PhD in Spanish and Portuguese in Nashville United States | Vanderbilt University

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese's graduate program provides comprehensive coursework and research guidance across all aspects of Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian literature, alongside related studies in linguistics, film, cultural analysis, and theoretical approaches. Our department maintains strong collaborations with multiple academic units, including the Center for Latin American Studies, Women's and Gender Studies program, Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities, Center for Second Language Studies, Center for Teaching, and the Brazilian Studies Association (BRASA). Recognized for exceptional scholarly output, our faculty was ranked as the nation's most productive in 2007 by the Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index.

Students pursuing interests in second language acquisition and teaching methodologies can obtain a Graduate Certificate in Second Language Studies.

Our program exclusively admits candidates seeking doctoral degrees, offering two Ph.D. options: Spanish or a dual degree in Spanish and Portuguese. During their doctoral studies, all candidates will earn an M.A. from Vanderbilt in either Spanish or Spanish and Portuguese, irrespective of previous master's degrees obtained elsewhere.

The dual Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese mandates 66 credit hours of coursework, incorporating the 30-hour M.A. requirements, plus at least 15 additional hours in each language area. This rigorous program includes an M.A. thesis, Comprehensive Examination, Qualifying Examination, and dissertation, with no minor required. Participants in the combined program must demonstrate near-native fluency in both Spanish and Portuguese, with no further language prerequisites.