Master's Degree in Modern Languages and Literatures

Academic year 2023-24

See the pre-registration, admission and registration deadlines for the 2023-24 academic year for this master's programme.
You can also consult this information for the academic year 2022-23.

New student profile and admission criteria

Graduates from Spanish universities can access this programme as can those who hold degrees that have been validated and those holding bachelor's degrees or degrees that have been expressly declared as equivalent to a bachelor's degree. The Master's programme is designed especially for graduates from a Spanish philology, Spanish language and literature, English philology, or English studies programme, or any other philology programme. It is also appropriate for holders of associate degrees in foreign languages or in Spanish language and literature teaching as well as degrees either entirely or partially based on philology, especially those regarding communication sciences, translation and interpretation, literary theory, library science, and cultural studies.

Students holding a foreign higher education degree covering materials similar to those covered in the aforementioned programmes are eligible to access this Master's programme without having to have their degree officially validated as long as the degree accredits a level of education equal to that which is provided by a similar official Spanish degree programme and it allows the holder to access Master's level studies in the issuing country. This point is true for students in the European Higher Education Area as well as those who are not.

If an applicant's profile does not include studies in any of the previously mentioned contents, the candidate must present, if required, the following materials to the Academic Committee of the Master's programme so that he/she may be considered for admission:

  • The academic transcript from their undergraduate studies,
  • The academic transcript from other Master's studies or other university-specific studies,
  • A CV (value is given to attending courses, seminars, conferences, etc.) and works published (books, articles, digital materials, audio-visuals, literature, recensions, etc.), preferably philological, and
  • Work profile (value is given to work related to teaching, editing, journalism, cultural management, translation, libraries, tourism, or the public sector).

In any case, the Academic Committee of the Master's programme will make the admission criteria, along with the points and weights of each criterion subject to evaluation, available when applicants register.

Those interested in participating in this programme should turn in an application, which will be considered by the Academic Committee, and in it applicants should specify their status with respect to admission requirements (i.e., holder of an unrelated Spanish degree, holder of a related foreign degree, etc.). After applying the admission criteria (explained in the previous paragraph), the Academic Committee will create a list of admitted students and a wait list that will be given to the UIB's Postgraduate Committee.

If there is a disagreement over the admission results, an appeal can be filed with the UIB's Postgraduate Committee.

Candidates who are given the right to enrol can request recognition and accreditation of previous studies under stated UIB regulations. The Academic Committee will evaluate each recognition request and will present the results to the UIB's Postgraduate Committee.

If there is a disagreement over the results of credit recognition, an appeal can be filed with the UIB's Postgraduate Committee, and if it considers it necessary, the Postgraduate Academic Committee will recommend subjects that the student should take, according to his/her academic background.

Academic and professional goals

General objectives

The overall goal of this Master's programme is to provide an in-depth look at the study of and research into the various fields of philology, especially in the areas of literature, linguistics, and modern languages. The programme aims to expand upon the knowledge that was gained in students' undergraduate literary and cultural studies or on linguistics and the modern languages so that students can specialize in one of these two fields.

Thus the general objective of this programme is to provide students with the resources they need to critically analyse and interpret literary or extra-literary texts.

Finally, it should be noted that another objective of this Master's programme is to enable students to acquire the methodological tools needed to carry out research work in one of the fields of philology covered in these studies and to ensure that they are able to present this work in front of specialized audiences and the general public.

Learning objectives of this degree programme

  • Acquire theoretical and practical knowledge about the various philological disciplines, including the fields of literature, linguistics, and modern languages, all of which serve as specializations.
  • Know the different analytical methods that allow for texts to be interpreted from literary and linguistic perspectives as well as cultural and historical perspectives.
  • Develop the strategic ability to apply acquired knowledge in such a way that the student can find a solution to many of the theoretical-practical problems that can arise in contexts related to philology.
  • From the knowledge and intellectual maturity acquired, be able to make judgements about the social responsibilities associated with the application of said knowledge.
  • Acquire the communication skills that allow students to transmit advanced knowledge in the field of philology in a way that is precise, structured, and reasoned to audiences with varying levels of expertise.
  • Acquire the skills needed to carry out an original research project in one of the philological fields covered in this programme, from an experimental or applied perspective or a theoretical or interpretative perspective.
  • Acquire advanced levels of knowledge about research methodologies in the various disciplines of philology.
  • Acquire learning strategies that allow students to continue their education independently throughout their lives.

After completing these Master's studies in modern languages and literatures, graduates will have to have acquired certain general and specific competences. Both kinds are based on the advice given by the ANECA, which is included in Spain's Qualifications Frameworks in the European Higher Education Area (MECES, by its Spanish initials).

Hereafter, the general competences, which are covered in all subjects, as well as the specific competences are detailed.

Generic competences

  1. Acquisition of a postgraduate level of theoretical-practical knowledge on the different philological disciplines, including the fields of literature, linguistics, and modern languages.
  2. The ability to understand, comment on, and evaluate texts with a linguistic or literary and cultural analysis.
  3. The ability to locate, understand, and interpret specialized information in a specific area of study within the field philology.
  4. Acquisition of the methodologies needed to analyse literary, cultural, or linguistic phenomena using interdisciplinary metrics.
  5. The ability to integrate knowledge and tackle the complexity of making judgements, based on incomplete or limited information, that include reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities tied to the application of said knowledge.
  6. The ability to identify problems related to the knowledge acquired and recognize possible areas of research in the discipline studied.
  7. The ability to comprehend and critically apply analytical methods and tools related to literary and linguistic research.
  8. The ability to acquire and apply methodological resources to the creation of scholarly work in the field of philology.
  9. Knowing how to clearly and unambiguously communicate knowledge and the reasoning behind it to specialized audiences and the general public.
  10. The ability to summarize research results, create texts, and make scientific contributions to specialized publications in the field of linguistics and literature.
  11. Knowing how to apply acquired knowledge and solve problems in new or unfamiliar environments in broader or multidisciplinary contexts related to the field of study.
  12. The learning abilities that allow students to continue learning independently or autonomously.

Specific competences

  1. The ability to locate and handle specialized literature sources related to philology, literature, and/or linguistics.
  2. The ability to locate and handle the major documentation collections in archives, libraries, newspaper archives, and computer databases, as well as other IT-based sources.
  3. The ability to apply information and communication technology in the field of specialized philological research.
  4. Knowledge about the current status of specialized studies in the various disciplines that make up philology.
  5. Developing a critical capacity in order to evaluate the different scientific contributions to each of the fields of research in the Master's programme.
  6. Knowledge about the evolution of linguistic and literary phenomena throughout history, situating them in a cultural and spatial-temporal context.
  7. The ability to critically analyse specialized texts from different eras based on the compositional procedures or linguistic variations used.
  8. The ability to recognize various historical-critical models of explaining texts from different philological disciplines, argue their validity, and understand the many possible textual criticisms and the proper use of a critical section.
  9. The ability to recognize various historical-critical models of explaining texts from the different auxiliary disciplines stemming from other, mostly social, sciences.
  10. The ability to summarize and comment on the information that can be obtained from various specialized sources, judging details related to the critical suggestions that they make, the sources and methods they use, and the conclusions that they draw.
  11. The ability to propose working hypotheses, which could employ the methodologies from the various contemporary literary and linguistic theories, for research on the subjects covered in the Master's programme.
  12. The ability to incorporate methodological resources derived from disciplines different to linguistics and literature but which complement the understanding and assessment of these subjects into philological research work.
  13. The ability to design specialized materials and instruments for the innovative study, research, and communication of the disciplines within philology.
  14. The ability to diagnose and assess the textual and discursive strategies used culturally and in linguistics to reinforce or subvert discussions on the institutionalisation of differential identities.
  15. Assessment of learning about the theoretical-practical knowledge of philological principles as an active, dynamic, and complex process due to the various factors involved.
  16. The ability to prepare social and cultural intervention models in the disciplines and fields covered in the Master's programme.

Access to other study programmes and career opportunities

The professional training and education that the Master's degree programme in modern languages and literatures provide to students serve as a first step towards doctorate studies and eventually a career in academics.

The University of the Balearic Islands is working to transfer and recognize credits in accordance with the directives in Royal Decree 1393/2007.

Structure of the study programme

This degree programme is made up of 60 ECTS credits, all of which are designed to be taken over one academic year.

Syllabi can be found in the subjects section of this degree programme.

BASIC AND COMPULSORY MODULES/SUBJECTS

  • Literary and cultural studies: compulsory subjects
    • General competences 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
    • Specific competences 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
  • Linguistic theory and applied linguistics: compulsory subjects
    • General competences 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
    • Specific competences  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

ELECTIVE MODULES/SUBJECTS

  • Literary and cultural studies: elective subjects
    • General competences 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
    • Specific competences 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
  • Linguistic theory and applied linguistics: elective subjects
    • General competences 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
    • Specific competences 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

MASTER'S THESIS MODULE

  • Master's thesis project
    • General 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Credit transfer and recognition

The credit transfer and recognition system is governed by Regulatory Agreement 9093/2009 of 5 June, which approves the university's regulation for recognizing and transferring credits (http://www.uib.es/fou/acord/90/9093.html), and which was modified by Regulatory Agreement 380/2013 of 19 April (http://www.uib.cat/fou/acord/105/10571.html).

Master's degree students may take some of the programme's credits at national or foreign universities with which there is a specific agreement. The programme's academic committee will be in charge of recognizing accreditations.

  Minimum Maximum
Recognition of credits awarded for non-university higher education studies  0  0
Recognition of credits awarded for university-specific studies  0  9
Recognition of credits awarded for accredited work or professional experience
 0  9

Because of the similarity in the number of credits, contents, and competences covered in the subjects of the Master's Degree in Catalan Language and Literature: Orality and Writing (known previously as the Màster Universitari de l'oral a l'escrit: la llengua i la literatura catalanes des de la perspectiva de l'oralitat) and the Master's Degree in Catalan Language and Literature: Knowledge and Critical Analysis of Intangible Heritage, the following automatic credit recognitions have been established:

Catalan Language and Literature: Orality and Writing Catalan Language and Literature: Knowledge and Critical Analysis of Intangible Heritage
The grammar of orality (5 credits) Pragmatics, Discourse and Oral Language (3 credits)
Competence and Linguistic Usage (5 credits) Competence and Linguist Usage (3 credits)
Catalan Dialectal Variation (5 credits) The Catalan Dialectal Variation Understood as Heritage (3 credits)

Narrative Folklore (5 credits) 

+ Popular Catalan Poetry (5 credits)

Oral and Popular Catalan Literature (6 credits)

The Credit Transfer and Recognition Commission may recognize credits from other master's or doctoral subjects as long as they coincide to a sufficient degree with the number of credits, knowledge, and competences offered by subjects in this master's programme.

Final Exam

Specified in the course syllabi; see the subjects section.

You can also consult the section on this page titled Evaluation criteria and exams in order to get more information on the "general assessment system for this Master's programme".

Evaluation criteria and exams

General assessment system for the Master's programme:

  • The subjects and Master's thesis will be scored from 0 to 10. In order to be awarded the Master's degree, students will have to pass all of the subjects and the Master's thesis.

A final mark will be derived in the following way:

  • The average of the subjects taken will represent 80% of the final mark, and
  • The mark received on the Master's thesis will represent the remaining 20%.

Study programme leadership

Dr. Joana Salazar Noguera
Telephone
971 17 2319

Coordinators

Literary and cultural studies coordinator: Dr. José Igor Prieto Arranz

Theoretical and applied linguistics coordinator: Dr. Joana Salazar Noguera