Why a M.A. in Spanish?
To acquire skills in a marketable and predominant Spanish lanuage that will enable students to:
- Teach Spanish at educational institutions and to conduct scholarly research.
- Prepare for Ph.D. study;
- Work in 4-year and community colleges;
- Develop professional advanced Spanish high school teaching curricula;
- Enhance graduate-level scholarly research and writing skills.
Preparation for careers in:
- Spanish Mass Media and Communication
- National and International Court Interpretation and Translation (English/Spanish)
- Journalism: editing, publishing, and advertising
- Law Enforcement (State and Federal Agencies)
- Management
- Research for government and industries
Course Offerings
The Spanish Graduate Program at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin meets our students' needs either for a terminal Master's Degree or for contiuation to a Ph.D. in the interdisciplinary studies of Spanish literature or linguistics.
Spanish Linguistics
Literary Criticism
Literature of Spain
Literature of Latin America
Contemporary Mexican Literature
Mexican-American Literatrue
Hispanic Civilization: Mexican or Texas History
Spanish Program Mission
Our mission is to provide students with knowledge of Modern Spanish Language, Linguistics, and Literature: Latin American and Mexican-American written by canonical and non-canonical writers with special attention to poetry, fiction, and drama. Often with an emphasis on the interdisciplinary study of literature and on the structure and complexity of the Spanish Standard Language.
Through the teaching of Spanish linguistic, diachronical evolution of the language, phonetics, phonology, and sociolinguistics, along with the literary work of the past and present. The department provides students with opportunities to relate cultural, philosophical, aesthetic, sociological, and psychological issues of literary works to their own contemporary literary criticism context. In the process, students also learn the importance of respecting other people's perspectives in order to achieve social and global harmony.
Faculty
Ana E. León, Ph. D.
Professor of Spanish Specialist, Ibero Romance Linguistics, Phonetics, Phonology, and Sociolinguistics. She has published in several journals works on her area of expertise.
Oscar Perea-Rodriguez, Ph. D.
Assistant Professor of Spanish Specialist of Spanish Peninsular Literature. He has published two books in Medieval Literature.
Rhina Toruño-Haensly, Ph. D.
Kathlyn Cosper Dunagan
Professor of Spanish specialized in Latin American, Mexican American, and Children's Literature. She has published three books on Mexican and Central American Literature.
Graduate Teaching Assistantship Program
Spanish M.A. students in the Literature and Languages Department may have the unique opportunity to serve as Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA's).
Graduat Teaching Assistants:
- earn a stipend:
*1st year GTA's earn up to $10,00/year, with a $500/semester scholarship available;
*2nd year GTA's earn $12,000/year, with a $500/semester scholarship available. - Gain valuable experience teaching at a university;
- Develop close working relationships with faculty;
- Faculty are committed to helping GTA's balance their teaching duties, their coursework, and other responsibilities.
Appointment of Graduate Teaching Assistants
- Selections based on academic record and experience;
- Appointees are normally appointed for a full year (Summer semester optional);
- In general, more experienced GTA's are assigned to Freshman Spanish.
- The Department does its best to meet GTA's perferences as to courses and times.
Other financial aid is available for prospering graduate students, For more information about the Graduate Teaching Assistantship program, as well as other financial aid options, please visit:
www.utpb.edu/gradstudies
Graduate Assistant (GA)
Future Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA)
Apply for a Graduate Assistantship
For Spanish Master's Degree students, the Office of UTPB of Graduate Studies offers $1,000 per year to the graduate student who applies for admission in the Master of Spanish. You must enroll in nine credit hours, which means that you need to be a full-time graduate student. In addition, you can apply for a graduate assistantship. Each semester the Graduate Studies Office offers two or three graduate assistantships of about $4,000 per semester. To apply for these, you need to fulfill the following requirements:
- Take the GRE Exam.
- Fill out the Graduate Application Form (providing official copies of all transcripts).
- Write an essay in Spanish (1 page along on any literature topic, this will be in the new catalog).
- Fill out the Graduate Assistantship Application form.
Graduate Assistant Responsibilities:
- Be willing to enroll in 9 Credit Hours at the Master Level.
- Be available to work with a Spanish professor 19 1/2 hours per week, helping him/her to do research and to assist in preparation of material for teaching classes.
Graduate Teaching Assistantship's Responsibilities:
- M.A. students in the Spanish Department can be Graduate Teaching Assistants.
- Earn a stipend: -1st Year GTA's earn up to $10,000/year with a $500/semester scholarship opportunity. -2nd Year GTA's earn up to $12,000/year with a $500/semester scholarship available.
- Gain valuable experience teaching at a university.
- Develop close working relationships with faculty.
- Faculty is committed to helping GTA's balance for teaching duties, their coursework, and other responsibilities.
For more information
For more information you can contact, Dr. Rhina Toruño-Haensly, Graduate Program Head or Dr. Ana E. León, Spanish Section Coordinator.
Bienvenidos a nuestro program de Maestria en español.
Dr. Rhina Toruño-Haensly, Professor of Spanish, Graduate Head
Kathlyn Cosper Dunagan Fellow in Humantities
Email: toruno_r@utpb.edu
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Department of Humanities and Fine Arts
4901 E. University Blvd. Odessa, Texas 79762
Tel (432) 552-2308 Fax (432) 552-3280
4901 E. University . Odessa, Texas 79762 . (432) 552-2020