PhD in Romance Languages and Literatures in Berkeley United States | University of California, Berkeley

The Romance Languages and Literatures (RLL) PhD program is a collaborative initiative between the French, Italian Studies, and Spanish and Portuguese departments, overseen by a director and executive committee composed of faculty from these units. This interdisciplinary approach enables students to conduct more in-depth comparative analyses across Romance languages and their linguistic, literary, and cultural expressions than would typically be possible within a single department's curriculum. The program operates on the principle that genuine mastery of Romance linguistics or literature requires meaningful engagement with multiple Romance language traditions.

Participants select either the Literature or Linguistics track. While focusing on one primary language from the participating departments (studying either its linguistics or literature), students must also complete significant coursework in other departments. Their final dissertation must incorporate multiple Romance language varieties. Although RLL maintains distinct admissions, funding, requirements, and administration separate from the three departments, students typically associate with their primary language's department (their host department) for social and employment matters. They receive academic guidance from that department's designated RLL faculty advisor.