The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures boasts an internationally recognized faculty with whom students can prepare themselves professionally in the fields of French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese studies. In addition, our program is uniquely structured to support interdisciplinary research. Students choose their own sequence of coursework, under the guidance of faculty mentors, not only from the courses offered by RLL but also from across the entire University of Michigan. Program milestones (fourth-term review, preliminary exams, prospectus meeting) are designed to guide students' progress toward the development of a research project. RLL graduate students can also pursue Graduate Certificates in a number of interdisciplinary areas: LGBT Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Latina/o Studies, Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Museum Studies, Screen Arts, and Women's Studies.