Department of Spanish and Portuguese
Ph.D. and Research Work
This document contains general information about becoming a research student in the Department and the paths towards Ph.D. (Doctorate) work. Information on the MPhil courses to which the Department contributes can be found in the MML Graduate Studies pages. For current Cambridge final year undergraduates, an information meeting will be held by the Department in the second half of the Michaelmas term, but you should talk to your supervisors and Directors of Studies as early as possible in the academic year if you are interested in postgraduate studies. Students who are in the final year of an undergraduate degree would be best advised to start with the M.Phil. pages (an M.Phil. is equivalent to what is known of as an M.A. or Masters in most other universities). Students who have already completed an M.A. or equivalent (including the M.Phil. in Cambridge) should feel free to contact an appropriate member of the Department for personal advice.
For the Ph.D., we particularly welcome those who wish to work in the areas of Hispanic Languages, Medieval, Golden Age, Modern Peninsular or Latin American literary and cultural studies (including critical theory, gender, and cinema). Applicants in Portuguese and Brazilian studies are equally welcome. Those interested in other fields should consult the Head of the Department about the availability of supervision. We also welcome applications from candidates who wish to read for a Ph.D. part-time. For further information, please contact Dr Louise M. Haywood lmh37@cam.ac.uk (or by mail, at Trinity Hall, Cambridge CB2 1TJ).
Applicants for the Ph.D. will normally be interviewed by members of the Department in the Lent (Spring) Term of the year in which they wish to begin their studies. The interview will seek to establish not only the suitability of the candidate but also the most appropriate procedure for supervision and library work. All formal applications must be made through the Board of Graduate Studies. The prospectus for Graduate Studies is available on-line (http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/gsprospectus/) or from the Degree Committee of the Modern Languages Faculty, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge CB3 9DA, or direct from the Board of Graduate Studies, 4 Mill lane, Cambridge CB2 1RZ.
Increasingly, students and funding authorities prefer that graduate studies should begin with a Master's degree, to be followed, if they so wish, by a further two or three years' work towards a Ph.D. The Department participates in the following M.Phil. programmes:
- M.Phil in European Literature and Culture
- M.Phil. in Latin American Studies
- M.Phil. in Linguistics
- M.Phil. in Linguistics Hispanic Pathway
- M.Phil. in Screen Media and Cultures
For details of these programmes, follow the links above. There is also some formal information (regulations, etc.) in the Graduate Prospectus (although this may not be entirely up-to-date).
Although the M.Phil. route to a Ph.D. is not at present mandatory, it is Faculty practice to recommend that students take this route. Anybody wishing to apply for admission to study for a Ph.D. without first doing the M.Phil. should consult the Head of Department.
Needless to say, we are also very happy to receive students for the M.Phil. who may not have in mind further study at Ph.D. level.
The Department's graduate students organise the Cambridge Hispanic Research Seminars. Local and national experts as well as speakers from abroad give seminars during term on Hispanic and Lusophone matters. Full details are posted at /spanish/news/seminars.html, and posters are usually displayed on the Departmental notice board. All students are welcome to attend.
