PhD Degree Requirements

Course Requirements 

117 credits total; 90 credits prior to taking the PhD exam, to include:

• Pedagogy Requirement (for all graduate students employed as TAs): 5 credits of SPAN 510 (Methodology of Spanish Language Teaching); this is taken the first quarter of study.
• Theory Requirement: 5 credits of SPAN 577 (Contemporary Literary Theory) or another graduate-level theory course or a graduate-level research methods course.
  • NOTE: Alternatives to SPAN 577 may be approved only after consultation with the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC).
•  Distribution Requirement: Minimum of 25 credits earned in five of the seven following areas: Medieval Spain; "Golden Age" Spain; Spain of the 18th and 19th centuries; 20th century Spain; Colonial and 19th century Latin America; 20th century Latin America; and Spanish applied linguistics.

NOTES:

• Up to 10 credits of 400-level courses taught inside the department may be approved after consultation with the GPC.
• Up to 10 credits of 400- and 500-level courses taught outside of the department may be approved after consultation with the GPC.
• Up to 6 transfer credits may be approved after consultation with the GPC.
• For details on exam preparation and dissertation writing credits, consult with the GPC.

Additional Requirements

• Auxiliary Language Proficiency. PhD candidates must demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English or Spanish.  A student may demonstrate proficiency with native status, by holding a university degree in the third language, or by completing coursework in the target language at the 201 level (or, in the case of Portuguese, by completing PORT 105).  Students may not take the PhD exam without having first med this requirement. 
• PhD Examination.  In the first quarter of PhD study, PhD students will choose a chair for the PhD Examination committee.  By the fourth quarter of PhD study (typically Fall of the second year), PhD candidates must pass a PhD examination.  This exam consists of:
  • The construction of an annotated bibliography
  • The construction of a 10 - 15 page dissertation prospectus.
  • A ninety minute oral exam.
• PhD Dissertation.  PhD candidates must complete a dissertation written under the direction of a committee (one chair; two readers) of the graduate faculty.  The dissertation chair must be from the department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies.  The dissertation may take the form of a traditional scholarly monograph, or it may—after consultation with the dissertation committee as well as the GPC—take a more non-traditional form, such as a portfolio of scholarly and creative work, digital publication, an exhibition with a strong scholarly apparatus, among others.  The culmination of the dissertation project is the dissertation defense, which must be scheduled a full quarter of the anticipated completion of the dissertation. 

NOTES:  

• All work for the PhD degree, including credits transferred from other institutions, must be completed within ten years. However, PhD candidates subsidized by teaching assistantships, research assistantships, graduate staff assistantships, or comparable financial support, are expected to complete their program of study within five years.
• PhD candidates must be registered as full-time or part-time students at the University of Washington for the quarter in which the degree requirements are completed.

 Considerations

• Students who enter without an MA must first complete the MA; see this page.
• Students who enter with an MA in Spanish:
  • May transfer up to 30 credits toward their PhD.
  • Are exempt from the distribution requirement, the MA exam, and the MA Thesis.
• Students who enter with an MA ins a related or relevant field:
  • May petition for the transfer of up to 30 credits toward their PhD.
  • May petition to waive the MA Thesis.

Timeline

Satisfactory Progress

• Students enrolled in the PhD program are expected to maintain progress toward the degree.  You may read more about how the Graduate School determines satisfactory progress, and the processes in place should a student fail to exhibit satisfactory progress, here.