward the graduate degree component. 

Furthermore, ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs will choose a final research project for which they will receive, upon registering twice in SPN 700, six credits (6 credits).

This distribution makes the 30 graduate credit hours needed to fulfill the MA requirements.

Culminating Experience

There is a thesis option and a non-thesis option for the culminating experience:

1. Practicum. A teaching practicum is designed to give ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs experience in teaching. Students will practice planning and delivering content, assessing ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs, engaging ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs in the learning process, and reflecting on their teaching experience. Upon completion, ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs will describe (in Spanish) their conclusions in front of their committee. 
   
   
2. Internships. Internships will have a minimum length of 4 months and will involve using Spanish regularly. They can take place in the US or in a Spanish-speaking country. Upon completion, ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs will reflect on their experience and answer questions before their committee.
   
   
3. Research experience. The research project should be advised by a ºÚÁÏÉçÇø faculty member with graduate level A or B and it must be pre-approved by the SPN Graduate Committee. It can take various forms based on the ºÚÁÏÉçÇø’s interests. Some options are as follows:
    
   1. Film project. This can take the form of a documentary of around 30’- 45’ in which they analyze a relevant, pre-approved topic pertaining to the Hispanic world. The recording could combine both Spanish and English, but, in all cases, it must include subtitles. The final product will be presented to the committee and the department.
      
      
   2. Audio research project. The final product could be a series of interviews registered in a podcast, creating a website to archive or discuss a specific phenomenon in the Hispanic world.
      
      
   3. (solo) Performance. In consultation with their director, ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs develop an artistic work. The final product should be performed or presented to the committee and open to the department.
      
      
   4. Research experience in linguistics. Students identify a linguistic topic, find/collect and analyze data, and present their findings to the committee and the department. The data can come from many different sources, such as human participants or a language corpus.    
      
      
   5. Service-learning experience. A full semester project that centers around a need in the community and involves using Spanish. For example, ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs could translate and digitize a catalog/project for a medical clinic/school. 
      
      
   6. An original project designed by the ºÚÁÏÉçÇø and approved by the graduate committee. 

Time Limit

Normally the combined B.A/M.A. Degree is obtained after four semesters of study.  Work for a Master's Degree must be completed within a maximum of five calendar years.  Partial credit may be given for work five to ten years old, but such credit must be gained by way of petition to the Graduate School.

Application

Admission to the BA-MA runs all year long. Interested ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs should have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 and a GPA in Spanish of 3.50 by the time of application. Students should apply online through the Graduate School webpage. Besides the application, ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs should also submit a statement of purpose (in Spanish), two recommendation letters, and an official copy of their transcripts. At least one of the support letters must be from a faculty member in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. The 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 ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs are eligible for the Combined BA-MA Degree Program. 

Faculty Teaching and Research Interests

José Domínguez Búrdalo, Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University
Contemporary Peninsular Literature, Spanish Cinema, Transatlantic Studies

Paula Gândara, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts
Lusophone African Narrative

Luis Iñaki Prádanos, Ph.D., Texas Tech University
21st-Century Spain, Environmental Humanities, Ecocritical Theory

Russell Simonsen, Ph.D., University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Hispanic Linguistics

Carlos Ortiz, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin–Madison
Latin American and Latinx Studies, Theatre & Performance Studies, Queer & Gender Studies

Kelly Ferguson, Ph.D., University of Kentucky
20th- and 21st-century Spanish, Latin American, Latinx, and U.S. cultural production; Film and media studies

Contact

Dr. José Domínguez Búrdalo
248 Irvin Hall
(513) 529-4520
domingj1@MiamiOH.edu