Applying without having majored in the language?

[movings]

I spoke with my spanish professor recently about my post-undergrad plans and I'd mentioned that I would be trying to pursue English at the grad level. He suggested that I look into Spanish programs as it may be more practical. Now, whether any doctorate in the humanities is more practical than another is a different conversation, but it did get me considering the idea. However, as it is, I don't plan on completing my Spanish major due to time/money restraints. However, I do speak the language fluently (it is my first language) and will be graduating with a degree in English literature in the fall. Would I be at a severe disadvantage in applying to a Spanish PhD program without having a BA in Spanish? My field of interest falls squarely between English and Spanish literature (transgenerational and transcultural ideas of masculinity and sexual identity), but I don't know if it'd be a waste of time/silly to apply with only an English BA. I was originally going to apply to just English programs or some CompLit programs, but I'm not so sure now. For me to finish my Spanish major, I would need to stick around possibly another three semesters, that, to be frank, is money I don't want to spend on my BA. That said, I would consider an MA in Spanish, probably at UVA, where I qualify for in-state tuition, if it help get into a better program than I could with just my English BA. Any suggestions are welcome! Thank you.  

[frenchlover]

I think you can find MA programs in Spanish that are fully funded. For me, it wasn't obvious, but I was able to find a lot of them in French. University of Hawaii-Manoa, may be a good start, for example. http://manoa.hawaii.edu/llea/spanish/graduate/

Look into big public and private universities with no PhD programs in Spanish as well.

[Glasperlenspieler]

In my (anecdotal) experience, it is not at all uncommon for someone to enter a PhD program in German/French/Spanish/etc. without having majored in it in undergraduate. A PhD program will want to ensure that you are proficient in the language (not a problem for you), that you have the analytic and academic skills necessary for success in the program, and that you have compelling and coherent research interests that fit within the discipline. Whether you obtain these skills by majoring in the subject or not is largely irrelevant (obviously this doesn't apply to every discipline, but I think it does in langauge/literature departments). 

From what you have posted here, I think you would probably be competitive for admission in a Spanish PhD program (which, of course, isn't a guarantee that you will be admitted). The question is whether your research interests are best served by a Spanish department or a Comp Lit or English department. Determining this will take some research on your part. Try to find professors whose research interests correspond to yours and see what department they're in. This will help give you a better idea of the contours of the disciplines.

One other thing to note: Recognize that if you are lucky enough to be admitted to a strong Spanish PhD program and get a job afterwards you will most likely spend most of your time teaching Spanish language courses. Many people find this very rewarding, but others do not. So, if you realize that you would rather not teach language courses, you're probably better off pursuing an English or Comp Lit degree.

[accidental_philologist]

On 4/27/2018 at 4:07 PM, Glasperlenspieler said:

One other thing to note: Recognize that if you are lucky enough to be admitted to a strong Spanish PhD program and get a job afterwards you will most likely spend most of your time teaching Spanish language courses. Many people find this very rewarding, but others do not. So, if you realize that you would rather not teach language courses, you're probably better off pursuing an English or Comp Lit degree.

Yes, this is exactly the advice I've gotten from professors as well when I was trying to pick between different kinds of programs. One just bluntly asked me "what's the intro course you want to end up teaching for the rest of your career?" So for you (assuming you want to go into academia, or even while teaching during the Ph.D.) -- introductory Spanish language, or lower-level English courses? -- is a question to ask yourself. You sound very qualified for either one you may choose!