Master of Arts in World Languages and Cultures

Admission

Students seeking admission to the M.A. program in the Department of World Languages and Cultures must meet all requirements for admission to the NIU Graduate School. In addition to the standard requirements for graduate admission, the master’s program requires degree-seeking applicants to have a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or equivalent in the desired language of study. Applicants must also submit the following materials:

Grade Point Average: Undergraduate transcript showing a GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
- Note: this is higher than the GPA minimum set by the Graduate School.
Statement of purpose: Your statement of purpose should be approximately 250 to 750 words in length. It should outline your preparation for graduate study, as well as your goals for graduate school and beyond. It should also explain why you believe the M.A. in World Languages and Cultures at NIU can best help you meet those goals.

Letters of recommendation: Two (2) letters of recommendation from individuals who can speak to your ability to be successful in the completion of a graduate-level degree program. Your recommenders should be individuals who have a professional or academic relationship with you as the applicant.

Writing sample: Please submit an academic writing sample between 10-16 pages in length, double-spaced, in Microsoft Word (not a pdf). The writing sample should be in your target language without any notation from an instructor. The paper should be written directly in the target language, not just translated from English, and must represent your own original work with no assistance from artificial intelligence or online translation software. If you do not have a single 10-16-page paper, you can combine two or more papers to meet the page requirement.

Interview: An interview is also required for admission to the M.A. in World Languages and Cultures. If the outcome of the initial review of your application materials supports the decision, you will be invited to an interview to demonstrate your spoken and written language skills and to verify that your goals align with the program’s mission. The interview also allows you to showcase abilities and experiences that might not be explicitly evident in other application materials.

Deadlines: The M.A. in World Languages and Cultures generally admits students in the fall semester, on an annual basis. Applications for admission to the M.A. in World Languages and Cultures must be received by the Graduate School no later than March 15th for a fall start date. Note: the program deadline is earlier in the application cycle than the general Graduate School deadlines.

Admission Review Process/Timelines: The M.A. in World Languages and Cultures employs a faculty committee to review completed applications for an admission decision on a yearly basis, during the spring semester. Official notifications are released by the Graduate School once a graduate admission decision has been made and processed.

Requirements

All students are required to complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate credit and a qualifying final project (thesis, comprehensive exam, or educator licensure portfolio). Students will consult regularly with the Director of Graduate Studies to design their program of study and choose a final project.

Specialization in Spanish and Hispanic Studies

Core Spanish courses (21)

A minimum of seven courses from the following list:

FLAL 515 - Internship in World Languages and Cultures Credits: 3
FLSP 500 - Special Topics in Spanish Language, Literature, Linguistics or Culture Credits: 3
FLSP 530 - Mapping the Marginalized in Contemporary Spanish Literature Credits: 3
FLSP 533 - Classical Spanish Drama Credits: 3
FLSP 534 - Cervantes: The Quixote Credits: 3
FLSP 535 - Spanish Golden Age Prose Credits: 3
FLSP 538 - Contemporary Spanish Literature Credits: 3
FLSP 539 - Women Authors in Hispanic Literature Credits: 3
FLSP 540 - Spanish American Poetry and Theater Credits: 3
FLSP 541 - Spanish American Novel Credits: 3
FLSP 552 - Literature of the Caribbean Credits: 3
FLSP 554 - Mexican Literature, Culture, and Film Credits: 3
FLSP 555 - Spanish-American Short Story Credits: 3
FLSP 556 - Colonial Latin American Literature Credits: 3
FLSP 557 - 19th Century Spanish American Literature Credits: 3
FLSP 558 - Spanish American Modernismo and Vanguardias: 1880-1945 Credits: 3
FLSP 559 - Spanish American Historical Novels Credits: 3
FLSP 560 - Contemporary Spanish American Literature Credits: 3
FLSP 561 - Seminar on the Cultures of Spain Credits: 3
FLSP 562 - Seminar on the Cultures of Latin America Credits: 3
FLSP 563 - Hispanic Culture through Film Credits: 3
FLSP 580 - Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics Credits: 3
FLSP 581 - Spanish Phonology Credits: 3
FLSP 582 - Foundations in Spanish Sociolinguistics Credits: 3
FLSP 583 - Techniques of Translation Credits: 3
FLSP 584 - Advanced Translation Credits: 3
FLSP 585 - Spanish Syntax Credits: 3
FLSP 586 - Contrastive Grammatical Structures in Spanish and English Credits: 3
FLSP 587 - Hispanic Dialectology Credits: 3
FLSP 589 - Techniques of Interpretation Credits: 3
FLSP 591 - History of the Spanish Language Credits: 3
FLSP 699 - Master’s Thesis in Spanish Credits: 1-3
FLST 661 - Research Seminar in Civilization and Culture Credits: 3
FLST 683 - Research Seminar in Languages and Linguistics Credits: 3
FLST 684 - Research Seminar in Translation Credits: 3

Electives (9)

Up to three courses from the following list may be counted:

FLAL 520 - Introduction to Translation Theory Credits: 3
FLAL 583 - Topics in Applied Linguistics Credits: 3
HIST 514 - European Wars of Religion, 1520-1660 Credits: 3
HIST 516 - The Age of Enlightenment Credits: 3
HIST 520 - The Renaissance Credits: 3
HIST 522 - Early Modern Europe Credits: 3
HIST 581 - Indigenous Mexico Credits: 3
HIST 583 - Africans in Colonial Latin America Credits: 3
HIST 585 - Modern Latin American Revolutions Credits: 3
HIST 586 - Inequality in Latin America Credits: 3
HIST 587 - The Latin American City Credits: 3
LATS 597 - Independent Study in Latino and/or Latin American Studies Credits: 1-3
LTIC 500 - Introduction to Teaching Multilingual Learners Credits: 3
LTIC 501 - Multicultural Education: Methods and Materials Credits: 3
LTIC 525 - Biliteracy Development in Spanish-English Dual Language Settings Credits: 3
LTIC 535 - Teaching Language-Minority Students in Bilingual Programs: Methods and Materials Credits: 3
LTIC 545 - Applied Linguistics for Teachers in Multilingual Classrooms Credits: 3
LTIC 547 - Assessment of Language-Minority Students Credits: 3

Foreign Language Teaching Methods (9)

Students in the Educator Licensure Portfolio option may count up to three FLMT courses in place of the Electives category.

Thesis, Exam, or Educator Licensure Portfolio option

Students shall choose either a Thesis, Exam, or Educator Licensure Portfolio option.

Thesis option

This option is designed to prepare students for graduate work at the doctoral level. Successful completion of this option requires a written thesis, for which students may count 3 credit hours of FLSP 699 in their course of study, and an oral defense that includes comprehensive questions based on course work. As early as possible in the course of study, the student will choose a faculty member in their field of study to act as their advisor and thesis director.

Exam option

This option is designed for students who plan to work in professional settings or who are already licensed teachers seeking an advanced degree. Successful completion of this option requires a two-part comprehensive examination based on course work and the graduate reading list. The examination consists of both a written and an oral component. The student will work with the Director of Graduate Studies to develop a program of study that matches their academic and career goals.

Educator Licensure Portfolio option

This option is designed for students who are pursuing educator licensure in the state of Illinois. Students choosing this option may count up to 9 credit hours of foreign language teaching methods (FLMT) courses in their course of study. Successful completion of this option requires the following additional work: up to 12 credit hours of education courses outside the department; between 7 and 15 hours of clinical experience; and a professional portfolio. Students may choose an educational research project instead of a portfolio in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies. Students choosing this option will work with the Director of Educator Licensure to determine how many Education courses and clinical experience credit hours are needed based on the student’s educational and professional background.

Accelerated Track: B.A./M.A. in World Languages and Cultures

This accelerated sequence leads to both the B.A. and M.A. degrees in World Languages and Cultures. Students who wish to complete this program may apply to the department during their junior year. The program is open only to undergraduate majors in World Languages and Cultures.

Admission to the Accelerated Program:

In addition to the requirements for the M.A. in World Languages and Cultures, admission to the accelerated B.A./M.A. program also requires the following:

completion of at least 75 semester hours of undergraduate course work including all general education requirements
completion of at least 21 credit hours in the major
GPA of 3.5 in WLC major courses

Admission will be conditional upon timely completion of the bachelor’s degree, maintenance of a minimum 3.50 G.P.A. in all graduate courses in World Languages and Cultures. Failure to meet the requirements of the accelerated sequence may lead to a B.A. degree only, after all the requirements for that degree have been met.

Accelerated Program Curricular Requirements:

Students accepted into the accelerated degree program will matriculate in the graduate program during their senior year. Up to 15 semester hours of graduate courses may count toward the undergraduate degree. All graduate course work must be approved by the department.