The Department of Spanish and Portuguese hosts two doctoral programs: the PhD in Hispanic Languages and Literatures (HLL) and the PhD in Romance Languages and Literatures (RLL).
We offer world-class research and pedagogical training in all areas of Hispanic and Romance literatures and linguistics. Our programs guide students to acquire breadth and depth of knowledge across their major fields while fostering interdisciplinary critical inquiry through conversations across the humanistic and social science fields at Berkeley. We provide students with financial support to pursue their studies over six years. This includes some years devoted to full-time classroom study and research and other years that combine research with teaching.
Students in our community engage in pioneering research, enjoy strong mentorship from individual faculty, and receive top-notch training in classroom instruction. Most of our graduates go on to academic careers. Others take the portable skills we offer for careers in government, K-12 education, community organizations and the private sector.
We welcome students from all kinds of universities and with all kinds of life experiences. To be considered for admission, you need a Bachelor's degree with studies in Spanish, Spanish-American, Portuguese, or Luso-Brazilian literatures, Hispanic or General Linguistics, or another field with demonstrable bearing on Hispanic and/or Luso-Brazilian studies, as well as Native or near-native proficiency in either Spanish or Portuguese.
The campus offers many different resources for graduate students with disabilities. The purpose of an academic accommodation is to offer the graduate student an equal opportunity to meet the department's academic standards and requirements. The Disabled Students Program at (510) 642-0518 serves graduate students with disabilities (who complete the process for establishing eligibility) by authorizing academic accommodations. Disabled Access Services at (510) 643-6473 or 643-6456 can usually assist with accommodations to extra-curricular events. Most physical access issues are addressed in the Campus Access Guide. Finally, problems with accommodations may be reported to the campus Disability Resolution Officer.
UC Berkeley offers resources to support graduate students who are parents. See Support for Student Parents & Caregivers.