Ph.D. in Hispanic Languages and Literatures (HLL)

Prerequisites for Admission

  • 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.

  • Native or near-native proficiency in either Spanish or Portuguese.

Program Overview

In close consultation with faculty, the student will develop a specialization in one ofHLL three tracks: Hispanic and Spanish American literature and culture (Track 1), Luso-Brazilian literature and culture (Track 2), or Hispanic Linguistics (Track 3).Each track is organized around student areas of interest. Course preparation will lead to the Qualifying Examination, followed by the completion of a dissertation in the field.

Track 1 - Hispanic and Spanish American literature and culture

Track 2 - Luso-Brazilian literature and culture

Track 3 - Hispanic Linguistics

In years 1-4 of the program, students will be advised by a faculty adviser, either the Department’s Head Graduate Adviser (HGA) or a designated assistant adviser (advisers are assigned alphabetically based on student last name). On entering Berkeley, these faculty advisers will assess each student’s  preparation and advise them on appropriate coursework. Students take courses in their main areas of interest, fulfill requirements for the Ph.D., and concentrate on coursework in areas that they have not studied before, in order to prepare themselves for the General Examination or First Qualifying Paper. In addition to meeting with a graduate adviser, each first-year student will be assigned a First-Year Mentor, a faculty person whose research interests align with the student’s and who will provide support in adjusting to the doctoral program and thinking about research and other career goals.

The immediate goal of the new graduate student is the General Examination(tracks 1 and 2) or First Qualifying Paper (track 3), scheduled for their fourth semester. 

For both fourth semester milestones (General Examination and First Qualifying Paper), a Pass is required in order to continue in the program. Additionally, students who come to Berkeley with an M.A. or otherwise have a strong preparation may petition to take the exam or submit the first qualifying paper before the fourth semester. 

After passing the General Examination or First Qualifying Paper, students will submit a Statement of Purpose that reflects greater intellectual maturity after two years of graduate study, as well as possible changes in primary area of interest, greater understanding of research areas, and other changes in a student’s conception of their own role in the field. The Statement, together with the results of the General Examination or First Qualifying Paper and the student’s performance in coursework will be considered by the faculty of the Department as a whole, who will then vote whether to allow the student to continue in the program.   

Students invited to continue in the program will concentrate their coursework on remaining Ph.D. requirements including any Designated Emphases and/or Graduate Certificates they may have chosen (for instance, Gender Studies, Applied Data Science, Indigenous Language Revitalization, Film, New Media, Cognitive Science, Critical Theory, etc.). Formal advising will continue to be carried out by the HGA or an assistant. In addition, the specialist in the student’s chosen field will increasingly mentor the student.

The Qualifying Examination will normally take place in the student’s eighth semester, but may be moved forward in instances of adequate preparation. Early in the semester in which students plan to take the Oral Ph.D. Exam (QE), they will either writeThree Field Statements, with accompanying bibliographies (Tracks 1 and 2), or submit a Second Qualifying Paper, QE List 1 Essay, and QE List 2 Essay (Track 3). 

For Tracks 1 and 2, after submitting the three Field Statements and related bibliographies, the student will take a 2-day written exam based on questions related to both the Field Statements and bibliographies. The 2-day written exam along with either Field Statements and related bibliographies (Tracks 1 and 2) or Second Qualifying Paper, QE List 1 Essay, and QE List 2 Essay (Track 3) will be assessed by the student’s examination committee in order to determine whether or not the student is prepared to proceed to the oral examination

After passing the Qualifying Examination, students will have two years to research and write a dissertation, embodying the results of original research on a subject chosen by the student. The degree should be completed within the program’s normative time of six years.  

Mentoring

All incoming students will be assigned to a First-year Mentor (1 faculty member) responsible for supporting the incoming students during their transition into the doctoral program. Mentors are an added resource for new students.  Curricular advising in years 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be carried out by the Head Graduate Adviser or designated in consultation with appropriate faculty, according to students’ interests.  

Mentoring for continuing students (years 3 and 4) will come from faculty likely to be part of the students Ph.D. Qualifying Examination. On completing the Qualifying Exam (by the end of year 4) and Advancing to Candidacy (i.e. becoming “ABD” in year 5), students will be advised by their dissertation Chair.

General Examination—Tracks 1 & 2

As stated above, all second-year Ph.D students in Tracks 1 & 2 will take a written General Examination. This exam is based on a standard reading list of Spanish and Latin American literature, or Portuguese and Brazilian literature, that first-year students will receive when they enter the program (see appendix). Each reading list is divided into four sections that represent literature from all of the traditional sub-fields (see appendix). The General Examination will be administered in the 4th semester (i.e., normally in the spring), although students will be able to petition for accelerated progress and an early exam. A committee appointed by the Chair will conduct the exam. 

This exam will be 4 hours, 1 hour per section, 1 day. Notes and laptop permitted. It will be administered by a standing committee of the Department faculty, so the same committee will evaluate every student. The exam will be scheduled for shortly after Spring Break, allowing a month for grading and assessment of student potential. 

Passing the exam is necessary for an M.A., and students who fail it would not receive that degree. Students may repeat the exam once if they fail it. Please note that UC Berkeley does not allow for duplication of degree; only students entering with a B.A. are eligible for the M.A. equivalency.

First Qualifying Paper—Track 3 

Initial reception into the program and advising will proceed as in Tracks 1 and 2 above, with advising carried out by a designated Assistant Graduate Adviser for this track.

All second-year Ph.D. students in Track 3 will submit a First Qualifying Paper spanning at least one sub-field of Spanish linguistics (e.g. phonetics, language contact, morphosyntax, etc.). The paper should be formatted according to the style sheet of a reputable venue of conference proceedings, such as those from the Hispanic Linguistics Symposium (HLS) or the Linguistic Symposium on Romance Languages (LSRL). The paper will be evaluated by a committee of no fewer than two professors specializing in Linguistics (one of whom must be from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese), with the aim of determining whether or not the student is ready to continue on to advanced doctoral research in Hispanic Linguistics. A single revision is permitted if the First Qualifying Paper is deemed unsatisfactory. After a successful evaluation of the First Qualifying Paper, students will submit a Statement of Purpose. This, together with the First Qualifying Paper, will be considered by the faculty of the Department as a whole, who will then vote whether to allow the student to continue in the program.

Passing the First Qualifying Paper is necessary for an M.A., and students who fail it would not receive that degree. Please note that UC Berkeley does not allow for duplication of degree, only students entering with a B.A. are eligible for the M.A. equivalency.

Permission to Continue in the Ph.D.

The faculty of the department as a whole will decide if a student should continue in the program, based on performance on the General Exam or First Qualifying Paper, experience of the student in coursework, and the student’s Statement of Purpose. 

Course Requirements

All courses used to satisfy a requirement or courses taken toward the study program, must be taken for a letter grade option only. Passing grade for graduate students is a B or better. 

A minimum of twelve courses are required for the Ph.D.  This includes eleven courses in the department, and at least one course outside. Up to two Upper-Division courses would be allowed with permission of the graduate adviser. In addition to the 11, students may take courses for Designated Emphases, language study, etc. Courses numbered 298, 601, 602 would remain as options but do not count towards course requirements. 

The following must be included within the 12-course requirement for Tracks 1 and 2:

  • One graduate seminar in Portuguese (track 1) or Spanish (track 2)
  • One graduate seminar outside of the historical period and geographic area of student’s major emphasis
  • One graduate seminar in literary theory or containing a strong theoretical component
  • One course in Spanish and/or Portuguese language pedagogy (Spanish 375)
  • Two courses related to field of interest, approved by adviser

The following must be included within the 12-course requirement for Track 3:

  • One graduate seminar in Hispanic Linguistics in the student’s primary linguistics sub-field
  • Two graduate seminars in Hispanic Linguistics
  • One graduate seminar covering the linguistic structure of a language other than Spanish (C201/2 permitted)
  • One graduate seminar in the Linguistics Department in the student’s primary linguistics sub-field  
  • One course on quantitative/qualitative methods for social sciences/humanities OR 1 graduate seminar covering linguistic theory
  • Three additional courses in linguistics
  • One course in Spanish and/or Portuguese language pedagogy (Spanish 375)
  • Two courses related to field of interest, approved by adviser

Foreign Language Requirement

For students in Tracks 1 & 2, two foreign languages pertinent to the specialization are required. Of these, Spanish for students of Luso-Brazilian studies and Portuguese for students of Hispanic studies are required, and must be fulfilled through graduate course work taught in the pertinent language (not English). The second language requirement must be satisfied by passing the Language Reading Examinations (also referred to as Translation Exam) administered by the respective language department. 

For students in Track 3, two languages other than the primary concentration is required. A graduate course in the language or the language reading examination will satisfy the requirement in the Linguistics track. 

The requirement for all tracks should be satisfied as early as possible in the student’s doctoral career and must be completed prior to Admission to the Qualifying Examination.

Qualifying Examination (QE)

The QE Committee (chosen by the student in the semester prior to QE) is made up of five members, including at least one person from outside the Department. One member of the committee will chair the exam; this person may not direct the dissertation. All members of the committee, including the “outside” member, must be Academic Senate members. All five members of the QE Committee must be present and voting at the oral examination. 

Students choose the faculty for the QE, however final composition of the Qualifying Examination Committee is approved by the Head Graduate Adviser. Final versions of the field statements and bibliographies (tracks 1 and 2) or second qualifying paper, QE list 1 essay, and QE list 2 essay (track 3) will be turned in no later than one month before the date set for the oral examination.

Students must complete the QE application form with the Departmental Graduate Assistant at least four weeks before the exam. Students may not take the Qualifying Examination if they have more than one Incomplete grade.

The oral portion of the QE will consist of a three-hour examination conducted by a committee of five, at least one of whom must be from outside the Department.

After passing the QE, students will have two years to research and write a dissertation, embodying the results of original research on a subject chosen by the student. The degree should be completed within the program’s normative time of six years.

Exam Structure for Tracks 1 and 2:

Early in the semester in which they hope to take their oral Ph.D. Qualifying Exam, students will write three 5- to 8-page statements, with accompanying bibliographies. Each statement will focus on a pressing topic or problematic, a “deep dive” within the student’s intended field of specialization. The student will then take a 2-day written exam based on questions related to the statements and bibliographies. On day 1, students will receive 2 batches of questions, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and have 2 hours to answer one question from each batch. On day 2, students will receive the last batch (morning or afternoon), and have 2 hours to answer one question from that batch. The field statements and the written exam will be assessed by the student’s QE committee in order to determine whether or not the student is prepared to proceed to the oral portion of the QE. 

Exam Structure for Track 3:

No later than one month before the date of the Oral Ph.D. Exam (QE), track 3 students must submit the three written products that constitute the Written QE, namely:

  • Second Qualifying Paper
  • 3,000-4,000 word (excluding bibliography) essay on first QE list
  • 3,000-4,000 word (excluding bibliography) essay on second QE list

With respect to the Second Qualifying Paper, it will span at least one sub-field of Hispanic linguistics (e.g. Phonology/Phonetics, Morphology, Historical Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, etc.). The topic of the paper (as opposed to the subfield in linguistics) cannot be the same as the previous First Qualifying Paper, and moreover must be of a higher caliber. The student should prepare the paper as if planning to submit it to a non-conference venue, professional linguistics journal (for example, Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, Phonetica, Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, Journal of Language Contact, Journal of Sociolinguistics, etc.) and should be formatted according to the style sheet of one of these professional journal venues.

With respect to the two QE list essays (3000-4000 words, excluding bibliography), there are no explicit prompts to follow, nor is the student expected to write about any texts or data which are not in their reading lists. The primary goal of these short essays is to provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate how they have engaged with the materials on their QE lists and formulate their own essays to target areas of interest within each topic.

The written QE (Second Qualifying Paper, First QE List Essay, Second QE list Essay) will be assessed by the student’s examination committee in order to determine whether or not the student is prepared to proceed to the oral examination.

Prospectus

Once the Qualifying Examination has been passed and formal Advancement to Candidacy is approved by the Graduate Division, the student will submit a dissertation proposal (10-15 pages on average), with selected bibliography, to the Dissertation Committee before the end of the first semester following the Qualifying Examination. It is expected that the proposal will describe the intended research, provide a basic bibliography and,set the project within current research in the field . After examining this material, the dissertation committee will meet with the student to discuss the proposal, to set up a timetable, and to give final approval to the dissertation project. A signed copy of the report must be given to the GSAO for the student’s file and verification of completion of requirement.


It should be remembered that the prospectus is not intended to be a dissertation in miniature, so that there is normally no compelling reason why its completion should be delayed beyond the appointed deadline. Rather, it should be a concise preliminary description of the dissertation project, including: the primary materials to be investigated; the descriptive or analytical approach to be taken to those materials; the project’s relation to existing scholarly work. The prospectus should be accompanied by references and/or bibliography.

Dissertation 

Upon constituting the dissertation committee, the student will apply for Advancement to Candidacy. Doctoral students should bear in mind that it is to their advantage to be “Advanced to Candidacy” as soon as possible following completion of the Qualifying Examination, preferably by the end of the semester in which the Qualifying Examination is passed.  

The student will write a doctoral dissertation under the guidance of a director or co-directors and faculty committee (selected by the student and their Graduate Advisor and approved by the Graduate Division), embodying the results of original research on a subject chosen by the student in consultation with the dissertation director(s). 

Dissertation committees are made up of a minimum of three members, including one person from “outside” the Department, who serves as the Academic Senate Representative. The Chair of the student’s Qualifying Examination Committee cannot direct the dissertation.

After completion of the QE by the 8th semester, students will have two years to research and write a dissertation according to the program's normative time of six years. 

All instructions for filing the Dissertation can be found at https://grad.berkeley.edu/academic-progress/doctoral/dissertation/

Dissertation in a Language other than English

Special approval from the Graduate Council is required to submit a dissertation or thesis in a language other than English. A memo from your dissertation director requesting permission from the Dean must be sent to the Graduate Division early in the first semester following the Qualifying Examination. After approval is given, an abstract in English must be included with the dissertation or thesis. Please contact the Graduate Assistant for instructions.

Normal Progress Schedule

"Normative Time" (NT) allowance for the program is set at six (6) years. The Normative time to Advancement to Candidacy is four (4) years (time to QE). 

Foreign ABD (All But Dissertation) students have a maximum of three years (after passing QE) of waived Non-Resident Tuition (NRT) to file the dissertation. Any delay in filing will be at the student’s expense.

Normal Progress Schedule for Hispanic Languages and Literatures Ph.D.—All Tracks

Semester Requirement Completed
1 Assessment of student’s preparation by First-Year Mentor, general planning for the first two years (all tracks). Begin coursework/foreign language requirements.
2 Continue fulfilling coursework and filling-in of gaps in anticipation of either the General Examination or the First Qualifying Paper. Foreign language requirements.
3 Continue fulfilling coursework and filling-in of gaps in anticipation of either the General Examination or the First Qualifying Paper. Foreign language requirements.
4 General Examinationor First Qualifying Paper followed by permission to continue in the program for the Ph.D. Further coursework in fulfillment of requirements.
5 Fulfillment of course requirements for the Ph.D., including any Designated Emphases and foreign language. 
6 Fulfillment of course requirements for the Ph.D., including any Designated Emphases and foreign language.
7 Fulfillment of course requirements for the Ph.D., including any Designated Emphases and Foreign language requirement, if pending.
8 Qualifying Examination completed no later than the eighth semester.
9 Advancement to Candidacy. Presentation of Dissertation Prospectus. Begin Dissertation research and writing.
10 Dissertation writing.
11 Dissertation writing.
12 Filing of finished dissertation by the end of the 12th term.