Hispanic Languages and Literature, PhD

Admission Requirements

Application Website

Application Deadline: January 10

In all cases, admission is determined by the department’s graduate admissions committee under guidelines established by the Graduate School.

The General Admission Requirements  outlined by the Graduate School should be satisfied by all candidates. Students should also refer to the application checklist that can be found here.  

The following documents are requested from all candidates who want to be considered for admission into the Ph.D. program in Hispanic Languages and Literature:

1. Statement of purpose. This is a 800-1,000 word document, written in English, describing the trajectory, research interests and candidate’s reasons for wanting to pursue a PhD at Stony Brook University.
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Diplomas and Transcripts. Minimum requirement: a Bachelor’s degree in Literature, Spanish or another humanities discipline. Candidates must show evidence that the degree will be awarded by the time they begin the Ph.D. program. International candidates, please follow the Graduate School requirements and guidelines regarding acceptable documents and translations. 
4. Three letters of reference. Recommendation letters are accepted in Spanish or English.
5. Proficiency in Spanish. If the candidate is not a native speaker of Spanish, their written and oral command of the language will be assessed. 
6. Proficiency in English. Please refer to Graduate School requirements and guidelines   regarding accepted English tests and minimum scores.
7. Writing sample. This can be a paper submitted for a course, a portion or chapter from a BA or MA thesis, or a published article that constitutes a fine example of the research work done by the candidate. The writing sample must be 4,000-5,000 word-long and written in Spanish.  

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for video conference interviews with Hispanic Languages and Literature faculty members.

Note: The Hispanic Languages and Literature Department no longer considers the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) when evaluating applications.

Program Requirements

A minimum of 60 credits is needed for graduation. Students must complete 17 graduate courses (51 credits): twelve (12) required SPN 600-level seminars and five (5) electives. Students who enter the PhD having completed an MA must complete 15 graduate courses (45 credits): ten (10) required SPN 600-level seminars and five (5) electives. The five elective courses can include additional SPN 600-level courses, a maximum of two external courses (with program approval), a maximum of two Independent Studies, and POR 511 . In addition, a minimum of 15 credits of dissertation research courses must be completed once the student has advanced to candidacy.

Note

Please refer to the Hispanic Languages and Literature Doctoral Student Handbook for a more detailed description of procedures and expectations.