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Spanish Master of Arts
The Department of Modern Languages offers an M.A. degree in Spanish that can be customized to a student's interests in areas ranging from:
- Spanish and Spanish American Literature
- Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and Linguistics
- Foreign Language Pedagogy
- Translation
- Language Acquisition with Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning
If you have any questions about this program, and/or the application process, please contact:
 |
Dr. Rebecca Bender |
The program is designed to help students attain a high level of proficiency in all aspects of the Spanish language; how to read, analyze, interpret, and discuss a wide selection of texts in Spanish, in an intelligent manner; how to synthesize the material read into an accurate and coherent picture of Spanish literary and cultural developments; how to integrate the teaching of language, culture, and literature at all curriculum levels in the language classroom.
The MA degree in Spanish is recommended for those students who wish to teach at the secondary level or to continue graduate work elsewhere with the intention of teaching at the secondary or university level. It is also ideal for students who prefer to develop advanced skills in language and literature in preparation for other professional careers.
Select classes are available in the afternoon or evening for practicing teachers, and we try to offer at least one Spanish graduate class online per year. Additionally, Spanish MA students have the opportunity to study abroad in Spain in the summer as part of a 5-week faculty-led program (taking one course, or 3 credit hours).
The program is designed to:
- Strengthen the language skills and cultural awareness of future or practicing teachers
- Develop new patterns and techniques of teacher preparation and teacher/student interaction in the target language
- Offer graduate-level study in Hispanic Literature & Culture, as well as the methods of teaching this content in the second-language classroom
- Encourage professional development in fields like education, translation, or communications
- Allow practicing teachers to complete graduate studies within a reasonable time (2-3 years)
M.A. in Spanish Requirements:
With approval of the MA committee, each student would choose one of the following options:
- 30 hours of course work (10 classes), with a minimum of 18 hours (6 classes) taught in Spanish (SPAN)
- 27 hours of course work (9 classes) plus a master’s report (3 credit hours for research and writing)
- 24 hours of course work (8 classes) and a master’s thesis (6 credit hours for original research and writing)
Below is a sample of additional Modern Languages Electives (taught in English, but students' focus on their language of expertise and study):
- MLANG 710 Foreign Language Pedagogy (3 hours) - required of all Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs)
- MLANG 770 Theories of Second Language Acquisition (3 hours)
- MLANG 600 Principles of Linguistics (3 hours)
- Master’s report (3 hours) or thesis (6 hours)
Candidate’s committee must approve program of study (all chosen electives, substitute courses for courses not offered during student’s tenure, report, thesis, etc.)
The Department of Modern Languages at Kansas State University has developed a unique M.A. program specifically designed to meet the needs of practicing and potential language teachers at the secondary level. The program integrates the teaching of language, culture, and literature at all curriculum levels.
It is recommended that students wishing to apply for the Master’s degree in Spanish with a Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning, meet with both Dr. Rebecca Bender, Director of Graduate Studies, and Dr. Amanda Morales, Graduate Program Advisor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction prior to applying. Please refer to the Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning, Student Handbook for further information regarding the education component for this degree.
This program is intended for practicing and aspiring foreign language teachers, to offer them a Master’s degree in Language Acquisition (Spanish, French, German) with a Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning from the Department of Curriculum & Instruction that offers a K-12 licensure from the State of Kansas Department of Education.
The program is designed to:
- Strengthen the language skills and cultural awareness of practicing teachers
- Develop new patterns and techniques of teacher preparation and teacher/student interaction in the target language
- Narrow the traditional gap in graduate study between the methods of teaching and the content areas of literature and culture
- Encourage the professional development of the field
- Allow practicing teachers to complete graduate studies within a reasonable time (two to three years)
Sample curriculum for Spanish:
| Classes in Modern Languages (18 hours) | Classes in Education (18 hours) |
| MLANG 710 (3) Intro to FL Pedagogy MLANG 770 (3) Intro to 2nd Lang Acquisition SPAN 670 (3) Spanish Applied Linguistics SPAN 777 (3) Cult/Lit in Second Language Learning Two 700 level-literature courses (6) (one from Spanish and one from Spanish American Literature) |
FSHS 506 Middle Childhood & Adolescence (3) |
Program of study for the Master’s degree in Language Acquisition in Spanish with a Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning needs to be approved by the student's committee in Modern Languages and Dr. Amanda Morales, Graduate Program Advisor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction.