Spanish Program

For preliminary and general advising, be sure to visit University Advising. 

If you would like advising by a Spanish program advisor, please do the following:

1. Review your Academic Records Report (ARR).

2. If you have studied abroad, please contact the office of International Education to obtain a copy of your IP transcripts. You must bring your IP transcripts with you when you meet an advisor.

3. Contact an advisor directly to set up an appointment. Listed below:

   Spanish Advising - please use email to contact:

   Name and Advising Assignment	Phone	Email
   Dr. Emily Clark (A-G)	664-2436	emily.clark@sonoma.edu
   Dr. Parissa Tadrissi (H-O) (also Spanish MA advisor)	664-3163	parissa.tadrissi@sonoma.edu
   Dr. Robert Train (P-Z)	664-2014	robert.train@sonoma.edu

Basic Prerequisites

These requirements may be substituted partially or completely by two or more years of high school Spanish, a high school advanced placement certificate or college transfer credits. Native speakers of Spanish with a high school degree from their home country will be exempted from these requirements.

Spanish Placement Evaluation

Students are encouraged to have a placement evaluation. Please see a Spanish program advisor for proper course placement.

Lower Division Spanish Courses

The following courses constitute preparation for the Major or Minor when twenty to twenty-four (20-24) units are accrued. Some or all of these courses or their equivalents may have been completed in high school or at a community college. If you have grown up speaking Spanish, you should NOT start with SPAN 101/102. Please contact a Spanish program advisor to determine if you should begin with SPAN 201, SPAN 202 or SPAN 300H.

Spanish, M.A.

Program Overview

The Master of Arts in Spanish program, offered through the College of Education, Counseling, Ethnic Studies & Languages at Sonoma State University, takes a generalist approach. Whereas most programs only allow students to specialize in one area or another, ours require students to study at least three courses in literature, two in linguistics, one in pedagogy, and furthermore provide a mentored teaching practicum experience or internship. Students will pursue their curricular interests in greater depth by taking additional elective, senior or graduate-level courses (of which at least 12 units must be taken). Upon completion of the program, it is anticipated that all students will be able to:

Be prepared (both in curricular and pedagogical terms) to teach any course in Spanish language, literature, or culture in secondary schools, community colleges, or on lower-division university courses.
Submit a competitive application to regionally or nationally recognized Ph.D. programs in such areas as Hispanic literature, linguistics, or pedagogy.
Be able to conduct original research on topics of applied or theoretical linguistic interest in Spanish.
Be able to conduct original research on topics related to Hispanic literature with a solid grounding in the literary canon.

Faculty Coordinator
Parissa Tadrissi, Ph.D.

Dr. Parissa Tadrissi currently holds the rank of Professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Sonoma State University, having come from the College of Charleston in 2010. She earned a Master's Degree in Spanish (2002) and a Ph.D. in Hispanic Languages and Literatures from UC Santa Barbara (2006). Dr. Tadrissi is the Director of the Master's program in Spanish and a member of the senior faculty in the Spanish program.

Learn More About Parissa

Graduate Student Conference on Spanish Language Teaching

Each summer, the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and the School of Arts and Humanities host the graduate-student-coordinated Sonoma Graduate Student Conference on Spanish Language Teaching.

Spanish, Master of Arts

The core coursework for the Master of Arts in Spanish is offered in three summer intensives. During the academic year, students engage in elective coursework, a teaching practicum, or internship, which results in a light schedule that allows students flexibility in maintaining employment or simultaneously completing a single-subject teaching credential. Distance learners can also benefit from this unique arrangement; upon approval by the graduate coordinator, up to 9 units of upper-division or graduate-level electives may be taken at another accredited college. Program faculty include both SSU Spanish faculty and visiting faculty from other universities teaching in their area of specialization.

This Special Sessions program is a partnership between the School of Arts and Humanities, and the School of Extended & International Education (SEIE). As a self-support program, unique, separate fees are charged on a per-unit basis for all courses required for this program. These fees are set annually by the SSU President. Information about fees, admission requirements, and student support services is available through SEIE. Academic criteria for the program are determined in accordance with all applicable SSU and CSU policies. Degrees are awarded by the School of Arts and Humanities.

Requirements For Admission

Completion of a Bachelor’s degree at an accredited institution by the end of the preceding spring semester. One official sealed transcript no later than two years old showing the most recent 60 semester (90 quarter) units you have attempted, including award of the Bachelor’s degree and any other work you have completed since. 
A grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 (A=4.00) over the last 60 semester units completed. Students with a lower GPA may be considered on a space-available basis.
A written Statement of Purpose, in Spanish, regarding your professional experience and academic interests as related to the Spanish MA Program (maximum 500 words).
A sound file of an oral description of your experience as a learner/speaker of Spanish spoken by you in Spanish (maximum of four minutes).
For more information, please refer to Graduate Degrees in the Degree Requirements section of this catalog.

Requirements for the MA

Advancement to candidacy form (GSO1) fully signed and submitted to the Graduate Studies Office;
A grade point average of 3.0 or better for all work attempted in graduate status and in all work approved as a part of the specific pattern of study. With the approval of the graduate coordinator, a maximum of 9 units of upper-division or graduate-level academic coursework at an accredited institution may be included as part of the student’s specific pattern of study. All courses are to be taken for a letter grade;
Completion of Requirements form (GSO2) must be fully signed and submitted to the Graduate Studies Office.
All requirements for the MA degree in Spanish, including written proficiency, language competency, and conditional requirements stipulated at the time of admission to candidacy, must be satisfactorily completed within seven years from the time the student completes the first course in the program; and
Satisfactory performance in the culminating comprehensive exam.

Program Learning Outcomes

Be prepared (both in curricular and pedagogical terms) to teach any course in Spanish language, literature, or culture in secondary schools, community colleges, or on lower-division university courses.
Submit a competitive application to regionally or nationally recognized Ph.D. programs in such areas as Hispanic literature, linguistics, or pedagogy.
Conduct original research on topics of applied or theoretical linguistic interest in Spanish.
Conduct original research on topics related to Hispanic literature with a solid grounding in the literary canon.
They express themselves with a high level of accuracy and fluency in written and spoken Spanish in a variety of professional settings.

Required Coursework

SPAN 500 - Second Language Pedagogy Unit(s): 4
SPAN 501 - Teaching Practicum/Internship Unit(s): 2-4
SPAN 502 - Advanced Linguistics Unit(s): 4
SPAN 503 - Practical Linguistics Unit(s): 4
SPAN 504 - Hispanic Literature I Unit(s): 4
SPAN 505 - Hispanic Literature II Unit(s): 4
SPAN 506 - Hispanic Literature III Unit(s): 4

Electives

For their elective coursework, MA Spanish students may elect to enroll in upper-division (Junior or Senior) or graduate-level classes. Electives (SPAN 595 or transferred) Unit(s): 2

Units

Total core courses: 28

Total units required for the MA: 30