Introduction

The Combined BA/MA (4+1) program in Spanish provides a coherent, cumulative educational experience that prepares students for either immediate entry to a master’s level career or, after completion of their Master’s, for continued study in a PhD program. The BA/MA application process is competitive, as the program is designed for highly qualified students who have the scholarly and linguistic competencies necessary for an expedited program.

Students choose from two options for completion of their master’s degree:

• either they complete their coursework and take a comprehensive written and oral exam in their last semester, or

• they complete a 6-credit thesis under the direction of Spanish faculty.

The program offers a comparatively high degree of flexibility for students to focus their studies in one or more of the following fields of Hispanic studies:

1. Spanish linguistics,

2. Methods of teaching Spanish as a foreign language,

3. Spanish and Spanish American literature and

4. cultural studies, including film.

Program Delivery

This combined BA/MA (4+1) program in Spanish will be an on-campus program.

General Requirements

To earn a BA and MA degree concurrently, students must satisfy all requirements in each of the three areas below, in addition to their individual major requirements.

CU Denver General Graduation Requirements

CU Denver Core Curriculum

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Graduation Requirements

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4+1 Program Requirements

• Student must demonstrate promise or ability to pursue advanced study and research, as shown by previous scholastic records.
• Demonstrate Spanish oral and written proficiency at the Advanced level, as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
• If a native speaker, must be proficient with the English language and able to speak, read and write at a graduate school level.
• Students should officially declare their intent to complete this program in their junior year and apply for entrance to the graduate program for their senior year.
• To be admitted to the combined BA/MA in Spanish program, students must earn an overall GPA of B (3.0) or higher in their undergraduate coursework, but also an average GPA of B+ (3.5) or higher in their upper division Spanish coursework (3000-4000 level). For any graduate course to be counted toward the master’s degree, the student must earn a minimum grade of B- (2.7).All graduate coursework must be completed with an overall grade point average of B (3.0) or higher. Students cannot complete major, graduate or ancillary course requirements as pass/fail.

CU Denver Credit Requirements

CU DENVER Core Requirements:  34

CLAS Graduation Requirements:  31

Spanish Major prerequisites (1^st & 2^nd Yr Span):  16

Spanish Major Requirements (w/ prereqs):  24

Required Graduate Core Courses in Spanish:  15

Topic Focus Graduate Work:  18

Total:  138

Required Undergraduate Courses in Language Skills and Theory

Take the following required undergraduate courses: (9 credits)

SPAN 3060 Hispanic Phonetics: Theory and Practice

At least six additional upper division semester hours in language skills and theory

Required Undergraduate Courses in Culture and Civilization of Spain or Spanish America (minimum of 6 semester hours):

Choose two courses number SPAN 32xx or 4000 level Advanced Culture.

Required Undergraduate Courses in Literature (9 credits):

SPAN 3101 Intro to the Study of Literature in Spanish

One course in Spanish Peninsular Literature (SPAN 41xx or 43xx)

One course in Spanish American Literature (SPAN 44xx or 45xx)

Required Graduate Level Courses: Spanish Master’s Core requirements.

SPAN 5000 must be the first graduate course taken, preferably in the fall of the student’s senior year and not before (may be taken concurrently with other graduate courses).

Minimum of two courses in Literature, SPAN 5xxx at the graduate level

Minimum of two courses in Linguistics, SPAN 5xxx at the graduate level.

Topic Focus: Electives in either Linguistics, Literature or Culture:

For the Topic Focus students are encouraged to concentrate their studies in one of the fields described above (linguistics, literature, etc.). Minimum of 6 graduate level Spanish courses (18 hours):

Students can take an unlimited number of Spanish graduate (5000-level) courses to fulfill their 18 elective credits requirement, or a combination of the following:

• Independent study: maximum 6 semester hours
• Graduate level courses in other departments: maximum 3 semester hours with the approval of the graduate advisor.
• Internship: maximum 3 semester hours
• Master’s Thesis 6 semester hours

Plans of Study:

The Non-thesis Option Requirements:

Undergraduate upper division requirements:       24 credits

Core graduate course requirements                    15 Credits

Topic Focus graduate courses                             18 Credits

BA/MA Non-thesis Option Total:                         57 Credits

The Thesis Option Requirements:

Undergraduate upper division requirements:       24 credits

Core graduate course requirements                    15 Credits

Topic Focus graduate courses                             12 Credits

Master’s Thesis                                                     6 Credits

BA/MA Thesis Option Total:                                57 Credits