Spanish (MATS) Thesis

Spanish (MATS) Thesis

Degree: Master of Arts Teaching

Major: Spanish

Concentration: Thesis

This graduate program is a collaborative effort between Lamar University and the University of Salamanca. It leads to the Master of Arts for Teachers of Spanish (MAT), awarded by Lamar University. It also includes the distinctive certificates that are awarded by the University of Salamanca that acknowledge your summer sessions in residence in Spain where you will complete our Máster Interuniversitario Hispano-Norteamericano en Lengua Española y Culturas Hispanas, awarded by the University of Salamanca. The University of Salamanca has a well-developed curriculum for foreign students who aspire to teach Spanish and its Cursos para Profesores and enjoy a high level of academic prestige around the world.

Requirements

  1. A bachelor's degree in Spanish from an accredited college or university, with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 grading scale) in the student's undergraduate major documented by an official transcript.
  2. Proficiency in the Spanish language. Proficiency may be demonstrated by two options:
    1.  By exam. The official exam determining this proficiency is offered once a year at Lamar University.
    2. Or, students may earn the Diploma in Spanish issued by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (Nivel intermedio, B2). The Diploma must be earned within 3 years of the date of application.
  3. Three (3) letters of recommendation. At least 2 of these should be from professors. These letters may be sent by mail or electronically, after applying, to the director of the Program.
    Dr. Elia Hatfield, Director, Spanish M.A.T
    Box 10023
    English Department, Lamar University
    Beaumont, TX 77710
  4. A personal statement, in which you explain your reasons for pursuing the Spanish Graduate Program. The statement should be written in English. These letters should also be addressed to the Director (see above) and may be sent after applying.
  5. We do not request GRE scores for admission to the MAT in Spanish program

Although applicants are expected to have a B.A. in Spanish, admission may be considered for those who otherwise demonstrate the competency necessary for successful graduate work in Spanish. At a minimum, students lacking advanced coursework in Spanish will be required to take 4000 level courses in each of the four principal content areas in which they are deficient: composition, conversation, literature, and culture. Students must complete these courses with a grade of B or better before beginning the graduate curriculum, either at Lamar University or at the University of Salamanca. Students must also meet all other university-required standards for admittance.

Core Curriculum Requirements: consists of a total of 30 graduate credit hours. After 27 hours of courses successfully completed with a B or better, students must enroll in the teaching practicum course. In lieu of a thesis, students will take SPAN 5390 Special Topics in Teaching (3hrs) where they will undertake a teaching Practicum. In this course they will demonstrate in a classroom setting that they have mastered the teaching methods taught in their graduate studies, present a portfolio of papers and teaching projects undergone during their studies.

The degree of Master of Arts in Teaching Spanish offers a thesis option and a non-thesis option.

The thesis option requires the completion of 30 semester hours of graduate work and six semester hours in thesis preparation, that include SPAN 5390 Special Topics in Teaching and SPAN 5391 Thesis. Students must write a critical thesis and students must orally defend their thesis.