Graduate Program in Hispanic Studies
The new Master of Arts (M.A.) in Hispanic Studies at Louisiana State University (LSU) is an in-person program only and offered exclusively on the Baton Rouge campus. It provides students with three areas of concentration: literary, linguistics, and cultural studies. Students admitted to the program will select one area of concentration based upon academic or career goals. All students in the program will complete an 18-hour core consisting of two courses from each concentration area. Students may take courses with Spanish faculty as well as affiliated faculty from other departments. The selection of courses from each area will be determined in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies. For more information on the M.A. please view the M.A. Handbook or the following presentation.
Financial Aid/Assistantships
Qualified M.A. candidates may apply for graduate assistantships. Indication of interest in an assistantship is made on the Graduate School application. No additional application is necessary. The assistantship requires an average of 20 hours of service per week. First year students are assigned duties as research assistants and then begin a teaching assistantship in the second year. Teaching Assistants teach one 4-credit Spanish course per semester. Graduate assistants typically receive a stipend plus a full tuition scholarship.
Teaching Opportunities
Graduate students who have teaching assistantships are trained in the Spanish Section’s communicative approach to language instruction, which incorporates the latest research on foreign language pedagogy. T.A.’s receive extensive group and individualized training in classes and workshops through the use of a variety of teaching techniques aimed at enhancing competence, enthusiasm, and imagination. Students are fully involved in the instructional program and prepared to teach with confidence in a variety of situations.
Hispanic Studies Graduate Assistants
Application Process
Prospective students must complete an on-line application with the LSU Graduate School. The first step in this process is to create an account. Applicants must submit the following to the Graduate School:
- Completed application form
- Application fee
- Official transcripts from all universities attended (in English)
- GRE scores (sent by testing service) - optional
- CV (in English or Spanish)
- 3 letters of recommendation (in English or Spanish, uploaded by references)
- Statement of purpose (in English or Spanish)
- Writing sample in Spanish (university level essay)
- TOEFL (only for international students)
For additional information, contact Dr. Carmela Mattza, 308 Hodges Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803; Telephone: 225-578-5173; email cmattza@lsu.edu.
Applications for admission can be considered at any time.
Doctoral Programs
M.A. students may wish to consider pursuing a Ph.D. degree at LSU in Comparative Literature. The Comparative Literature program offers advanced study in Spanish literature and two other literary traditions, selected from English, French, and Italian.
Some recent LSU M.A. graduates have been admitted to doctoral programs in Spanish and Romance Languages and Literatures at universities such as the University of California at Los Angeles, Georgetown University, the University of Arizona, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Maryland, and the University of Michigan.
New Graduate Hispanic Studies Minor
Hispanic Studies is pleased to announce a new graduate level minor. Interested students can find details here. Check out the M.A. in Hispanic Studies information sheet.
