Home

Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2024/25)

£6,035

£3,015

Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)

£28,100

£14,050

Duration

3 calendar years

5 calendar years

Programme starts

Research degrees may start at any time of the year, but typically start in September.

Applications accepted

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor's degree in Spanish, Portuguese or Latin American Studies, or an alternative degree with demonstrable preparedness to undertake the proposed research and the required fluency in the chosen language. In the first instance, candidates should establish a dialogue with a potential supervisor before making a formal application. Admission is normally dependent on the submission of a detailed research project proposal.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 4

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

Academic research may be pursued in Golden Age literature and history, Anglo-Spanish political relations, the history of the Portuguese Empire, the novel of the restoration period in Spain, Brazilian literature, Peruvian poetry, Spanish film, Latin American film, travel writing, translation studies and Latino studies.

Who this course is for

This MPhil/PhD is for applicants with a strong interest in conducting multi-disciplinary research, who may have completed post-graduate training or study and want to develop an advanced critical analysis in a specific research area. The programme is for applicants with a background or strong interest in Hispanic and Lusophone literature, culture, politics, history or film. It is suitable for both recent Masters graduates as well as early or mid-career professionals.

Read about what it takes to become a UCL graduate research student

What this course will give you

PhD students enrolled on the Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies MPhil/PhD programme enjoy unparalleled access to library resources (the UCL library, the Senate House Library and the British Library), a broad range of research skills courses offered by the doctoral school which are part of the doctoral programme, and a variety of cultural events offered by the Instituto Cervantes, Europa House, and the various embassies of Latin America.

All students have a primary and a subsidiary supervisor to guide them through their PhD studies and they can apply for funds to conduct research at specialist libraries in Spain, Portugal, the United States and Latin America. Students can take the text-only PhD or the documentary-track PhD in which students submit a thesis of 60,000-70,000 words along with a 30-minute documentary.

Find out how your research could have an impact

The foundation of your career

Students acquire a wide range of skills ranging from empirical research, advanced oral presentations and writing skills, data management, resource management and project management, advanced networking skills, intellectual independence and resourcefulness, all of which prepare our candidates effectively for their future careers.

Recent graduates have used their knowledge to work in various fields such as academic research, teaching or lecturing. As well as gaining roles in translation, subtitling, curatorship, advertising and the film industry.

Employability

Doctoral students develop a range of skills that are invaluable in academia and in numerous other fields where PhD holders are prized for their skills in communication, critical analysis, management of projects and deadlines, and intercultural mediation. Graduates of this programme will possess exceptional abilities in writing and communication, alongside critical and creative thinking, as well as unrivalled research skills.

Networking

Supervision and mentorship is available from world-leading researchers with international and national contacts and collaborations across policy, government, cultural institutions, academia and industry, and our approach is always cross-disciplinary. This programme is housed within the UCL School of European Languages, Culture & Society (SELCS), with 83% of SELCS-CMII research activity being graded 4* ‘world leading’ and 3* ‘internationally excellent’ in the REF 2021.

Links to international and leading organisations provide opportunities to network and collaborate with a wide variety of external partners. We are also home to the Brazilian Translation Club and the Centre of César Vallejo Studies.

Our students gain access to a range of networking events, career workshops and exclusive seminars. Students are strongly encouraged to attend and give papers at conferences, establishing contacts with academics and also peers working in their field.

Teaching and learning

Research students undertake relevant induction sessions and can take advantage of the Doctoral Skills Development Programme. PhD students meet regularly in term time with their supervisors and may be offered opportunities to gain valuable teaching experience and participate in reading groups and conferences.

To successfully upgrade to a PhD you are required to submit a piece of writing (this is usually based on one chapter from your thesis and a chapter plan for the remainder). You are also required to present and answer questions about this work to a panel consisting of your subsidiary supervisor and another member of the Faculty who acts as an independent assessor.

Students can take the text-only PhD or the documentary-track PhD in which students submit a thesis of 60,000-70,000 words along with a 30-minute documentary.

PhD students should treat their research programme as a full-time job, which equates roughly to 35 hours per week, or 15 hours for Part-time students. Students agree to a timetable of regular meetings with the Principal Supervisor to effectively manage the progression of project aims. This is flexible, at some points it may be necessary to meet more or less often.

Full-time students can expect to meet supervisors every two weeks during the academic year, and part-time students every four weeks. If a student has external funding, they should also ensure they meet the Terms & Conditions of the funder.

Research areas and structure

Early Modern Spanish and Latin American literature, history and culture, including the Golden Age comedia
Anglo-Spanish literary and political relations 1500–1640, especially translation
19th and 20th-century Spanish literature
The novel of the restoration period in Spain
Contemporary Spanish fiction/translation
Spanish film
19th- and 20th-century scientific and literary travel writing in Latin America
19th- and 20th-century Spanish-American literature
Spanish American essay writers
Latin American film and documentary
Latino studies
Migration, mobility and space
The history of the Portuguese Empire
Brazilian literature
Posthumanism in Latin American film, literature and art
Comparative American literature and culture

Research environment

The Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies department engages in a variety of research areas ranging from literature, history, culture and film. Recent graduates from the programme have gone on to work in various fields such as education, research and the publishing industry. The department is home to the Centre of César Vallejo Studies and the Brazilian Translation Club, hosting a range of workshops and collaborative seminars.

In the first instance, candidates should establish a dialogue with a potential supervisor before making a formal application.

The length of registration for the research degree programmes is usually three years for full-time and five years for part-time. You are required to register initially for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transfer to PhD after successful completion of an upgrade viva 9-18 months after initial registration.

Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration, you may register as a completing research student (CRS) while you write up your thesis.

In the first year, you will be required to take part in a mandatory Skills Seminar Programme. You are expected to agree with your supervisor the basic structure of your research project, an appropriate research method and a realistic plan of work. You will produce and submit a detailed outline of your proposed research to your supervisor for their comments and feedback and be given the opportunity to present your research to UCL academic staff and fellow PhD students.

In the second year, you will be expected to upgrade from MPhil to a PhD. To successfully upgrade to a PhD you are required to submit a piece of writing (this is usually based on one chapter from your thesis and a chapter plan for the remainder). You are also required to present and answer questions about this work to a panel consisting of your subsidiary supervisor and another member of the Faculty who acts as an independent assessor.

The PhD programme is expected to be completed within three years for full-time students, and over five years for part-time students. If you are not ready to submit at the end of the third year, you may update your status to CRS which gives you an additional year's enrolment without the need to pay fees.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2024/25)	£6,035	£3,015
Tuition fees (2024/25)	£28,100	£14,050

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

Additional costs may include expenses such as books, stationery, printing or photocopying, and conference registration fees. Students will need to seek funding if they wish to conduct fieldwork outside of the UK.

The department strives to keep additional costs low. Books and journal articles are usually available via the UCL library (hard copies or via e-journal subscriptions).

The wealth of departmental seminars / colloquiums / symposiums and student organised work in progress sessions give ample opportunities to present research, receive feedback and participate in discussion.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

For more details about departmental funding available to postgraduate research students in the department, please refer to our Funding, Scholarships and Prizes (Research) webpage.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

: Quirk PhD Scholarship

Deadline: 26 January 2024

Value: Fees and maintenance (3yrs)

Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need

Eligibility: UK

Next steps

All applicants must identify and contact potential supervisors before making their application. For more information see our 'Need to Know' page.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

This programme requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.