LANGUAGES AND LINGUISTICS

MASTER OF ARTS IN SPANISH

NMSU Graduate School

Frequently Asked Questions/Preguntas Frecuentes

The Master of Arts (MA) in Spanish offered by New Mexico State University (NMSU) provides critical training in the following areas of concentration:

Spanish American Literature
Hispanic Literatures of the U.S.
Creative Writing - Narrative and Poetry
Literary and Technical Translation
U.S. Hispanic Applied Linguistics
Methodology of Teaching Spanish

All courses are taught in Spanish. The department promotes on- going yearly literary and research activities and a continuing series of presentations by Latin American and Hispanic American writers in cooperation with other universities in the region, th e Consulate General of Mexico and the Center for Latin American Studies.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

The degree requires 36 semester hours of credit and has both a thesis and a non-thesis option. Demonstrated proficiency in a second foreign language (other than English) is required.

FACILITIES

NMSU maintains ample computing services and a substantial research library collection in related areas. The department maintains close ties with several educational institutions in the U.S.-Mexico border area, which facilitates research and exchange prog rams.

OTHER DEPARTMENTS

The Spanish Graduate Program works closely with other departments and programs, including Creative Writing (English), Curriculum and Instruction, the Computing Research Laboratory, Communications, the Center for Latin American Studies and the Instituto de Estudios Chicanos y Latinoamericanos.

FINANCIAL AID

Costs are competitive with those of other state universities. Financial Aid, in the for of scholarships and assistantships, is available for a limited number of qualified students. Recommendations for Graduate Assistantships are the purview of the Department of Languages & Linguistics and they are awarded based exclusively on merit.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Admission requirements include the BA in Spanish. An undergraduate upper division Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or above and at least 12 semester hours of upper division undergraduate courses in Spanish with a GPA of at least 3.0 are required. For fo reign students, the TOEFL is required prior to completion of the degree. The TOEFL Test of Written English (TWE) is recommended for these students prior to completion of the degree and prior to enrollment. Basic conversational English is high recommended for those applying for Graduate Assistantships. Students not meeting these requirements may apply and be recommended for conditional admission by the Committee on Graduate Studies in Spanish. After meeting specific conditions set by this Committee, students may apply for regular graduate standing.

ADMISSION PROCEDURES

In order to apply to the MA Program in Spanish, prospective students must complete two separate application procedures:

1) Complete and send the applications for admission form which may be obtained by writing:

The Graduate School, Box 3G
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, N.M. 88003-0001

OR by downloading the forms or by applying on-line at the Graduate School.

2) The second application for admission must be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies (Spanish) of the Department of Languages & Linguistics. This application must include the following items:

a) a current resume

b) original official transcripts and diplomas of all prior college-level course work and their translation into English

c) three letter of recommendation from qualified professionals

d) a writing sample in Spanish (critical or creative texts)

e) a cassette recording in Spanish, made by the candidate, which includes:
     1) a five minute reading of a literary text and
     2) a five minute auto-biography with goals and objectives.

f) an introductory letter stating:
     1) prospective area of concentration and
     2) an explicit request for a Graduate Assistantship from those who are interested.

Application deadlines are:

February 1, for September admission
September 15, for January admission

SETTING

NMSU is located at Las Cruces, the largest city in Southern New Mexico, set in the fertile crescent of the Rio Grande-Mesilla Valley and at the base of the Organ Mountain Range. Las Cruces is traversed by Juan de Oñate's 1598 Camino Real. Las Cruces is a pleasant environment for study in a sunny desert climate with spectacular views as well as a quiet, moderately priced community with student housing available on campus and within walking distance. NMSU, with a student body of 15,000, is only forty-four miles from El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, the largest urban center on the U.S.-Mexico border.

GRADUATE FACULTY

Jesús J. Barquet, Studies (Ph.D. Tulane University)

José Manuel García (Ph.D. University of Kansas)

Spencer Herrera, (Ph.D. University of New Mexico)

Jeff Longwell (MS New Mexico State University)

Patricia MacGregor-Mendoza (Ph.D. University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana)

Beth Pollack (Ph.D. University of California, Santa Barbara), Director, Graduate Program

Daniel Villa (Ph.D. University of New Mexico), Coordinator, Graduate Program

For Information, contact:

Dr. Beth Pollack

Department of Languages & Linguistics, MSC 3L
Box 30001, New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003-0001

E-Mail: bpollack@nmsu.edu
Tels: (505) 646-3408 (department office)
FAX: (505) 646-7876