Graduate Programs
Program Outlines
DMLL offers advanced degrees in French, German, and Spanish. In addition to to the degree requirements, two courses, Introduction to Literary Criticism and Applied Linguistics and Methodology, are required of all graduate students in DMLL.
The M.A. DegreeOur M.A. program is a two-year course of study in literature, language, and civilization, with possibilities for collateral work in other fields. It offers a certain flexibility, which allows students the options of either writing a thesis, pursuing a minor, or completing a full major with the possibility of collateral courses in other disciplines.
All three options require a minimum of 18 hours in the major field and a set of comprehensive exams at the end of study.
The Ph.D. DegreeThe doctoral degree is given primarily for high attainment in a particular field of scholarship and for demonstrated independent research within this field. At least three full years of graduate study are normally required to complete the Ph.D. degree. This includes approximately 36 hours of course work, reading, and speaking knowledge in a secondary language, reading knowledge in another, comprehensive exams, and a doctoral dissertation. A minor is available in the PhD program, as is the option of collateral courses in other disciplines.
A unique feature of doctoral work at UNL is the organization of the Modern Language Department, which allows for pedagogical experience in more than one language and for significant advanced study in the literature of a second foreign language. Such programs lead to the possibility of dissertation work with a multinational focus.
Financial Support
Graduate Teaching Assisstanships (GTAs) are available for qualified students
pursuing a regular program of study. Experienced faculty coordinate sections
taught by GTAs and conduct a regular program of pedagogical training. Each
semester, assistants normally teach one section of a five-hour first-year
class and register for nine hours of graduate course work. Four semesters
of support as a GTA are normally available to MA candidates, and eight semesters
for PhD candidates. Stipends for 2003-2004 will be not less than $9,522 (MA)
and $9,958 (PhD). In addition, GTAs receive a waiver of tuition charges for
up to 12 credit hours per semester. Some summer teaching, carrying a waiver
of tuition up to six hours, is also available.
Fellowships
Students with at least one year of successful graduate work in a modern
language program may apply for one of several George Rogers Memorial
Fellowships awarded each year. For further information, please contact the department.
Students may also apply for one of several Graduate College Fellowships, which include awards for travel, dissertation research, and a number of minority fellowships offered in cooperation with other departments.
Rogers Teaching Fellowships are available to exceptionally well-qualified students entering the doctoral program. The amount of the initial award increases the GTA stipend to $13,000.
Application Procedures
The deadline for applications for assistantships is February
1; later
applications will be considered if positions are still available. The deadline
for applications for admission to the graduate program is March
1 (February 1 for international students - TOEFL and TSE or SPEAK test required).
If you are applying to the German PhD program, please contact the advisor first.
Application forms are available from the Graduate Studies Office, 1100 Seaton Hall, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, PO Box 880619, Lincoln, NE 68588-0619. The forms are also readily avaible online at http://www.unl.edu/gradstudies.