Graduate Catalog 2003-2004

Romance Languages

Degree: Master of Arts; Master of Arts in Teaching


Federico Chalupa, Chair
Robin Berg, Graduate Coordinator - French
Nathan Richardson, Graduate Coordinator - Spanish
Room: 203 Shatzel Hall
Phone: 419-372-2667



Graduate Faculty


Associate Professors - R. J. Berg, Ph.D.; Francisco Cabanillas, Ph.D.; Carlo Celli, Ph.D.; Federico Chalupa, Ph.D.; Fabrice Leroy, Ph.D.; Opportune Zongo, Ph.D.

Assistant Professors - Ana Del Sarto, Ph.D.; Edmundo Delgado, Ph.D.; Bonnibeth Fonseca-Greber, Ph.D.; Fenfang Hwu, Ph.D.; Lynn Pearson, Ph.D.; Philip Peek, Ph.D.; Nathan Richardson, Ph.D.; Katherine Roberts, Ph.D.; Deborah Schocket, Ph.D.

The Department of Romance Languages offers programs leading to the degrees of Master of Arts and Master of Arts in Teaching. Students may pursue graduate studies in either French or Spanish. Both the French and Spanish programs combine the cultural benefits of study abroad with the guidance and academic support of the graduate faculty on campus. Students have the opportunity to begin their studies with a year abroad in France or Quebec, Spain or Mexico. Students return to the home campus for their second year of study. Those who prefer not to spend a year abroad may take their full course work at the University.

Prerequisites to Graduate Work

Admission to graduate study in French or Spanish requires an undergraduate major or minor in French or Spanish (not less than 20 semester hours beyond the intermediate level). Applicants with less background may be accepted, provided they are willing to make up prerequisite deficiencies specified by the graduate coordinator.

Admission Procedure

Applicants seeking admission to the graduate programs in Romance Languages should follow the instructions outlined in the "Graduate Admission" section of this catalog.

Degree Requirements
Master of Arts

Candidates pursue graduate studies in French or Spanish under one of the following two plans (students under both plans must also demonstrate proficiency in the language):

Plan I (French and Spanish): Candidates must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate credit and the writing of a thesis for which up to six semester hours of credit are granted. Plan I is recommended for individuals who expect to pursue a Ph.D. degree.

Plan II (French): Candidates must complete 36 semester hours of graduate credit. No thesis is required. During the final semester, students prepare for an exit exam that includes an individualized research project and an oral presentation thereof.

Plan II (Spanish): Candidates must complete 36 semester hours of graduate credit. No thesis is required.

The non-thesis student will complete a two-part Comprehensive Examination:

(1) For part one of the Comprehensive Examination (Core I), the first-year student selects questions from the List of Temas to answer at length dealing with Spanish linguistics, and Peninsular and Spanish American literature and culture. The student follows the guidelines included with the List of Temas and submits his/her responses to the Graduate Coordinator by February 14.

(2) For part two of the Comprehensive Examination (Specialization) students will write one “polished” paper of no fewer than 20 pages in length, and will present it orally to a committee of a least three members of the Spanish graduate faculty during the student’s final semester.


Master of Arts in Teaching
Degree requirements are listed under the heading of Master of Arts in Teaching in the "Degree Programs" section of this catalog. The M.A.T. is open only to applicants who have at least one year’s teaching experience and valid certification from the state in which they are teaching or have taught.

Graduate Courses
Please access graduate courses online at http://webapps.bgsu.edu/courses/search.php. Graduate courses offered by the Department of Romance Languages use the prefixes: FREN, ITAL, LAT, ROML, and SPAN.

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