The School of Modern Languages research staff work in a diverse range of fields from sociocultural, historical and political studies, to film and literature, linguistics and sociolinguistics.

We offer expert supervision in the following areas of Latin American studies:

• anthropology, anthropological linguistics and sociolinguistics of Latin America, including Quechua language (Prof Howard)
• semantics, philosophy of language, history and spread of Spanish in Latin America, Latin American dialects and Creole (Prof Mackenzie)
• political, social and intellectual history of Latin America in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially Brazil and Southern Cone (Prof Hentschke)
• history of education in Latin America in 19th and 20th century Latin America (Prof Hentschke, Dr Oliart, Prof Howard)
• discourses of race and identity in Latin America (Prof Howard, Dr Oliart, Dr Morgan)
• Latin American film, literature and theatre (Dr Page)
• Spanish and Latin American cultural history and popular culture (Dr Catala Carracso, Dr Morgan, Dr Oliart, Dr Fernández)
• Catalan nationalism (Dr Catala-Carrasco)
• Spanish novel (Dr Catala Carrasco)

You will normally work on a research project which comprises two to four research assignments and a longer dissertation. Your supervisor will be an expert in your chosen field and you will receive support if necessary from an experienced research supervisor. The course is well suited as preparation for PhD research.  

The School has strong links with interdisciplinary research centres and groups, including:

• Centre for Latin American and Caribbean Studies
• Centre for Research in Linguistics and Language Sciences
• Research Centre in Film and Digital Media
• Gender Research Group
• Medieval and Early Modern Studies
• Postcolonial Research Group

You will also have the opportunity to attend festivals and conferences with a direct bearing on your course:

• Talking to the World Conference
• VAMOS festival

As a student in the School of Modern Languages, you will benefit from the Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) Faculty research training programme. You will choose these research modules in consultation with your supervisors.

Up to £250 per year is available to support your attendance at conferences or for archival research. You can also request an inter-library loan allowance.

Delivery

This course is delivered by the School of Modern Languages, with the possibility of joint supervision with other schools. You will mainly be based in Newcastle's city-centre campus. Attendance is flexible and agreed between you and your supervisors depending on the requirements of the research project.

Full-time students are expected to undertake 40 hours of work per week with an annual holiday entitlement of 35 days (including statutory and bank holidays). Part-time study requires a commitment of at least 20 hours per week.

The MLitt incorporates a formal research training component where you will develop your research skills and methodologies (20 credits).

You also complete a portfolio of essays chosen in consultation with your supervisors according to your interests and experience (80 credits). You then undertake a dissertation of 16,000–24,000 words consisting of a sustained piece of original research (80 credits). 

Study consists mainly of tutorials and independent learning supported by research training.  Supervisors will advise you on how to develop your research proposals.

Module changes

Module changes

Modules change annually to take account of:

• changing staff expertise
• developments in the discipline
• the requirements of external bodies and partners
• student feedback.

Most module information for 2020 entry will be available from the end of May 2020.

Research training

Our Faculty Training Programme provides a community made up of postgraduate social sciences and humanities students and staff. It is a unique blend of cross-disciplinary and generic researcher development training, recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) as providing a solid basis for doctoral study.

Although your focus will be on your specialist study, our aim is for you to develop a broad range of research and project management skills that will support you in your career ahead. We have nurtured a multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary and supportive environment where staff and students from across the world can come together and share their research experiences. You can also choose to register for a Postgraduate Certificate in Research Training, which accredits the core foundation modules on the training programme.

You will study in our Doctoral Training Suite with purpose-built facilities for lectures, workshops, seminars and computer access to specialist software required for doctoral research in the social sciences and humanities. Each year we have two student-led research postgraduate conferences and we have a variety of prizes and awards to celebrate the successes of our students.

ESRC Northern Ireland/North East (NINE) Doctoral Training Partnership

The ESRC Northern Ireland/North East (NINE) Doctoral Training Partnership is a joint venture between Durham University, Newcastle University, Northumbria University, Queen’s University Belfast, University of Sunderland, Teesside University and Ulster University. We are a centre of excellence for postgraduate social sciences. We offer a world-class, interdisciplinary environment for doctoral training and research.

Funded and accredited by the ESRC, we are one of the most innovative of the national network of doctoral training centres with a strong track record of partnership working with public, private and community organisations.

Northern Bridge Doctoral Training Partnership

Based at Newcastle University, Northern Bridge brings together the expertise and exceptional resources of Newcastle University, Durham University, Queen’s University Belfast and their partners for the training and development of outstanding arts and humanities postgraduate researchers.

Northern Bridge is funded by the AHRC to provide doctoral studentships and has been commended for the strength of its research base, shared vision, and its successful track record of partnership working.

Postgraduate Research Student Support

Our award winning Research Student Support Team is dedicated to providing you with information, support and advice throughout your research degree studies. The team can help and advise you on a variety of issues from registration to producing your transcripts.

Find out more about our tuition fees, including how to pay them and available discounts.

EU students starting at Newcastle in 2019 and 2020 will pay the UK (Home) tuition fee for the full duration of their course.

Funding opportunities

If you have lower English Language scores, you may be accepted onto a pre-sessional English course. 

You need to submit a 1,000 word research proposal with your application. Read our guidelines for producing a research proposal (PDF: 41.5KB) from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science Graduate School.

You also need to include a list of modules and marks for previous degrees. 

Start dates

The course starts in September. There is no application closing date for this course, but although specific deadlines for funding may apply.

We suggest international students apply at least two months before the course starts. This is so that you have enough time to make the necessary arrangements.

Deposit

If you live outside the UK/EU you must:

• pay a deposit of £1,500
• or submit an official letter of sponsorship

The deposit is payable after you receive an offer to study at Newcastle University. The deposit is non-refundable, but is deducted from your tuition fees when you register.

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