The Master: Institutional Overview & Structure

Program Description

General information

The Master in Advanced English Studies: Languages and Cultures in Contact, run by the University of Salamanca and the University of Valladolid, is an accredited program, which meets the high standards of excellence of the European System of Higher Education. The program has been evaluated and approved by:

1. the academic councils of both organizing universities,
2. the Spanish Ministry of Education,
3. the regional Quality Accreditation Agency of Castile and Leon (ACSUCyL), the National Quality Evaluation and Accreditation Agency for Higher Education (ANECA).

The Master’s program consists of 60 credits and takes one academic year to complete. Classes are held at the University of Salamanca during Fall semester, and at the University of Valladolid in the Spring semester.

It enables students to pursue a PhD by providing the required coursework previous to writing a PhD dissertation. It constitutes the pre-requisite coursework for the PhD program that has been distinguished by the Spanish Ministry of Education for its Quality of Excellence.

The Master’s in Advanced English Studies: Languages and Cultures in Contact is a flexible program that offers three academic itineraries in language and linguistics, and literature and culture, or a combined program of linguistics, literature and culture. Students are free to choose courses offered by three possible itineraries according to their academic or professional preferences. These three itineraries meet the current social and academic demands of excellence of Higher Education of the European System in the field of English Studies. The subjects offered reflect the major research lines and methodological trends in the fields of English Language Learning and Linguistics, and Anglo-American Literature and Culture.

The goals of the Master’s program are to enable students to acquire the necessary competencies and skills characteristic of an advanced, specialized, and interdisciplinary education. It is oriented towards the formation of specialists in the areas of English language and linguistics, and Anglo-American literature and cultural studies. The program allows access to the PhD program as well as prepares students for the demanding standards of the international job market.

The Master in Advanced English Studies is a multidisciplinary and inter-cultural program. It shares the same degree of excellence, philosophies, competencies, objectives, and academic content as the Graduate Programs offered in the majority of European and U.S. Higher Education systems. The Master’s aims to provide students with a broad knowledge in the field of English studies, combining itineraries in language and linguistics, and literature and culture, including the most recent critical and cultural theories. Students become familiar with the most recent trends, systems of thought, theories and research methodologies in the area of English language and linguistics and Anglo-American literature and culture. They acquire important skills and fundamental tools of scholarship, bibliographic procedures, and editorial methods. The program also emphasizes the ability to write well, to produce relevant and innovative scholarly and critical work in a specialized domain, to teach effectively, and to make articulate presentations at conferences.

The Master in Advanced English Studies: Languages and Cultures in Contact is an ideal program for B.A. degree holders with an interest in either teaching or research in the field of English Studies. It is also intended for professionals with other credentials unrelated to philology, as long as their professional experience requires frequent use of English and a good command of the language and Anglophone cultures. Any graduates holding a B.A., 3-Year Diploma (240 credits), or University Degree in any area of the Humanities or Social Sciences from any European University or from any other international institution of Higher Education of a similar level can apply for admission.

The Master in Advanced English Studies responds to the current social demands that require highly qualified teachers with an excellent knowledge of the language and culture, and with the necessary skills to ensure the highest level of performance in teaching methodologies and evaluation systems. The Master’s program aims to meet the challenges of a modern and economically globalized society and rests on the conviction that advanced knowledge of the English language, as well as the Anglo-American culture and literature, is a vital element in the modern world in which different cultures are more and more politically, economically, and technologically interconnected.

The Master’s is aimed at both the professional training for teachers of English as a Foreign Language and the preparation of future researchers in academia. The study plan also addresses the curricular needs of future cultural mediators who work in the media, press, embassies, ministries, archives and libraries.

More Information:

The main course objectives offered in this Master’s aim to:

• Enhance the language and literary skills that students have acquired in undergraduate English Studies, and to provide a more specialized and multidisciplinary training that prepares students for an advanced academic career and the development of a doctoral thesis.
• Strengthen students’ English language proficiency, both oral and written, so they can successfully play the role of linguistic and cultural mediators in various professional environments.
• Provide advanced professional training as to successfully teach the language, literature, and Anglo-American culture in universities or in primary and secondary schools, official language schools.
• Introduce students to key issues in different areas of research, focusing on theoretical and/or applied linguistic study, and English literary and cultural studies.
• Train researchers, experts, and cultural advisors in the areas of English language and linguistics, and in the literature and culture of English-speaking countries.
• Provide a solid and rigorous training in a number of different theoretical approaches to linguistics, literature, culture and discourse in the field of English studies.
• Build a capacity for critical reflection within the different areas of English literature and linguistics and their applications in the professional field.
• Demonstrate the ability to learn to work autonomously.
• Master the epistemology of mainstream study of literature in English language, applied linguistics and cultural history of English speaking countries.
• Provide extensive and advanced training to students or working professionals in the field of language, linguistics and Anglo-American culture, given the key role that English and cultural events have in multilingual and intercultural environments.

Master in Advanced English Studies

• THE MASTER IN ADVANCED ENGLISH STUDIES: LANGUAGES AND CULTURES IN CONTACT is an official Master’s program offered by the Universidad de Salamanca and the Universidad de Valladolid in English studies.
• The Master’s program is an accredited program which meets the high standards of excellence of the European System of Higher Education (EEES). It constitutes the pre-requisite coursework for the PhD program that has been distinguished by the Spanish Ministry of Education for its Quality of Excellence.
• The University of Salamanca (1218) is Spain’s oldest university and the fourth oldest in Europe.
• In the Humanities, both the University of Salamanca and the University of Valladolid hold an indisputable international prestige in areas of research and teaching innovation. These institutions are linked to the creation of the first grammar and to famous historical figures such as Cervantes, Lope de Vega Fray Luis de León, San Juan de la Cruz, Torres Villarroel, and Miguel de Unamuno, among many others.
• In the sixteenth century both universities, along with the University of Alcalá, were named the three most important universities in the Kingdom
• The University of Salamanca was among the first in Spain to create an English department and to introduce American Literature studies in this country. Both universities have been distinguished with the “Campus of Excellence” award
• According to the ranking in El Mundo, the English Department of the University of Salamanca has consistently maintained the number one place in all its national listings.
• The University of Salamanca has the second highest international student community in the country.
• The University of Salamanca and Valladolid are famous for their diverse international student population and offer a number of educational exchange programs for foreign students.
• The University of Salamanca boasts the ninth highest enrollment of Erasmus students and half of its postgraduate students are international. The University of Valladolid is the top European university in international teaching placements within the Erasmus-Sócrates program and sends out the most teachers in all of Europe.
• Both Salamanca and Valladolid are charming university towns with a rich cultural heritage. During the seventeenth century Valladolid was the capital of the Spanish Empire and since them has carried an important historical legacy
• The Master in “Advanced English Studies” is aimed towards both highly motivated Spanish and international students with a professional drive allowing them to excel in a rigorous academic environment. Dare to be the best!