The Department of Hispanic Studies at the University of Houston has been at the forefront of research and teaching related to the language, literature, and culture of Latinos in the United States. It has registered numerous firsts, including: 1) the only PhD. in Spanish with a concentration in US Latino studies, 2) a wholly integrated Spanish-language heritage curriculum from freshman to graduate school, 3) the first and only Ph.D. to focus on creative writing in Spanish, 4) an online graduate certificate in Spanish as a heritage language, 5) an online Master’s degree in US Hispanic Studies.
Latino Heritage at the Undergraduate Level
Through such undergraduate courses as Cross-Cultural Business Contexts: U.S./Latin America, Mexican American Literature, Hispanic Folklore of the Southwest, Teaching Spanish to Heritage Learners, and US Latino Culture, Spanish majors are prepared to work in American society, where bilingualism and biculturalism are career and service advantages. With state certification, graduating students will be prepared to teach in public schools with a high percentage of Latino students. The department’s track of Spanish for the Global Professions, offering courses in Spanish for the professions of business, health, translation, and interpretation, is very popular among Latino undergrads.
Ph.D. with a Concentration in US Latino Language, Literature, and Culture
The Ph.D. program concentration in US Latino studies fully prepares students to enter teaching and professional careers where in-depth knowledge of Latino language, literature, history, and culture helps meet the needs of the nation’s largest and growing minority population. Courses include Methods of Research in US Hispanic Literature and Linguistics, US Hispanic Literature Survey, Borders and Segregation, The Literature of Immigration, The Literature of Exile, US Latino Theater, US Latino Children’s Literature, Latinxs in Film, Latin American Migration and Exile, US Hispanic Culture and Civilization, Latino Cultural Studies, Sociolinguistic Aspects of US Spanish, Methods for Teaching Spanish to Heritage Learners, US Latino Film, Spanish Language as a Resource in the US Professions, Research in Heritage Language Education and US Spanish Dialectology. Among all institutions globally, the department produces the largest number of doctoral dissertations in the area of US Latino Studies.
In addition to the faculty publishing extensive research and directing numerous doctoral dissertations in Latino studies, members of the faculty and graduate students work in two national leadership programs affiliated with the department: the nation’s oldest and largest Latino publishing house, Arte Público Press, and the nation’s largest Latino research program, Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage. Both programs provide hands-on training for undergraduate and graduate assistants in editorial, bibliographic, archival, and digital humanities work. In 2019, Arte Público Press was awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award for lifetime achievement, only the third time in a century that a press has been honored with this award.
Both faculty and students, who are drawn from throughout the Spanish-speaking world, have been recognized with highly competitive fellowships and awards. It is the only Spanish department in the United States whose faculty has won a Pulitzer Prize, a MacArthur Fellowship, a National Humanities Medal, and the lifetime achievement award from the North American Academy of the Spanish Language.
Online M.A. in US Hispanic Studies
The Online M.A. in US Hispanic Studies is aimed at preparing a corps of well-trained teachers of Spanish and Hispanic culture for heritage language learners and allowing professionals from diverse fields (e.g., medical, business, the arts) to acquire the necessary tools to successfully work with the Hispanic community in the United States and in global environments.
Graduate Certificate in Spanish as a Heritage Language
The online Graduate Certificate in Spanish as a Heritage Language is a twelve-credit post-baccalaureate program that offers training in U.S. Spanish and Heritage Language Education. The certificate includes courses from a variety of perspectives that prepare teaching professionals to work with Hispanic heritage language learners at secondary and post-secondary levels. The certificate allows direct entry to those who seek some graduate-level work to enhance their knowledge and skills in particular areas but who are not interested in earning a graduate degree. Upon completion of the certificate, participants interested in continuing their graduate studies will be able to apply to the M.A. program in Spanish and, if accepted, petition for the credits to be counted toward the master’s course load.
Latino Houston
The Houston area boasts a highly diverse population, and Latinos of many nationalities and ethnicities make up half of Houston’s city residents. This not only affords our students numerous opportunities to engage in a rich community life of art, theater, music, health, medical, and international business and entertainment, but also provides venues for developing their creativity and for community service. The Department of Hispanic Studies and the entire University of Houston strive to provide internships and exchanges with many local institutions, where our students can benefit from internships and experiential learning. The Department of Hispanic Studies also maintains study abroad programs in Cuba, Mexico, and Spain. Through alliances with the University of Houston’s Center for Mexican American and Latino Studies, numerous scholarships and internships are available, as are extensive training in translation studies through the creative writing programs in the English Department and the Hispanic Studies Department.
About the Author
Nicolás Kanellos, Ph. D., Brown Foundation Professor of Hispanic Studies, is the founder and emeritus director of Arte Público Press and Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage. He is a member of two national academies of the Spanish language and was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2024.
