THE GRADUATE PROGRAM IN HISPANIC STUDIES

The reputation of the Department of Hispanic Studies at the University of Kentucky is based on the department's long, outstanding history and a tradition of exciting and innovative scholarship on the part of its faculty. The newly revised program in Hispanic Studies aims to prepare students for successful careers as scholars and teachers by providing them with a strong background in Spanish and Spanish American letters and a wide variety of other cultural forms that is supported by a strong critical foundation and informed by an emphasis on interdisciplinarity. 

The connections of the Department of Hispanic Studies to the university's most prestigious and productive programs paired with an active faculty with wide-ranging interests and theoretical approaches allows us to offer an innovative curriculum and a wide range of courses. The department's strengths are reflected in current courses that approach the culture of the Hispanic world from the viewpoints of cultural and urban studies, border theory, feminist theory, psychoanalysis and post-structuralist poetics, just to name a few. Ph.D. candidates are strongly encouraged to take at least two courses outside of the department in a field of related interest. Many opt to earn a Graduate Certificate in one of the University of Kentucky's renowned interdisciplinary programs, such as Social Theory, Gender and Women's Studies, Latin American Studies, or other Area Studies programs. The department strongly encourages graduate students to study and conduct research abroad by participating in either the exhcange program with the Universidad de Valladolid, Spain or the new academic and research exchange created with the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma in Puebla, México.

According to the 2010 National Research Council rankings, our graduate program measured between 4th and 15th of all graduate programs in Hispanic Studies in the nation. The department's high research productivity, time-to-degree and student diversity are some of the reasons the program achieved this high NRC ranking.  

To learn more about the teaching and research activity of our faculty and students, please see our newsletter El Pregonero, which outlines key indicators of our success as a department.