Although the Department offers both the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees, the graduate program is essentially a Ph.D. program. The M.A. degree in Spanish or in Portuguese is a degree awarded upon successful completion of the first phase of the doctoral program. The Ph.D. program is in Hispanic Languages and Literatures.<br><br>The Ph.D. program in Hispanic Languages and Literature at UCLA offers an exciting combination of research, writing, teaching, and public-facing humanities. The department supports a range of critical and theoretical approaches and encourages interdisciplinary work that takes advantage of UCLA's many strengths. In the Latin American-Iberian and Afro-Luso-Brazilian tracks, students take a variety of courses in literature, culture, film, and theory, balancing a broad understanding of the cultural field with their chosen specialization as they develop their research agendas. In Spanish and Portuguese Linguistics, students explore theoretical fieldsincluding phonetics, phonology, syntax, and historical linguisticsand engage in psycho- and socio-linguistic research.<br><br>In addition to Spanish and Portuguese, graduate students may study Basque, Cataln, Quechua, and Nahuatl in our department and a wealth of languages at UCLA. Students participate in interdisciplinary programs such as Digital Humanities, Urban Humanities, and Experimental Critical Theory, as well as research groups such as Diversifying the Classics and the Hebrew Aljamiado Research Group. All students are trained in pedagogy and have opportunities to teach language, literature, and culture. Several have received university-wide Distinguished Teaching Awards.