A dual-title degree program in Spanish and Language Science will prepare students to combine the theoretical and methodological approaches of several disciplines in order to contribute to research in the rapidly growing area of Language Science.
This inherently interdisciplinary field draws on linguistics, psychology, speech-language pathology, and cognitive neuroscience, as well as other disciplines, to address both basic and applied research questions in such areas as first and second language acquisition, developmental and acquired language disorders, literacy, and language pedagogy.
Dual-title degree students will receive interdisciplinary training that will enable them to communicate and collaborate productively with a wide range of colleagues across traditional discipline boundaries. Such training will open up new employment opportunities for students and give them the tools to foster a thriving interdisciplinary culture in their own future students. The dual-title program will facilitate the formation of a cross-disciplinary network of peers for participating students as part of their professional development.
Requirements
The doctoral degree in Spanish and Language Science is awarded only to students who are admitted to the Spanish doctoral program and admitted to the dual-title degree in Language Science
Program Requirements
The minimum course requirements for the dual-title Ph.D. degree in the Spanish and Language Science, in addition to the Spanish Program requirements, are as follows:
- Language Science proseminar courses (LING 521 and LING 522; 6 credits).
- Research Methods/Statistics (LING 525 or equivalent; 3 credits).
- Theoretical Linguistics (LING 500 or LING 504; 3 credits)
- Cognitive Neuroscience or Psycholinguistics (LING/PSY 520, PSY 511 or equivalent; 3 credits)
- Research internships with two different Language Science faculty mentors (CSD 596, GER 596, LING 596, PSY 596, SPAN 596; 6 credits).
Particular courses may satisfy both the Spanish requirements and those in the Language Science program. Final course selection is determined by the student in consultation with the dual-title program advisors and the major program advisors. Students who already hold a master’s degree from another institution may petition to have equivalent course credits accepted.
Candidacy
Students electing this program through the Department of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, with the collaboration and support of the Linguistics Program and the Center for Language Science, will earn a degree with a dual-title at the Ph.D. level in Spanish with a dual-title in Language Science. A graduate student obtaining this dual-degree will have the skills and knowledge to bring the methods and theories of linguistics, psycholinguistics, and cognitive neuroscience to bear on central issues in Spanish.
Committee Composition
The doctoral committee of a Ph.D. dual-title degree student must include a minimum of four faculty members, i.e., the chair and at least three additional members all of whom must be members of the Graduate Faculty. The committee must include at least one member of the Language Science graduate faculty. The chair of the committee is typically a member of both Spanish and Language Science, however, if the chair of the committee representing Spanish is not also a member of the graduate faculty in Language Science, then the member of the committee representing Language Science should be appointed as Co-Chair
Comprehensive Exam
At the end of the coursework, candidates for the dual-title doctoral degree in Spanish and Language Science will be required to pass an oral comprehensive examination based on their thesis proposal and area of specialization in Spanish, while reflecting their dual-title degree curriculum. The Language Science program representative on the student’s doctoral committee must have input into the development of and participate in the evaluation of the comprehensive examination.
Dissertation and Dissertation Defense
Ph.D. students enrolled in the dual-title degree program are required to write and orally defend a dissertation on a topic that reflects their original research. A dissertation on a topic related to Language Science is required for a dual-title Ph.D. degree in Language Science.
Spanish and Language Courses to Fullfill
Many existing Penn State courses are relevant and appropriate for Language Science students. The following list offers examples of courses that could contribute toward a student’s individualized doctoral program. A number of the courses could fulfill coursework requirements (e.g., research methods/statistics). The listing is organized by program.
Linguistics (LING/LNGSC)
LING 500 SYNTAX II (3)
LING 502 HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS (3)
LING 504 PHONOLOGY II (3)
LNGSC 521 PROSEMINAR IN THE LANGUAGE SCIENCE OF BILINGUALISM (3)
LNGSC 522 PROSEMINAR IN PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN LANGUAGE SCIENCE (3)
LING 525 EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH METHODS IN LANGUAGE SCIENCE (3)
LING 597 SPECIAL TOPICS (1-9)
Statistics (STAT)
STAT 500 APPLIED STATISTICS (3)
STAT 501 REGRESSION METHODS (3)
STAT 502 ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE AND DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTS (3)
STAT 503 DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTS (3)
STAT 504 ANALYSIS OF DISCRETE DATA (3)
STAT 505 APPLIED MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS (3)
STAT 511 REGRESSION ANALYSIS AND MODELING (3)
STAT 512 DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF EXPERIMENTS (3)
STAT 515 STOCHASTIC PROCESSES I (3)
STAT 544 CATEGORICAL DATA ANALYSIS I (3)
STAT 561 STATISTICAL INFERENCE I (3)
STAT 562 STATISTICAL INFERENCE II (3)
STAT 565 MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS (3)
Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD)
CSD 500 RESEARCH METHODS IN COMMUNICATION SCIENCES AND DISORDERS (3)
CSD 520 PHYSIOLOGIC AND ACOUSTIC ISSUES IN SPEECH SCIENCE (3)
CSD 540 PHONOLOGICAL DISABILITIES (3)
CSD 546 LANGUAGE DISORDERS IN ADULTS (3)
CSD 547 LANGUAGE DISORDERS IN CHILDREN (3)
CSD 596 INDIVIDUAL STUDIES (1-9)
CSD 597 SPECIAL TOPICS (1-9)
Psychology (PSY)
PSY 507 ANALYSIS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DATA I (3)
PSY 508 ANALYSIS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DATA II (3)
PSY 520 (LING) SEMINAR IN PSYCHOLINGUISTICS (3)
PSY 521 COGNITIVE STUDIES (3)
PSY 524 PROSEMINAR IN COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY (3)
PSY 525 COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY SEMINAR (3 per semester, maximum of 12)
PSY 596 INDIVIDUAL STUDIES (1-9)
PSY 597 SPECIAL TOPICS (1-9)
Applied Linguistics (APLNG)
APLNG 512 LANGUAGE AND ADULT LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT (3)
APLNG 570 SECOND LANGUAGE READING (3)
APLNG 581 (CAS) DISCOURSE ANALYSIS (3)
APLNG 591 SEMINAR IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION (3)
APLNG 593 EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH ON LANGUAGE (3)
APLNG 596 INDIVIDUAL STUDIES (1-9)
APLNG 597 SPECIAL TOPICS (1-9)
Spanish (SPAN)
SPAN 507 HISPANO-ROMANCE LINGUISTICS (3 per semester, maximum of 9)
SPAN 510 SPANISH DESCRIPTIVE LINGUISTICS: PHONOLOGY (3)
SPAN 511 SPANISH TRANSFORMATIONAL-GENERATIVE LINGUISTICS (3)
SPAN 513 ACQUISITION OF SPANISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (3)
SPAN 514 HISPANIC DIALECTOLOGY (3 per semester, maximum of 6)
SPAN 596 INDIVIDUAL STUDIES (1-9)
SPAN 597 SPECIAL TOPICS (1-9)
German (GER)
GER 513 GERMAN PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY (3)
GER 514 GERMAN SYNTAX
GER 593 SEMINAR IN GERMAN PHILOLOGY AND GERMAN LINGUISTICS (3 per semester, maximum of 12)
GER 596 INDIVIDUAL STUDIES (1-9)
GER 597 SPECIAL TOPICS (1-9)
French (FR)
FR 502 INTRODUCTION TO FRENCH LINGUISTICS (3)
FR 597 SPECIAL TOPICS (1-9)
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the requirements for admission?
In general, an undergraduate degree in Spanish or its equivalent, two letters of recommendation from professors who can comment on potential for graduate-level work, a statement of intent, and an essay/term paper you have written.
If I don't have an undergraduate degree in Spanish, can I be admitted to the Spanish graduate program?
Typically, successful applicants need to have at least the advanced coursework required of a Spanish major, such as introduction to literary studies, surveys of Spanish Peninsular and Latin American literature, Spanish phonetics and/or history of the Spanish language, advanced grammar and composition, and other special-topics courses. Decisions to admit candidates not presenting an undergraduate major in Spanish are made on a case by case basis; contact the department for more information.
Do I need to take the GRE?
No, the GRE is not required.
If I am not a native speaker of English, do I have to take the TOEFL exam?
Yes, unless you already passed the exam at a previous university, and this fact is recorded on your official transcript. Penn State requires that all international students receive a minimum of 80 with a 19 on the speaking section of the internet-based test (iBT), 550 for the paper-based test (taken prior to July 2017), and a combined total of 60 or greater taken July 2017 or later regardless of their degree program. IELTS scores are also accepted, with a minimum score of 6.5 required. In addition, arriving international teaching assistants are required to take an English proficiency exam in spoken English.
Is financial assistance available for graduate students?
All students admitted to the graduate program receive graduate teaching assistantships (stipends, health benefits, full tuition reimbursement). Some competitive non-teaching fellowships are available.
What is the teaching and course load for teaching assistants?
Graduate teaching assistants normally teach three elementary or intermediate Spanish courses per academic year, spread over two semesters. Teaching assistants are required to be enrolled in at least three graduate courses (9 credit hours).
Are research assistantships available?
The Center for Language Acquisition has a small number of research assistantships. The Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese has occasional research assistantships available.
Are there opportunities for overseas study?
The department has exchange agreements with the universities of Salamanca and Valladolid in Spain, wherein a Penn State graduate student spends a year in residence at the Spanish university, teaches English classes, takes courses at the host university (credited towards the Penn State graduate degree). We also send a graduate student as assistant to the Penn State study abroad program in Salamanca in spring terms, and another assistant to Puebla, Mexico in summer terms.