The program of Spanish & Portuguese offers a Master of Arts (MA) in Spanish. At the MA level, students are expected to demonstrate an understanding and make use of the core knowledge needed to function in their professional field. MA level students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the research process, and/or creative or problem-solving activity or application of the knowledge appropriate to literary and cultural studies or linguistics. For the MA degree in Spanish, students may choose either a thesis-type program or a course-type program. For the thesis-type program, the student must complete a minimum of thirty (30) semester hours of credit including thesis credit. The concentration of Hispanic Linguistics offers M.A. and Ph.D. courses that explore different aspects of the Spanish language such as Spanish Phonetics and Phonology, Syntax, Morphology, Sociolinguistics, Second Language Acquisition, and Psycholinguistics. Students pursuing a graduate degree in Spanish with a concentration in Hispanic Linguistics will be exposed to the theoretical foundations and current research paradigms of each of the areas. In addition, students will become familiar with the methodologies used in the various subfields.