Graduate Catalog
2023-2024
 
Policies, Procedures, Academic Programs
Foreign Languages, Cultures, and Literatures
College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences
Major Williams contains offices for various departments in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. It was converted from a residence hall in the late 1990s. Entire building housed 352; contains 64,673 sq. ft. The building is named for Marine Maj. Lloyd W. Williams, class of 1907, alumnus hero of World War I, to which has been attributed one of the more famous statements of that war: "Retreat? Hell, no!..."
331 Major Williams (0225), 220 Stanger Street Blacksburg VA 24061
Major Williams Hall
Degree(s) Offered:
• MA
MA Degree in Foreign Languages, Cultures, and Literatures
Minimum GPA: 3.0
Offered In:
Blacksburg
Virtual
Email Contact(s):
Web Resource(s):
Phone Number(s):
540/231-5361
Application Deadlines:
Fall: Aug 01
Spring: Jan 01
Directions
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The Graduate School
to
Major Williams Hall

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Department Chair : Ronda Watson
Graduate Program Director : Jessica Folkart (Professor)
Professors: Alexander Dickow; Jessica Folkart; Aarnes Gudmestad; Corinne Noirot; Vinodh Venkatesh; Ronda Watson
Associate Professors: Catalina Andrango-Walker; Elisabeth Austin; Maria Cana Jimenez; Medoune Gueye; Sharon Johnson; Gonzalo Montero Yavar; Patrick Ridge; Richard Shryock; Sarah Sierra
Assistant Professors: Javiera Jaque Hidalgo
Collegiate Assistant Professors: David Delgado Lopez; Andrea Hesp

MA in Foreign Languages, Cultures, and Literatures

French and/or Spanish. On campus or online.

Details at https://liberalarts.vt.edu/departments-and-schools/department-of-modern-and-classical-languages-and-literatures.html or contact the departmental Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Jessica Folkart, at jfolkart@vt.edu.

The fully accredited Master of Arts in Foreign Languages, Cultures & Literatures at Virginia Tech is designed to meet the needs of students seeking academic and other professional careers in contexts that require intercultural competency as well as a specialized knowledge of Spanish and/or French.

Key features:

  • Internationally ranked research university
  • Fully accredited
  • Interdisciplinary approach to learning
  • Coursework includes literature, cultural studies, cinema, visual culture, translation, linguistics and business
  • Solid foundation in Hispanic, French, and Francophone cultures and literatures
  • Acquisition and development of analytical abilities based on a range of critical approaches
  • Preparation for working independently in a variety of settings
  • Degree may be completed on campus or online
  • Graduate teaching assistantships available at the Blacksburg campus.
  • Financial aid available

Our graduates pursue various career paths, including the following:

  • Pre-K to 12 education
  • Teaching at community colleges or universities
  • NGO and development work
  • Government agencies
  • Doctoral education at top-ranked universities, such as Duke, Emory, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Rutgers University, University of Minnesota, University of Virginia, University of Maryland, Washington University in St. Louis, Ohio State University

See https://liberalarts.vt.edu/departments-and-schools/department-of-modern-and-classical-languages-and-literatures.html or contact the departmental Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Jessica Folkart, at jfolkart@vt.edu.

Faculty

M.A. students are taught and mentored by eighteen full-time faculty members with doctorates in French or in Spanish.

  • All graduate faculty are active researchers
  • Teaching expertise in all fields and periods of French and Hispanic literature and culture, as well as in linguistics and language
  • Research specialties include linguistics, second-language pedagogy, Spanish-American narrative, Spanish Golden Age literature, Peninsular Spanish literature, French Renaissance poetry, Francophone African studies, cinema criticism, the relationship between painting and literature, and French philosophy

For more information on our faculty see https://liberalarts.vt.edu/departments-and-schools/department-of-modern-and-classical-languages-and-literatures.html

Courses

Our faculty features award-winning teachers who are passionate about bringing their research into the classroom. In addition to language and literature, coursework includes areas such as cultural studies, cinema, art history, linguistics, and business language.

Most MA courses are offered in the late afternoon or evening (Eastern time), to accommodate students who work.

Students may request permission to take coursework or earn certificates in a related discipline. In some cases, students may transfer graduate course credits earned at other accredited universities.

For course descriptions see http://www.fll.vt.edu/graduate/courses/index.html.

Offered In (Blacksburg, Virtual)

Degree Requirements

Minimum GPA: 3.0
Institution code: 5859
Testing Requirements:
  • TOEFL
    • Paper
      • 600.0
    • Computer
      • 250.0
    • iBT
      • 100.0

Students choose one of three tracks:

  • French and Francophone Studies
  • Hispanic Studies
  • Multilingual Studies, combining French and Spanish

Within each track, students will take a combination of required core courses and electives.

In addition to coursework, students either write a thesis or take a comprehensive examination based on a reading list.

Students enrolled full time usually complete all degree requirements within two academic years. Time to degree varies for part-time students.

For details see https://liberalarts.vt.edu/departments-and-schools/department-of-modern-and-classical-languages-and-literatures.html  or contact the departmental Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Jessica Folkart, at jfolkart@vt.edu.

On Campus or Online

The MA in French/Francophone, Hispanic, or Multilingual Studies may be completed at the Blacksburg campus, or online through the Virtual campus.

Blacksburg students enjoy physical access to the full services of the university, including an extensive library, technology support, and the Graduate Life Center.

Online students access the library electronically and by post. The university provides the specialized software necessary to attend classes online in real time, using the student's own computer, webcam, and headset. Full technical support is provided.

On campus or online

The MA in French/Francophone, Hispanic, or Multilingual Studies may be completed at the Blacksburg campus, or online through the Virtual campus.

Blacksburg students enjoy physical access to the full services of the university, including an extensive library, technology support, and the Graduate Life Center.

Online students access the library electronically and by post. The university provides the specialized software necessary to attend classes online in real time, using the student's own computer, webcam, and headset. Full technical support is provided.