Campus Arrival and Departure Information
Yes, attendance at the orientation is a requirement and not optional- for all graduate students no matter how long they have been with our department. Crucial information, some of it new each semester, is always shared at both the general and the course-specific orientation meetings.
New graduate students must arrive for the orientation week ready to participate full-time in orientation activities, which start the Monday morning before the first week of classes each semester. The University's academic calendar can be accessed on the CU-Boulder Regristrar's academic calendar website.
After proctoring the final exam, grading exams, uploading final grades, and turning in grade books and exams to the Coordinator. The final exam calendar is published a semester in advance and can be accessed on the CU Boulder Registrar's Final Exam Schedule.
Returning TAs and GPTIs should plan to return each semester in time for the orientation meeting (Fall: 9:00 am the Thursday before classes start; Spring: 9:00 am the Friday before classes start).
University calendars are planned out three years in advance and the first and last day of classes for each semester can be consulted on the CU-Boulder Registrar's academic calendar.
There is also a final exam schedule posted on the CU-Boulder Registrar's Final Exam Schedule at the beginning of the semester.
CONSULT THESE CALENDARS BEFORE BUYING ANY AIRPLANE TICKETS.
THE DEPARTMENT WILL NOT SEND OUT NOTICE OF THESE DATES EACH SEMESTER.
Graduate Program Course Work
Yes, but not at any time. You can request course transfers at the time of admission to the department, up to six credits. You cannot request a transfer ex-post facto, to avoid repeating a class that you failed, for example. Credits will be considered if they were graduate credits and were not part of any other degree already awarded (i.e. if you took more credits than needed in your MA somewhere else, those credits cannot be transferred).
The only classes that count at graduate level are those numbered 5000 or 7000 and are taught by a member of University of Colorado graduate faculty. Cross-listed classes count as graduate credits only if they fulfill both of the aforementioned conditions.
No 3000 or 4000 level classes count. Students can take them, but in addition to the normal load.
The only exceptions to this rule are language classes (within or outside the department), taken to fulfill the graduate language requirement. (See Language FAQ below for more information).
The seminar load is three per semester, except during the exam semester, in which you are allowed to take two seminars. If you are a TA/GPTI, this load is mandatory, regardless of the number of credits that you have accumulated.
Absolutely. Make sure to discuss this option with you advisor, so that the additional course load does not hinder your exam preparation, your teaching, or your overall performance.
You should make every effort to take classes outside the department, in order to develop a truly interdisciplinary/comparative outlook, enhance your intellectual horizons, hone your language skills, and increase your competitive edge in the labor market.
Yes. One 3 credit Directed/Independent Study course is allowed (and encouraged).
Keep in mind the following provisions:
(1) the timing, goals and outcome have to be approved by the Associate Chair (a grade will nor be given without a clear indication that the goals have been reached (i.e. that the Proposal have been approved by the Dissertation Committee).
(2) it cannot be taken to substitute a class, or fulfill an area requirement.
(3) it cannot be taken concurrently with a seminar taught by the same professor under which you will be taking the Directed Study.
(4) Only one Directed Study will be allowed throughout the degree.
Graduate Program Advisor/Committee
An MA/Ph.D. advisor must be selected no later than the beginning of your second semester of study.
For MA Linguistics students the advisor will be either, Esther Brown, Tracy Quan, or Javier Rivas.
For first semester MA Literature and Ph.D. students your advisor will be the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.
Yes.
Your graduate committee must be set by the end of your third semester of study. Your Committee Chair must be selected by the second semester of study.
Select the document below which corresponds to your area of study. Once the form is filled out it is sent to the Program Assistant for Department Chair approval.
Graduate Program Language Requirement
Yes, if it is consistent with your academic goals. You should discuss this with your advisor and the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.
Yes, if it is consistent with your academic goals. You should discuss this with your advisor and the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.
Graduate Program Exams
Students who are taking MA and PhD exams can choose not to teach up to two sessions of class during the week of exams.
Students must arrange for substitutes for these classes.
Students must communicate to the course coordinator (at least one week prior to the start of exams)
- Which days will be missed.
- Who will substitute the class.
All other duties (i.e. Mesa Española, tutoring, RAs) remain in place during the week of exams.
MA Comprehensive Exams
- The Chair of your committee meets with you to discuss the time and date of your exam and the subject areas which will be covered on which days. The agreed upon sequence of questions will be forwarded by the committee chair to the Graduate Program Coordinator.
- All exams are held during the week listed on Important Dates and Deadlines. MA Exams are held in McKenna 103.
- MA exams are held on two of three days, i.e., Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 8:00-10:00 am each day.
- You need to inform the Graduate Program Coordinator of which days you want to take your exam and whether or not you will need a laptop. (Only laptops supplied by the department are acceptable – no personal laptops allowed.)
The MA Comprehensive Oral Exam is scheduled by your Committee Chair in consultation with your committee and with the Program Assistant.
The Graduate Program Coordinator needs a minimum two-week notice prior to scheduled oral exam.
Ph.D. Comprehensive Exams
- The Chair of your committee meets with you to discuss subject areas which will be covered on which days. The agreed upon sequence of questions will be forwarded by the committee chair to the Program Assistant.
- All exams are held during the week listed on Important Dates and Deadlines and are take-home.
- The questions must be sent to the Program Assistant by the Committee Chair, 48 hours prior to the exam, with specific instructions about the order. The Program Assistant will e-mail the questions to the students, in the following sequence:
- Monday Morning by 8:00 am. To be returned by the student via e-mail to the Program Assistant on Wednesday morning (no later than 8:00 am).
- Wednesday Morning by 8:00 am. To be returned by the student via e-mail to the Program Assistant on Friday morning (no later than 8:00 am).
- Friday Morning by 8:00 am. To be returned by the student via e-mail to the Program Assistant on Monday morning (no later than 8:00 am).
The Ph.D. Comprehensive Oral Exam is scheduled by your Committee Chair in consultation with your committee and with the Program Assistant.
The Program Assistant needs a minimum two-week notice prior to scheduled oral exam.
PhD Defense
- The student and the Committee Chair meet to discuss a time, date and location.
- The oral defense is a minimum of two hours.
- The Committee Chair consults with the Program Assistant on room availability.
- There is a minimum two week lead time from schedule to defense date.
The Program Assistant needs a minimum two-week notice prior to scheduled oral exam.
Yes, they must be reserved with the Program Assistant one week prior to the scheduled exam.
Graduate Student Grievance Policy
Graduate Student Grievance Process and Procedure
Effective April 1, 2019
Purpose The Graduate School Grievance Process and Procedure (“the Grievance P&P” or “P&P”) establishes and describes the process through which graduate students can communicate concerns related to academic issues or academic conflicts, with the goal of ensuring that the student filing a grievance is better able to achieve academic success. This is a nonadversarial, non-judicial process. The rules of evidence, and any other rules that typically govern a criminal or civil court, are not applicable to the Grievance Procedure.
Research
As a student you have access to the largest Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan collection in the Rocky Mountain West through Chinook, the Libraries Catalog, as well as access to all Colorado library collections through Prospector. You can also use over 300 databases from home or from your office; just search Chinook for the name of the database, or browse topical listings. If there’s anything else you need, you can request a scan PDFs of journal articles the library doesn’t have, as well as materials from various Latin American and European Libraries and Archives. Most importantly, the department’s librarian, Bronwen Maxson, can help you with questions about your research projects, using the Libraries' collections, citation managers or anything else research related!
Centers and Certificates
| Latin American Studies Center The mission of the Latin American Studies Center is to provide an institutional space for research, teaching, and discussion on Latin America at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Its general purpose is to bring together CU faculty, students and visiting scholars interested in Latin American issues: recognizing the diversity of their academic interests and approaches; supporting the research, teaching, and study of Latin America; and strengthening CU’s links with Latin America and with communities of Latin American origin in the United States. |
| The Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies CMEMS offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate certificate program for students wishing to focus on the medieval and/or early modern periods. |
| Center of the American West The Center of the American West takes as its mission the creation of forums for the respectful exchange of ideas and perspectives in the pursuit of solutions to the region's difficulties. We at the Center believe that an understanding of the historical origins of the West's problems, an emphasis on the common interests of all parties, and a dose of good humor are essential to constructive public discussion. |
| Center for Asian Studies The Center for Asian Studies (CAS) is an interdisciplinary organization located on the Boulder campus of the University of Colorado that brings together faculty, students, and community members to encourage and support Asian scholarship across disciplinary and college boundaries. |
| Graduate Certificate in Women and Gender Studies The WGST Graduate Certificate provides graduate students with opportunities to think in an interdisciplinary fashion about women and gender, and to learn from a variety of scholarly and methodological approaches. |
| Graduate Certificate in Critical Theory The Graduate Certificate in Critical Theory offers students a background in the philosophical foundations of critical theory. Drawing on disciplines such as philosophy, psychoanalysis, Marxism, literary criticism and sociology, critical theory develops analytical tools for describing and evaluating modern society, literature, and culture. It aims to provide useful theoretical tools for graduate students in the humanities and the social sciences. |
General Information and Policies
Each graduate student is assigned a copy code with a limited number of copies each month for the copy machine. Copier policies (updated 10/19) found here.
Yes. The Program Assistant grants you access to McKenna and the copier in MKNA 127 within the first week of classes as long as you have a valid BuffOne Card.
MA students have 4 semesters of support as long as they remain in good standing.
Ph.D. students have 10 semesters of support as long as they remain in good standing.
Master's Students:
Students who need to leave CU-Boulder for a period of time may apply for a Leave of Absence for up to one year. Participation in the Time Out Program does not extend the student’s time limit, but may be used as a reason to request an extension, should that become necessary.
Ph.D. Students:
Students who need to leave the University for a period of time may apply for a Leave of Absence for up to one year. Doctoral students who are required to maintain continuous registration* may petition for an exception in order to participate in the Leave of Absence program for parental leave or other extenuating circumstances. Participation in the Leave of Absence program does not extend the student’s time limit, but may be used as a reason when applying for an extension, should that become necessary.
Students whose residence at CU-Boulder is interrupted by military service may apply to the Dean of the Graduate School for an extension of time.
A Leave of Absence is not required for summer semester; graduate students not taking summer classes are still considered active students.
How to Apply
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Graduate students must apply for a leave of absence if they withdraw from or do not enroll in classes for a fall or spring semester.
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If you're enrolled in classes for the semester in which your leave of absence begins, obtain the required signatures on the application. Graduate students need their department's approval as well as permission of the college.
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Mail or hand deliver the application to the Office of the Registrar with a valid photo ID.
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Pay the required $50 administrative fee by cash or by check (credit cards are not accepted). Make out checks to the University of Colorado, and include the student's name on the check.
NOTE: The required signatures and fee must accompany the application or it will not be processed. It is the responsibility of the student to obtain the signatures from their department(s) and college(s).
*A Ph.D. student is required to register continuously as a full-time student, for a minimum of five dissertation hours in the fall and spring semesters of each year, beginning with the semester following the passing of the comprehensive examination and extending through the semester in which the dissertation is successfully defended (final examination).
Students requesting reasonable accommodations and/or services must submit documentation of a disabling condition to verify eligibility under the Americans with Disabilities Amendment Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Disability Services’ own guidelines.
Please contact Disability Services for more information/guidelines or to schedule an appointment.
The graduate student lounge is in Office Building 1- see map (McKenna is in yellow, OB1 is in red)
The door is on the lowest level, accesible by a door facing east. It is accessible by a key that is kept in a lockbox just outside the door. Please see the front office for the lockbox code.
The McKenna 30 workspace is for Spanish & Portuguese Graduate students only. Please see room usage policies here.
To request a time limit extension on your program, please read carefully the Graduate School's guidelines and fill out the online form here
There is one laptop available for checkout by graduate students in extenuating circumstances. The laptop checkout policy and form, including resources for help purchasing or renting equipment from the university, can be found on the "Faculty Resources" portion of this website.
Teaching, Training, and Evaluation
This section is currently being updated. Please direct specific questions to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.
Teaching Resources
The Anderson Language and Technology Center (ALTEC ) has a variety of language learning resources, academic discussions of language learning, and classes to improve integration of technology in a language classroom. Through its Foreign Language Technology Program (FLTP), ALTEC provides training on the pedagogically-appropriate use of many different forms of technology, and certificates are also awarded to those completing the requirements of the program. ALTEC supports the language learning community at the University and in the state of Colorado. ALTEC's offices and classrooms are located on the main Boulder campus on the south end of the Quad in the Hellems building.
The Graduate Teacher Program (GTP) is a division of the Graduate School. The GTP's vision is to serve as a graduate and professional student development program and its mission is to create excellent learning experiences for undergraduates by training graduate student teachers and supporting departments and to prepare graduate students so they may thrive in higher education or the private sector as professionals once they graduate.
The GTP works with graduate students from all departments in all schools and colleges on the Boulder campus. It offers comprehensive college teacher training, support research skill development, and provides academic and nonacademic career preparation opportunities through conferences, workshops, and individual consultation.
Two doctoral students in our Department serve as Leads and Liaisons with the GTP. During the AY 2017/18 they are: Kelly Drumright and Fernanda Iwasaki.