Portuguese Studies
MA

The MA in Portuguese Studies gives graduates an in-depth understanding of literary and cultural history of Portugal and the Portuguese-speaking world within a broad, interdisciplinary context of the humanities and social sciences.

Course offerings are complemented by a varied agenda of activities and publications sponsored by the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture.

guest lectures
state-of-the-art colloquia
Portuguese-American Archives
international, peer-reviewed academic journal
Portuguese Literary and Cultural Studies

Our program provides the knowledge required for teaching Portuguese in secondary schools and community and junior colleges, as well as to succeed professionally in a wide range of employment opportunities available in our region, nationally and internationally. Students are well-prepared to continue their studies toward a PhD.

Completion of the MA in Portuguese Studies requires a total of 30 credits, including a minimum of 24 course credits. At least 12 credits (4 courses) must be at the 600 level, including POR 610: Topics in Literary and Cultural Analysis. The remaining credits are taken through 500-level courses. Up to 9 credits may be taken outside of the Department of Portuguese, from an approved list of courses

Two distinct options are available to MA students. Students will declare their option by the end of their second semester in the program (full-time students) or following completion of eighteen course credits (part-time students).

Learn more about our options.

A limited number of assistantships are available on a competitive basis. This award is subject to the work needs of the position and department, your satisfactory performance of duties, your academic record, and availability of funds, and may be subject to change.

Learn more about assistantships at UMass Dartmouth

Graduate admissions requirements

University requirements for graduate admissions

Submit an application via the online portal. Be sure to provide your full legal name and to capitalize the first letter of all proper nouns.
Pay non-refundable $60 application fee (American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa) via the online portal. For Nursing applicants, the non-refundable application fee is $75.
Statement of Purpose, minimum 300 words. Unless otherwise indicated in the program requirement details, indicate your graduate study objectives, research interests and experience, and business or industry experience if applicable. If you are applying for a teaching or research assistantship, include any special skills or experience that would assist us in making assistantship decisions.
Resume
Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended (regardless of whether a credential is earned or not). Unofficial transcripts are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled a final official transcript is required. International students applying with an transcript evaluation, please submit that document with your unofficial transcripts. International applicants for Data Science must submit semester-by-semester transcripts as well as consolidated transcripts.
Many programs have specific recommendations/requirements, please see the additional program-specific requirements for more information.
International students: official TOEFL iBT, IELTS, Pearson PTE or Duolingo (if accepted by program) score. Unofficial scores are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled official scores are required and must be sent by the testing agency (copies/scans not accepted). This is required of any applicant who did not earn a bachelor’s degree or higher degree from an accredited academic institution in the U.S. or accepted English-speaking country, see exemptions for more details. We require an overall/total minimum score of 72 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.0 on the IELTS or a 52 on the Pearsons PTE Academic for entrance to any program and a minimum score of 79 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.5 on the IELTS for consideration for a teaching assistantship. Some programs require higher minimum scores (see program-specific requirements). Most programs also accept the Duolingo with a minimum score of 95. The following programs do not accept the Duolingo: Art Education, Biology/Marine Biology, Nursing (MS, DNP, PhD), Psychology: Clinical, and Public Policy.
All official documents are required for enrollment, please have documents (ie. test scores) sent prior to the expiration.

Program-specific requirements

Candidates must submit the required application materials, university requirements and program-specific requirements, for consideration.

GRE score – recommended especially for assistantship consideration, not required.
3 letters of recommendation. Applicants will be required to provide the recommender's name and email address so we can contact the recommender for the letter of recommendation.
Writing sample in Portuguese (minimum 10 pages of writing)

Program deadlines