Application and Admission

Applications for admission are filed on line. A paper version may be obtained by calling the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literature at (631) 632-6935 or (631) 632-6959; or by writing to the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Hispanic Languages and Literature, Library N-3017, University at Stony Brook, Stony Brook , NY 11794-3371 . Besides completing the application form, applicants will need to provide
(1) official transcripts of undergraduate and (if applicable) graduate coursework;
(2) official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (Stony Brook's code for score reporting is 2548);
(3) an acceptable score (600) on TOEFL for foreign students; (4) three letters of recommendation; and
(5) a non-refundable $60 fee.

Please apply online by going to http://www.grad.sunysb.edu/prospective/applying/index.shtml. The deadline for receipt of applications is January 15, but applications will be accepted until the end of January.  Earlier submissions are encouraged, especially for those wishing to be considered in the campus-wide competition for Graduate Council Fellowships or the W. Burghart Turner Fellowships (see below). Funding cannot be guaranteed to successful applicants whose materials arrive after the deadline. However, applications will continue to be considered after that date. Prospective students are encouraged to address specific questions to the Director of Graduate Studies at the above address, or to contact faculty members whose work they find interesting.

Admission
Applicants to both the M.A. and the Ph.D. program should have completed a B.A. (or its foreign equivalent) in Spanish studies (including literature and language studies) at an accredited U.S. college or foreign institution. Applicants who have completed an M.A. at another institution, or who have a maestría or other post-baccalaureate degree from another country, should apply directly to the Ph.D. program.

Historically, our program has recruited outstanding students from the U.S. , Spain , and Latin America . All students, regardless of origin, are expected to demonstrate proficiency in English as well as Spanish. Students are also required to take at least one graduate course from another department, typically Comparative Literature, English, Linguistics, History, or Philosophy.

While all entering students must pass the GRE examination, admission to our Ph.D. program is currently determined on the basis of grade point average, recommendations from known scholars, and written submissions, which we find to be the most reliable indicators of student aptitude as our placement history bears out. Our students compete at a high level of the profession after they graduate, even though upon arrival their English is often not at a level that produces the best GRE scores.

Financial Support and Benefits
Graduate traineeships (teaching assistantships, graduate assistantships) are awarded on a competitive basis by the Graduate School on recommendation of the program for one year, and may be renewed for up to four years. Current stipends for the academic year (nine months) are approximately $12,276. Graduate students are given the opportunity to increase their stipend by $2,500-2,900 through summer session teaching. Students who are awarded Graduate Teaching Stipends are also generally granted tuition scholarships currently equivalent to $5,184 for New York State residents and $8,190-10,920 for nonresidents for the academic year.

The University offers several scholarship programs to incoming graduate students. These fellowships are awarded on the basis of merit. Graduate Council Fellowships are awarded on the basis of scholastic merit to exceptional entering graduate students who are U.S. citizens. They provide five years of stipend support. W. Burghart Turner Fellowships are awarded to outstanding incoming graduate students of Hispanic, African American, or Native American descent with permanent residence status. They provide a stipend of two years after which the student is automatically eligible for support through the Graduate School , provided that they have maintained satisfactory academic status.

The Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment assists graduate students in maximizing their financial aid opportunities by providing information about available grants, work opportunities, and student loan programs.

Department Web Sites
Prospective graduate students can also find useful information about Stony Brook on the University's home page on the World Wide Web ( http://www.sunysb.edu ). The first page of this site directs the reader to information about the Stony Brook area, campus events, libraries, and research programs. It also links to a list of Web sites for every department and program on campus. The Hispanic Languages and Literature department Web site is on this list, along with those of the College of Arts and Sciences, the English department, Women's Studies, the Humanities Institute, and other departments relevant to our area of research and training. One can also go directly to the Hispanic Languages and Literature department home page ( http://www.sunysb.edu/hispanic/ ). Here, one can find more detailed information about the department, our faculty, and our research. In many cases, faculty members have included information about the students who work with them, and summaries of current research and publications.

 

 

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