How do I apply for admission to the Advanced Masters?
You must first fill in the online pre-registration form here. You can do this during either of the two registration periods: April 15 - May 16 (first round), and June 1 and June 30 (second round). The pre-registration form will not be operative until April 15.
Once you have filled in the online pre-registration
form, you must present your application documents at the Faculty
of Letters of the Rovira i Virgili University (address below).
The documents
required are listed here. In summary, they are: 1) authenticated
photocopy of passport or identity card, 2) authenticated photocopy
of your first university degree (legalized in country of origin,
and with official sworn translation into Spanish), 3) authenticated
photocopy of your academic transcript (legalized in country
of origin, and with official sworn translation into Spanish),
4) curriculum vitae. Please
check the official webpages for exact information on all foreign
documents.(Please do not check the disastrous English used
in that site.) Non-EU candidates are advised
to start the process as early as possible.
For this Masters, candidates will also have to demonstrate that their English is at CEFR level C1 ("Effective Operational Proficiency"). This can be through any of the following: 1) a degree in English, 2) a degree from an English-speaking university, 3) Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English, 4) Level 5 from an Official Language School in Spain, 5) a degree in Translation with English as language A or B.
"Authenticated" here refers to an official
stamp that says the photocopy is a true photocopy. Where you
get that stamp and what it looks like depends on the country
you are in.
"Legalized" here means with a Hague
apostille or, depending on the country, with a series of stamps
from the various ministries involved ("diplomatic channels").
See
here for detailed information.
"Sworn translation" here means by a
translator certified by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(see
list here - a huge PDF file) or by our university's language
service (for English).
Additional documentation is required for the selection
process of this particular program: 1) a two-page Statement
of Intention, in English, outlining your reasons for applying
and the kind of research you would like to pursue, and 2) names
and email addresses of two academic referees. These additional
documents do not have to be translated or authenticated or legalized.
There is no application fee.
Those documents must be presented (in person or by post) to
Secretaria de Lletres
Avda. Catalunya, 35
43002 Tarragona
Tel: 34. 977 55 97 97
Fax: 34. 977 55 95 97
Hours: 11 am - 1 pm, and 4 pm to 5 pm Monday to Friday (plus an early start at 10 am on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday).
For questions on academic matters, please send your questions here.
How can I assess my chances of being accepted?
Since the intake is of 15 students only, candidates can obtain unofficial feedback on their dossier by sending a curriculum vitae and a two-page statement of intentions to the coordinator of the Masters. The statement should explain what you have done and what research you want to do. Candidates should receive an unofficial reply within seven days.
How do I apply for admission to the PhD program?
See explanations here. You will need the same documents as listed above, plus authenticated photocopies of the transcript and degree of your Masters, which must have a research component.
I have not been able to legalize my documents
in time. Can I still apply for the Advanced Masters?
In practice, yes. If you present all the above
documents without leglalizations, we can tell you if you can
be accepted into the course. But we cannot enroll you, nor can
we promise enrollment, until all the correct documents have
been received.
If we do not have all the correct documents, you
will not be allowed to begin the course.
Do I have to live in Tarragona in order
to do the courses?
No. The face-to-face courses are grouped
into intensive seminars in January and May, so that people
living and working in other countries can attend.
Do I have to give up my
job?
No. In many cases it should be
possible to combine the studies with work as a translator or teacher,
for example, if and when it is possible for you to attend the obligatory
seminars.
Do I have to be a full-time
student?
No. Part-time enrollment is possible. If you are a teacher or a translator/interpreter, part-time enrollment is stringly recommended.
How can I do the Masters part-time?
Basically you are required to complete 30 credits coursework in the ffirst year, then the minor dissertation and the research design in the second year (i.e. the other 30 credits).
Can I do the Masters courses 100%
online?
No. A lot of material will
be put online, and we will organize feedback via email and
instant messaging, but the courses are not designed to be
100% online. The current level of online work is about 40%
(including online tutorials, post-seminar feedback, peer-to-peer
discussion), and it will not go higher than that level. It
is important to build a learning community, and this is best
done face-to-face.
Which of the Masters courses are available online?
The courses currently available online are:
Basic Readings in Translation Studies, Communicating Research
in English, Contemporary Theories of Translation 1 and Research
on Translator Training 2. All these courses have web-based
material and are supported by an email discussion list.
How long does the Masters coursework take?
One academic year full-time; two academic years part-time, if you pass everything. This includes
the minor dissertation and research design.
Will the program be offered
on a long-term basis?
The Masters
program followed by the thesis-writing
program is in accordance with the current
law (Real decreto) regulating postgraduate studies in Spain, and its 2007 modification. This structure will last as long as the Spanish law lasts.
I am not interested in some of the Masters courses.
Do I have to attend them all?
Yes, you have to attend them all. There are no elective courses in the Advanced masters. See details here.
What work does the student have to do for each
course in the Advanced Masters?
In addition to attendance and participation
in the face-to-face seminars, students are required to complete weekly assignments for the online courses and four pieces
of written work (about 2000 words) for the other courses (students may select the four they want to write for). This work should
all be in English.
I have only completed a three-year university
degree. Can I enter the Advanced Masters?
According to the current law, yes, if you have
completed the equivalent of 180 ECTS credits. However, since
our intake is limited to 15 students, preference will be given
to students with previous Masters studies in translation,
in accordance with our admission criteria. If you only have
a three-year degree, you are very unlikely to be accepted.
I have completed a Masters in Translation
at another university. Can I enter straight into the doctoral (thesis-writing)
stage of the Tarragona program?
According to the current law, yes, if our bureaucracy
recognizes your Masters as equivalent to a Spanish Masters.
In practice, we are reluctant to accept students who have
not received our own training in research methodology (i.e.
our own Masters). To enter straight into the thesis-writing
stage, you would have to present a brilliant research proposal
in one of the areas of key interest to our research group
(currently working on translation technology). We may then
ask you to enroll in some of our research-methodology courses.
I have completed a Masters in Translation
at another university. Can I have those courses recognized
as equivalent to courses in the Tarragona Advanced Masters?
Yes. If your Masters courses are on research
methodology, or are otherwise very similar to the courses
in our Masters, then they can be recognized as equivalent
(through a process known as adaptació). This
means that they count as courses done in our program, and
you will be awarded our Masters. In these cases, there is
a fee to pay for each credit recognized. See
official procedures here (in Catalan).
I have completed courses in the former doctoral program
in Translation and Intercultural Studies. Can I have those
courses recognized as part of the new Masters?
Yes, although the process will cost 25% of the
fee for the new course. See
official procedures here (in Catalan).
I already have a doctorate.
Can I still do the courses?
Yes. But ask yourself if
you really need a second doctorate. Your time might be better spent
building up your curriculum by getting your work published.
If I am not Spanish, will my doctorate be valid
in Spain?
Yes. Check the current law
(Real decreto) regulating postgraduate studies in Spain.
It's years since I was a student.
Is it too late for me to start studying again?
No, it is never too late. Professional experience in
the fields of translation, localization or teaching is considered
a definite advantage. You should, however, be aware that doctoral
work requires empirical research as well as reflection on your experience. You will have to discover something you do not know already.
Can I do the courses without
doing a thesis?
Yes. You can complete the
Masters period, receive a Masters degree for it, and then
not complete the doctoral thesis. Of course, we will not be overjoyed
in such cases, since the quality of the program is assessed
partly on the basis of the number and quality of the theses
it produces.
What is the total cost of the
program?
From 2009-10 the two-year Masters program
is equal to 60 ECTS credits, and the current cost is 22 euros
per credit, so the theoretical total is 1320 euros. However,
since this is likely to fluctuate, please
check the official information here.
The basic annual cost during the period in which you write
your thesis is currently 105 euros, but our university
will then charge fees for the thesis defense and
the delivery of the final piece of paper. Please
check the official information here.
What are the fees for students from outside the European Union?
The fees are the same, no matter what country you are from.
Will the courses be available
for people not enrolled in the Advanced Masters and PhD program?
Technically, no. We do, however,
add open seminars to the Masters and PhD program.
.
Erasmus exchange students at postgraduate level are able to
attend the seminars for free, as are students visiting us
as part of the Translation Research
Network.
Who can supervise my thesis?
In theory, anyone who has
completed a PhD, is engaged in research, and is employed at a tertiary education institution.
We would normally expect supervisors to be one of the teaching
staff participating in the PhD program, but this is not a
necessity. If you select an external supervisor, one of the
URV staff will then be appointed as an "internal tutor"
for the purposes of signing the various administrative documents.
What language must I write the
thesis in?
Any language that can be read by
members of the examining tribunal. Our preferences are for
English, Spanish or Catalan.
Who is paying for all this?
Student fees do not cover
the real cost of the program. Our sources of funding are
subsidies from the Spanish Ministry of Education (Mención
de Calidad), the Intercultural Studies
Group (which also runs various online courses and training seminars),
and the Universitat Rovira I Virgili.
What grants can I apply for?
Our program as such does not offer any grants. For information on possible external funding, please see our information page here: http://isg.urv.es/publicity/doctorate/funding.html
How do I calculate my average
grade for my first degree?
This is something you have to
do when you apply for a grant from the Spanish Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. Take the academic record of your first degree
(BA Hons or similar), and give points for your marks:
4 points = Top (A+, Matrícula de Honor)
3 points = Nearly Top (A, Sobresaliente)
2 points = Next (B, Notable)
1 point = Pass (Aprobado, C)
If in doubt about how many points to give to your
grades, err in your favor.
Add up all the points, divide by the number of grades,
and you should have your average (it will be a number between 1
and 4).
If your degree awards grades for subjects
with different credits, you will have to weight the scores accordingly.
Just multiply the score by the number of credits for that unit,
then divide by the total number of credits.
Please
check the official information here.
