
Graduate Program in Spanish & Portuguese
The Department of Spanish and Portuguese offers a comprehensive graduate program in the literatures and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world, along with a rigorous training in language instruction. The major emphasis is literary and cultural studies, with a strong component in theory. Students also have the opportunity to study Portuguese and to explore Brazilian literature and culture.
Our Department offers flexibility in the choice of fields, as defined by genre, by geographical and chronological parameters, and by theoretical paradigms. Our faculty are dynamic, professionally active, and committed to excellence in scholarship and teaching. The wide range of research interests among the faculty ranges from print culture in early modern Spain to contemporary cultural identify among Dominicans in the US. The range of dissertations produced in the department recently is equally varied, with a strong presence of cultural studies and comparative approaches.
By the Numbers:
Our students represent a diverse group, and we encourage applicants from both the US and other nations. Admission to our graduate program is competitive. We are looking for applicants with outstanding academic records, regardless of undergraduate major. Our admissions requirements are listed on our Graduate Admissions page. If you are applying to our program, make sure that your completed application includes all the required supporting documents.
The Department of Spanish and Portuguese is able to support most of our graduate students with Graduate Teaching Assistantships that provide language-teaching experience and financial support. This award covers 100% of tuition, 100% of student fees for 3 credit-hours, and the student wellness fee (for students enrolled in at least 3 credit-hours). For information regarding tuition costs, please view the Calculate Costs page on KU's Financial Aid and Scholarships website.
For questions involving the graduate program, please contact Dr. Isidro J. Rivera, Director of Graduate Studies, at ijrivera@ku.edu.
To apply, visit KU's Graduate Applications website.

As an international student, KU is my library, my work, my stage, my happy place, and my literature and culture laboratory... It is my home.