Course summary

A Masters by Research (MScR) programme is ideal if you would like to complete a short piece of independent research in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies. It is a good stepping stone to a PhD, but is equally of value as a stand-alone qualification. As a Masters by Research student, you will be part of a wider masters community, while specialising in what most interests you right from the beginning of the programme. This is how it is different to a taught Masters (MSc). Spanish was formally added to the University’s curriculum in 1919 and, in the century since, has developed into one of the best-established subject areas of its kind in the UK, with teaching and research in Portuguese, Basque, Catalan, Latin American, Portuguese and Spanish studies. Join our interdisciplinary community and undertake a project comprising research assignments and a 15,000 word dissertation under the guidance of an experienced and well-published supervisor. Research excellence In the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), our research in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies was submitted in Modern Languages and Linguistics (Panel D - Arts and Humanities; Unit of Assessment 26). The results reaffirm Edinburgh’s position as one of the UK’s leading research universities - third in the UK. As published in Times Higher Education's REF power ratings, this result is based on the quality and breadth of our research in the unit of assessment. We specialise in the major areas of Spanish, Latin American and Lusophone (including Brazil and Lusophone Africa) literary and cultural studies, and film and visual culture. We have particular strengths in:

• the Spanish Golden Age

• Modern Spanish narrative

• Latin American poetry and narrative, especially in Chile and Argentina from the 19th to 21st centuries

• Women's and Gender Studies

• Indigenous and Afro-descendant filmmaking

• Memory and Post-Memory Studies

• Caribbean Studies

• Diaspora studies and Visual culture (film, graphic arts, performance)

• Lusophone African literatures

• Portuguese contemporary culture